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Using a dental scanner on corals like a “magic wand”

<p>Dr Kate Quigley’s trip to the dentist might have revolutionised coral reef research.</p> <p>The intra-oral dental scanner her dentist was using turned out to be the perfect thing for scanning baby corals and learning critical information about their growth.</p> <p>“Baby corals and teeth are actually not too different. They’re both wet,” says Quigley, now a senior research scientist at the Minderoo Foundation.</p> <p>“Which might not seem like a big deal – but if you’re scanning something, that creates diffraction. […] Having tech that can work in a wet environment and handle a texture that’s wet, is actually really important.”</p> <p>There are a few other things that bring dental scanners and coral together, too.</p> <p>“The properties of teeth and baby coral skeletons are very similar. They’re calcium-based, slightly different, but similar enough that the resolution of the laser was tailored to coral skeletons, just by accident,” says Quigley.</p> <p>While conducting research at the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and James Cook University, Quigley managed to get one of the tooth-scanning devices she’d seen at the dentist (the ITero Element 5D Flex), and test it on corals.</p> <p>Quigley has published a description of the new method in Methods in Ecology and Evolution.</p> <p>Monitoring coral growth is key to restoring and preserving it.</p> <p>“Growth and survival are really the currency of any monitoring program. It doesn’t matter what organism you’re looking at,” says Quigley.</p> <p>But it’s very difficult to monitor the growth of corals – because of their shape and size.</p> <p>“How most coral growth studies are done is really just taking 2D flat images. And that works really well when the coral is really young, say a month or two months, because they’re like little flat pancakes,” says Quigley.</p> <p>As they grow, corals develop very complex three-dimensional structures. Scanning these structures is time-consuming, and often destructive: the coral has to be killed in order to be scanned.</p> <p>The dental scanner takes quick, harmless scans and uses AI to combine the images into a 3D picture almost immediately.</p> <p>“Instead of taking all day and into the night, it takes two minutes,” says Quigley.</p> <p>It also provides better detail.</p> <p>“Baby corals start off really small. They’re almost invisible,” says Quigley.</p> <p>“Being able to measure those really fine scale differences, smaller than a millimetre, was also really important.”</p> <p>Quigley describes the scanner as “effectively a magic wand”.</p> <p>So far, the scanner’s been shown to work in a lab (at AIMS National Sea Simulator) and in the field – on a boat above the water.</p> <p>Unfortunately, it’s not waterproof enough to take diving. Yet.</p> <p>Quigley hopes it will become a regular tool used by coral researchers and restorers.</p> <p>“If we are thinking about scaling up reef restoration in the future we’re going to need a way to measure and monitor these individuals more effectively. It wouldn’t be sustainable if it’s one individual a day.”</p> <p>Quigley says that this discovery demonstrates the importance of thinking laterally.</p> <p>“In science I feel like there’s less and less room to just be creative anymore,” she says.</p> <p>“This has been a really interesting time for me – to dabble in dentistry and look at all the tech that’s available and may be useful in conservation.”</p> <p><strong>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/nature/coral-dental-scanner/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Ellen Phiddian.</strong></p> <p><em>Images: Shutterstock</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Record coral cover doesn’t necessarily mean the Great Barrier Reef is in good health (despite what you may have heard)

