Is the Great Barrier Reef making a comeback?

SGT Mary G. interesting... thanks for sharing...
..."So how do we know whether to celebrate recovery on the Great Barrier Reef? This opens a long-held debate about the distinction between words like “recovery,” “recovered,” and “healthy.”

“Health depends on your perspective,” says Hughen. “There’s a lot of variability on any given reef, so these things aren’t just perfect until they’re messed with. They’re in flux.”

And not all scientists assess reef health in the same way. A coral biologist, for instance, may be excited at the prospect of higher coral cover, says Hughen, while a marine chemist on the same reef may find the presence of stress hormones a troubling sign. Hughen, along with colleagues on the Reef Solutions Initiative Team, are working to develop health diagnostic tools by factoring multiple indicators together—things like reef soundscapes, microbial communities, biochemical cues, and biodiversity levels.

“We’re trying to create baselines for what ‘healthy’ reefs look like,” says Hughen. "...

Reefs are resilient and always building while parts are dying, the question is when will we stop contributing to their death? SGT Mary G.