Watch “Chasing Coral”
Monday, 29 July 2019
“Chasing Coral” is the best documentary you will see in years. On Netflix now. Do it. I’ll wait.
Coral is a living animal creature. The whole thing is one creature. The small polyps and mouths are body parts of a living creature, not separate creatures.
This is Hanauma Bay. We went snorkeling there and saw lots of dead coral. When it’s only bleached, it is still alive—barely; it is white because the flesh that covers the white skeleton has died and broken away from the skeleton, but the inside portion is hanging on. If the coral becomes florescent, it is making one last chemical stand at staying alive. If it is covered in wispy algal strands it is dead dead. We saw plenty of the latter, one magnificent (in a bad way) bright purple coral, and many damaged corals, broken by careless tourists. I am trying to be upbeat….
Coral reefs are dying because the oceans are warming past their capacity to cope with the temperature change. Most of the warming of our atmosphere from burning fossil fuels…that heat “goes into” the ocean, and so elsewhere is being buffered by the temperature rises in the ocean waters.
Stab at upbeat. The shapes look like stone spear points to me, as well as surfboard outlines.
Pleasure to have the sun drop behind the ridge and the temperatures begin to drop.
Think about temperature change now. And check your calendar for a time window to watch “Chasing Coral.” Then watch it.
End of preaching. Thank you for your patience.