<p>In what seems like excellent news, coral cover in parts of the Great Barrier Reef is at a record high, according to <a href="https://www.aims.gov.au/information-centre/news-and-stories/highest-coral-cover-central-northern-reef-36-years" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new data</a> from the Australian Institute of Marine Science. But this doesn’t necessarily mean our beloved reef is in good health.</p> <p>In the north of the reef, coral cover usually fluctuates between 20% and 30%. Currently, it’s at 36%, the highest level recorded since monitoring began more than three decades ago.</p> <p>This level of coral cover comes hot off the back of a <a href="https://theconversation.com/another-mass-bleaching-event-is-devastating-the-great-barrier-reef-what-will-it-take-for-coral-to-survive-180180" target="_blank" rel="noopener">disturbing decade</a> that saw the reef endure six mass coral bleaching events, four severe tropical cyclones, active outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish, and water quality impacts following floods. So what’s going on?</p> <p>High coral cover findings <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-lot-of-coral-doesnt-always-mean-high-biodiversity-10548" target="_blank" rel="noopener">can be deceptive</a> because they can result from only a few dominant species that grow rapidly after disturbance (such as mass bleaching). These same corals, however, are extremely susceptible to disturbance and are likely to die out within a few years.</p> <h2>The data are robust</h2> <p>The <a href="https://peerj.com/articles/4747/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Great Barrier Reef spans</a> 2,300 kilometres, comprising more than 3,000 individual reefs. It is an exceptionally diverse ecosystem that features more than 12,000 animal species, plus many thousand more species of plankton and marine flora.</p> <p>The reef has been teetering on the edge of receiving an “in-danger” <a href="https://theconversation.com/not-declaring-the-great-barrier-reef-as-in-danger-only-postpones-the-inevitable-164867" target="_blank" rel="noopener">listing</a> from the World Heritage Committee. And it was <a href="https://theconversation.com/this-is-australias-most-important-report-on-the-environments-deteriorating-health-we-present-its-grim-findings-186131" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently described</a> in the State of the Environment Report as being in a poor and deteriorating state.</p> <p>To protect the Great Barrier Reef, we need to routinely monitor and report on its condition. The Australian Institute of Marine Science’s long-term monitoring program has been collating and delivering this information since 1985.</p> <p>Its approach involves surveying a selection of reefs that represent different habitat types (inshore, midshelf, offshore) and management zones. The <a href="https://www.aims.gov.au/monitoring-great-barrier-reef/gbr-condition-summary-2021-22" target="_blank" rel="noopener">latest report</a> provides a robust and valuable synopsis of how coral cover has changed at 87 reefs across three sectors (north, central and south) over the past 36 years.</p> <h2>The results</h2> <p>Overall, the long-term monitoring team found coral cover has increased on most reefs. The level of coral cover on reefs near Cape Grenville and Princess Charlotte Bay in the northern sector has bounced back from bleaching, with two reefs having <a href="https://www.aims.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-08/AIMS_LTMP_Report_on%20GBR_coral_status_2021_2022_040822F3.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more than 75% cover</a>.</p> <p>In the central sector, where coral cover has historically been lower than in the north and south, coral cover is now at a region-wide high, at 33%.</p> <p>The southern sector has a dynamic coral cover record. In the late 1980s coral cover surpassed 40%, before dropping to a region-wide low of 12% in 2011 after Cyclone Hamish.</p> <p>The region is currently experiencing outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish. And yet, coral cover in this area is still relatively high at 34%.</p> <p>Based on this robust data set, which shows increases in coral cover indicative of region-wide recovery, things must be looking up for the Great Barrier Reef – right?</p> <h2>Are we being catfished by coral cover?</h2> <p>In the Australian Institute of Marine Science’s report, reef recovery relates solely to an increase in coral cover, so let’s unpack this term.</p> <p>Coral cover is a broad proxy metric that indicates habitat condition. It’s relatively easy data to collect and report on, and is the most widely used monitoring metric on coral reefs.</p> <p>The finding of high coral cover may signify a reef in good condition, and an increase in coral cover after disturbance may signify a recovering reef.</p> <p>But in this instance, it’s more likely the reef is being dominated by only few species, as the report states that branching and plating Acropora species have driven the recovery of coral cover.</p> <p>Acropora coral are renowned for a “boom and bust” life cycle. After disturbances such as a cyclone, Acropora species function as pioneers. They quickly recruit and colonise bare space, and the laterally growing plate-like species can rapidly cover large areas.</p> <p>Fast-growing Acropora corals tend to dominate during the early phase of recovery after disturbances such as the recent series of mass bleaching events. However, these same corals are often susceptible to wave damage, disease or coral bleaching and tend to go bust within a few years.</p> <p>Inferring that a reef has recovered by a person being towed behind a boat to obtain a rapid visual estimate of coral cover is like flying in a helicopter and saying a bushfire-hit forest has recovered because the canopy has grown back.</p> <p>It provides no information about diversity, or the abundance and health of other animals and plants that live in and among the trees, or coral.</p> <h2>Cautious optimism</h2> <p>My <a href="https://theconversation.com/almost-60-coral-species-around-lizard-island-are-missing-and-a-great-barrier-reef-extinction-crisis-could-be-next-163714" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a>, published last year, examined 44 years of coral distribution records around Jiigurru, Lizard Island, at the northern end of the Great Barrier Reef.</p> <p>It suggested that 28 of 368 species of hard coral recorded at that location haven’t been seen for at least a decade, and are at risk of local extinction.</p> <p>Lizard Island is one location where coral cover has rapidly increased since the devastating 2016-17 bleaching event. Yet, there is still a real risk local extinctions of coral species have occurred.</p> <p>While there’s no data to prove or disprove it, it’s also probable that extinctions or local declines of coral-affiliated marine life, such as coral-eating fishes, crustaceans and molluscs have also occurred.</p> <p>Without more information at the level of individual species, it is impossible to understand how much of the Great Barrier Reef has been lost, or recovered, since the last mass bleaching event.</p> <p>Based on the coral cover data, it’s tempting to be optimistic. But given more frequent and severe heatwaves and cyclones are predicted in the future, it’s wise to be cautious about the reef’s perceived recovery or resilience.</p> <p><strong>This article originally appeared on The Conversation.</strong></p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Couple book non-stop cruises for two-and-a-half years

