Newmond Tibin Bernama 29 Jul 10;
KOTA KINABALU, July 29 (Bernama) -- Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) scientists have discovered widespread coral bleaching in Sepanggar Bay, off Sabah waters.
In disclosing this, UMS Director of Borneo Marine Research Institute Prof Dr Saleem Mustafa said such activities deserved serious attention due to its implications on marine biodiversity and coral reef fisheries in the state's waters.
"UMS scientists, including M. Ali, Aw Soo Ling and Dr Abentin Estim noticed bleaching in some areas of Sepanggar Bay.
"They are of the view that in the context of Sabah, the corals have been living close to their maximum water temperature tolerance, and additional warming of water certainly has a debilitating effect on their health and survival," he told Bernama, here Thursday.
Saleem said coral bleaching was a stress response associated with ecosystem disturbances.
"It happens when corals loose the symbiotic micro algae (zooxanthellae) due to unfavorable environmental conditions.
"Bleaching stress has affected not merely the stony corals but also some soft corals, sea anemone and other marine invertebrates which have symbiotic relationship with the zooxanthellae," he said.
He said while the degree of bleaching in Sabah would require more studies to quantify, it seemed to have started in recent months based on the routine observations that have been on-going during regular dives in the area by UMS marine scientists.
Saleem said the immediate causes could be unusual variations in temperature, dilution and sedimentation.
According to him, the dry spell and warmer conditions experienced in Sabah earlier this year (January-March) had weakened the corals and dealt a blow to their resistance to environmental stress.
"During that period, temperature and solar radiations were reported to be higher than average. The sea surface temperature anomalies (deviation from normal profile) exceeded 1.5oC in the equatorial Pacific Ocean and the consequential atmospheric anomalies that developed, reflected a moderate El Nino Southern Oscillation," he said.
"A declining trend in the sea surface temperature anomaly that started in the second half of March 2010 from 1.5oC and transitioned to below 0.5oC over a vast part of the equatorial Pacific Ocean paved the way for rains that have been heavy at times in the recent weeks, leading to a large volume of run-off into coastal areas of Sepanggar Bay," he said.
Saleem said sedimentation was also another serious problem that needed immediate attention.
"Sediment run-off from the land-based activities and upwelling during the heavy rains have exacerbated the turbidity of the seawaters and covered the corals.
"Under this condition, corals already weakened by high temperature could not withstand increasing scale of sedimentation and dilution.
"Together with the measures for controlling sediment inputs to the marine environment, we should also work towards protection and restoration of the connectivity of corals with other associated marine critical habitats like mangroves and sea grasses," he said.
He said the possibility of unusual regional patterns emerging from global climatic change as factors responsible for coral bleaching cannot be ruled out.
"The equatorial location of Sabah and the region around it makes it an active seat of hydrodynamics driven by changes in atmospheric conditions and ocean circulation.
"If this pattern is indeed responsible for regional warm water pools and altered chemical composition of sea water, the stress will ease out as the pattern changes," he said.
However, Saleem said: "We should be prepared to face and examine oceanic patterns unfamiliar to us due to complications caused by climate change".
He said the UMS scientists were of the view that the climate change was worsening the serious problems facing the marine ecosystem.
"With acidification of ocean, altered hydrodynamic events and warming of the sea, the marine life is heading towards more dramatic consequences.
"At local level, we should reduce stress on the coastal marine ecosystem and build resilience in corals, and expedite the development of marine protected areas. All global level, drastic reduction in carbon emission is the key factor in our fight against the effects of climate change.
Saleem said the economic costs of degradation or loss of marine habitats were enormous and deserved proper valuation for providing a sound basis for policy tools to emerge for economically viable and socially acceptable marine conservation program of action.
-- BERNAMA
