Coral Bleaching in American Samoa
March 10, 2016 8:11 PM   Subscribe

You're running out of time to see one of nature's most spectacular sites, writes Tom Philpott in Mother Jones. American Samoa is just one of the locations affected by a massive coral bleaching event.

Marine scientists have predicted that coral reefs worldwide, including those within the National Park of American Samoa (NPSA), will suffer substantial mortality over the next 20-30 years due to global warming.

From 2014: American Samoa-A Story of Hope

U.S. All Islands Coral Reef Committee

American Samoa-the Heart of Polynesia
posted by MoonOrb (8 comments total) 12 users marked this as a favorite
 
Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think.
posted by The Card Cheat at 8:29 PM on March 10, 2016 [6 favorites]


This is the last generation to eat seafood. The next generation will be the last to eat.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:36 PM on March 10, 2016 [7 favorites]


Well, once they get done eating the rich anyway.
posted by 3urypteris at 8:50 PM on March 10, 2016


"Courage my friends! 'Tis not too late to build a better world!"
posted by My Dad at 9:27 PM on March 10, 2016


Ahh, Tutuila, motu o fiafia! A few years ago in American Samoa, I was speaking to some senior national parks people and the conversation turned to coral around the other islands in the archipelago (Ofu and Olosega, in particular). They told me about a research project focusing on the fringing reefs at those islands that was trying to see if there was something to be learned to help coral elsewhere survive rising temperatures, because the coral at Ofu/Olosega apparently could survive and thrive in a far wider band of temperatures than could coral elsewhere.
Wonder how that project, and that coral, are doing these days.
posted by barnacles at 10:20 PM on March 10, 2016 [2 favorites]


So long, and thanks for all the fish!
posted by blue_beetle at 11:24 PM on March 10, 2016


So sadly predictable.
posted by Oyéah at 8:50 AM on March 11, 2016


Damn, I should have been a marine biologist.
posted by Aizkolari at 9:29 AM on March 11, 2016


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