<p dir="ltr">A couple who missed out on the joys of cruising during lockdown are now bunkering down and cruising non-stop for two-and-a-half years.</p> <p dir="ltr">Jessica and Marty Ansen left Brisbane on Princess Cruises’ Coral Princess on June 16 for the beginning of their exciting adventure.</p> <p dir="ltr">They have previously sailed on 31 cruises with Princess with a whopping 1,173 days at sea and when the resumption of cruises they were ready to get started again. </p> <p dir="ltr">From now until August 2024, the loved up couple will be holidaying on the high seas and on a staggering 53 different cruise ships! </p> <p dir="ltr">“Cruising offers the ultimate holiday experience. You go onboard, you only unpack once, and you have all this amazing entertainment, exceptional food, great company and you can see the world. And, the crew deliver incredible service - that’s why we cruise,” they said. </p> <p dir="ltr">The Ansens booked their two years of back-to-back cruises (795 sea days) - including two round-the-world cruises in 2023 and 2024 – with Brisbane-based family-owned travel agency Clean Cruising.</p> <p dir="ltr">Martine Hero, the Senior Consultant at Clean Cruising, said the Ansens had always been passionate about cruising and were keen to be back on the water again. </p> <p dir="ltr">“For the last two years Marty frequently mentioned all he and Jessica wanted to do was to go cruising again,” he said. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Since the announcement of the resumption of cruising we have had an influx of interest and bookings, including those of the Ansens. </p> <p dir="ltr">“This extended trip has been in the works for a long time, as have those of many other cruisers. </p> <p dir="ltr">“We want to thank our cruise fans for their patience as we get them back doing what they love most.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: The Today Show</em></p>

Cruising

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Artificial intelligence tool learns “song of the reef” to determine ecosystem health

<p class="spai-bg-prepared">Coral reefs are among Earth’s most stunning and biodiverse ecosystems. Yet, due to human-induced climate change resulting in warmer oceans, we are seeing growing numbers of these living habitats dying.</p> <p class="spai-bg-prepared">The urgency of the crisis facing coral reefs around the world was highlighted in a recent <a class="spai-bg-prepared" href="https://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/the-reef/reef-health" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> that showed that 91% of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef had experienced coral bleaching in the summer of 2021–22 due to heat stress from rising water temperatures.</p> <p class="spai-bg-prepared">Determining reef health is key to gauging the extent of the problem and developing ways of intervening to save these ecosystems, and a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool has been developed to measure reef health using… sound.</p> <p class="spai-bg-prepared">Research coming out of the UK is using AI to study the soundscape of Indonesian reefs to determine the health of the ecosystems. The results, <a class="spai-bg-prepared" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X22004575?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">published</a> in <em class="spai-bg-prepared">Ecological Indicators</em>, shows that the AI tool could learn the “song of the reef” and determine reef health with 92% accuracy.</p> <p class="spai-bg-prepared">The findings are being used to track the progress of reef restoration.</p> <p class="spai-bg-prepared">“Coral reefs are facing multiple threats, including climate change, so monitoring their health and the success of conservation projects is vital,” says lead author Ben Williams of the UK’s University of Exeter.</p> <div class="newsletter-box spai-bg-prepared"> <div id="wpcf7-f6-p193163-o1" class="wpcf7 spai-bg-prepared" dir="ltr" lang="en-US" role="form"> </div> </div> <p class="spai-bg-prepared">“One major difficulty is that visual and acoustic surveys of reefs usually rely on labour-intensive methods. Visual surveys are also limited by the fact that many reef creatures conceal themselves, or are active at night, while the complexity of reef sounds has made it difficult to identify reef health using individual recordings.</p> <p class="spai-bg-prepared">“Our approach to that problem was to use machine learning – to see whether a computer could learn the song of the reef. Our findings show that a computer can pick up patterns that are undetectable to the human ear. It can tell us faster, and more accurately, how the reef is doing.”</p> <p class="spai-bg-prepared">Fish and other creatures make a variety of sounds in coral reefs. While the meaning of many of these calls remains a mystery, the new machine-learning algorithm can distinguish overall between healthy and unhealthy reefs.</p> <p class="spai-bg-prepared">Recordings used in the study were taken at the <a class="spai-bg-prepared" href="http://www.buildingcoral.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mars Coral Reef Restoration Project</a>, which is restoring heavily damaged reefs in Indonesia.</p> <p class="spai-bg-prepared">The study’s co-author Dr Tim Lamont, a marine biologist at Lancaster University, said the AI method provides advantages in monitoring coral reefs.</p> <p class="spai-bg-prepared">“This is a really exciting development,” says Lamont. “Sound recorders and AI could be used around the world to monitor the health of reefs, and discover whether attempts to protect and restore them are working.</p> <p class="spai-bg-prepared">“In many cases it’s easier and cheaper to deploy an underwater hydrophone on a reef and leave it there than to have expert divers visiting the reef repeatedly to survey it, especially in remote locations.”</p> <p><img id="cosmos-post-tracker" class="spai-bg-prepared" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=193163&amp;title=Artificial+intelligence+tool+learns+%E2%80%9Csong+of+the+reef%E2%80%9D+to+determine+ecosystem+health" width="1" height="1" /></p> <div id="contributors"> <p><em><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/artificial-intelligence-reef-song/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/evrim-yazgin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Evrim Yazgin</a>. Evrim Yazgin has a Bachelor of Science majoring in mathematical physics and a Master of Science in physics, both from the University of Melbourne.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p> </div>

