iBiome

Great Barrier Reef Faces 'Irreversible' Damage: Report

Unless immediate action is taken, the famous coral reef system will be unable to recover from the "irreversible" damage that climate change will wreak on it by 2030, a new report out of Australia warns.

Published by the World Wildlife Fund-Australia, the University of Queensland report paints a bleak picture for the future of the ecosystem.

"If we don't increase our commitment to solve the burgeoning stress from local and global sources, the reef will disappear," the report, prepared for Earth Hour's upcoming annual event, states. "This is not a hunch or alarmist rhetoric by green activists. It is the conclusion of the world's most qualified coral reef experts."

via www.huffingtonpost.com

Pacific Underwater: A winter's dive | Healthy Oceans | David Suzuki Foundation

This is the best time of year to be underwater in B.C. As more light reaches into depths free of phytoplankton and bull kelp, visibility is incredibly clear. Just a few feet beneath the surface, water temperature doesn't change much from summer to winter, so with proper diving gear there's nothing to worry about.

via www.davidsuzuki.org

Diving in winter here is fantastic, just a little clunky in a 6 ml wetsuit. And my blood has thinned I think and my diving tends to happen only when in the tropics these days.