Technology

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No, sunscreen chemicals are not bleaching the Great Barrier Reef

<p>For the sixth time in the last 25 years, the Great Barrier Reef <a href="https://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/the-reef/reef-health" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is bleaching</a>. During bleaching events, people are quick to point the finger at different causes, including <a href="https://owlcation.com/stem/Coral-Bleaching-and-Oxybenzone-Choose-Your-Sunscreen-Carefully" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sunscreen</a>.</p> <p>Why sunscreen? Some active ingredients can wash off snorkelers and into the reef, contaminating the area. So could this be the cause of the Barrier Reef’s bleaching?</p> <p>In a word, no. I reviewed the evidence for sunscreen as a risk to coral in my <a href="https://www.publish.csiro.au/CH/CH21236" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new research</a>, and found that while chemicals in sunscreen pose a risk to corals under laboratory conditions, they are only found at very low levels in real world environments.</p> <p>That means when coral bleaching does occur, it is more likely to be due to the marine heatwaves and increased water temperatures that have come with climate change, as well as land-based run-off.</p> <p><strong>Why have we been concerned over the environmental impact of sunscreens?</strong></p> <p>After we apply sunscreen, the active ingredients can leach from our skin into the water. When we shower after swimming, soaps and detergents can further strip the these sunscreen chemicals off and send them into our waste water systems. They pass through treatment facilities, which cannot effectively remove them, and end up in rivers and oceans.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/454296/original/file-20220325-21-1agae0v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/454296/original/file-20220325-21-1agae0v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/454296/original/file-20220325-21-1agae0v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/454296/original/file-20220325-21-1agae0v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/454296/original/file-20220325-21-1agae0v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/454296/original/file-20220325-21-1agae0v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/454296/original/file-20220325-21-1agae0v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/454296/original/file-20220325-21-1agae0v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="hands putting on sunscreen" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Sunscreen isn’t the cause of the coral bleaching.</span> <span class="attribution">Shutterstock</span></figcaption></figure> <p>It’s no surprise, then, that sunscreen contamination has been detected in freshwater and seas across the globe, from <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15996716/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Switzerland</a> to <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11356-015-5174-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brazil</a> and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27235899/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hong Kong</a>. Contamination is highest in the summer months, consistent with when people are more likely to go swimming, and peaks in the hours after people have finished swimming.</p> <p>Four years ago, the Pacific island nation of Palau made world headlines by announcing plans to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/02/pacific-island-to-introduce-world-first-reef-toxic-sunscreen-ban" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ban all sunscreens</a> that contain specific synthetic active ingredients due to concern over the risk they posed to corals. <a href="https://www.cntraveler.com/story/these-destinations-are-banning-certain-sunscreens" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Similar bans</a> have been announced by Hawaii, as well a number of other popular tourist areas in the Americas and Caribbean.</p> <p>These bans are based on independent scientific studies and <a href="https://coralreefpalau.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/CRRF-UNESCO-Sunscreen-in-Jellyfish-Lake-no.2732.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commissioned reports</a> which have found contamination from specific active ingredients in sunscreen in the water at beaches, rivers and lakes.</p> <p>Notably, the nations and regions which have banned these active ingredients, like Bonaire and Mexico, have local economies heavily reliant on summer tourism. For these areas, coral bleaching is not only an environmental catastrophe but an economic loss as well, if tourists choose to go elsewhere.</p> <p><strong>How do we know sunscreen isn’t the issue?</strong></p> <p>So if contamination concerns over these active ingredients are warranted, how can we be sure they’re not the cause of the bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef?</p> <p>Put simply, the concentrations of the chemicals are too low to cause the bleaching.</p> <p>The synthetic ingredients used in most products are highly <a href="https://www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/653/hydrophobic#:%7E:text=Hydrophobic%20is%20a%20property%20of,Oils%20and%20fats%20are%20hydrophobic." target="_blank" rel="noopener">hydrophobic</a> and <a href="https://www.greenfacts.org/glossary/jkl/lipophilic.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lipophilic</a>. That means they shun water and love fats, making them hard to dissolve in water. They’d much prefer to stay in the skin until they break down.</p> <p>Because of this, the levels found in the environment are very low. How low? Think nanograms per litre (a nanogram is 0.000000001 grams) or micrograms per litre (a microgram is 0.00001 grams). Significantly higher levels are found only in waste water treatment sludge and some sediments, not in the water itself.</p> <p>So how do we reconcile this with studies showing sunscreen can damage corals? Under laboratory conditions, many active ingredients in sunscreen have been found to damage corals as well as <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22828885/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mussels</a>, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17889917/#:%7E:text=BP%2D2%20was%20accumulated%20in,and%20female%20fish%20were%20observed." target="_blank" rel="noopener">fish</a>, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24359924/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">small crustaceans</a>, and plant-like organisms such as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0269749111006713" target="_blank" rel="noopener">algae and phytoplankton</a>.</p> <p>The key phrase above is “under laboratory conditions”. While these studies would suggest sunscreens are a real threat to reefs, it’s important to know the context.</p> <p>Studies like these are usually conducted under artificial conditions which can’t account for natural processes. They usually don’t account for the breakdown of the chemicals by sunlight or dilution through water flow and tides. These tests also use sunscreen concentrations up to thousands of times higher – milligrams per litre – compared to real world contamination levels found in collected samples.</p> <p>In short, laboratory-only studies are not giving us a reliable indication of what happens to these chemicals in real world conditions.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/454298/original/file-20220325-21-1wft8gc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/454298/original/file-20220325-21-1wft8gc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/454298/original/file-20220325-21-1wft8gc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/454298/original/file-20220325-21-1wft8gc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/454298/original/file-20220325-21-1wft8gc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/454298/original/file-20220325-21-1wft8gc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/454298/original/file-20220325-21-1wft8gc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/454298/original/file-20220325-21-1wft8gc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="Sea wave seen side on" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Laboratory studies don’t tend to account for dilution in seas or rivers.</span> <span class="attribution">Shutterstock</span></figcaption></figure> <p><strong>If it’s not sunscreen, what is it?</strong></p> <p>The greatest threats to the reef are climate change, coastal development, land-based run-off like pesticides, herbicides, and other pollutants, and direct human use like illegal fishing, according to a <a href="https://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/our-work/outlook-report-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2019 outlook report</a> issued by the reef’s managing body.</p> <p>Reefs get their striking colours from single-celled organisms called <a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/tutorial_corals/coral02_zooxanthellae.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">zooxanthellae</a> which grow and live inside corals. Importantly, these organisms only grow under very specific conditions, including narrow bands of temperature and light levels. When conditions go outside the zooxanthellaes’ preferred zone, they die and the coral turns white.</p> <p>As a result, the likeliest cause of this bleaching is <a href="https://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/our-work/threats-to-the-reef/climate-change" target="_blank" rel="noopener">climate change</a>, which has increased ocean temperatures and acidity and resulted in more flooding, storms, and cyclones which block light and stir up the ocean floor.</p> <p>So do you need to worry about the impact of your sunscreen on the environment? No. Sunscreen should remain a key part of our sun protection strategy, as a way to protect skin from UV damage, prevention skin cancers, and slow the visible signs of ageing. Our coral reefs face much bigger issues than sunscreen.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/179938/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nial-wheate-96839" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nial Wheate</a>, Associate Professor of the Sydney Pharmacy School, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of Sydney</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/no-sunscreen-chemicals-are-not-bleaching-the-great-barrier-reef-179938" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

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5 major heatwaves in 30 years have turned the Great Barrier Reef into a bleached checkerboard

<p>Just 2% of the Great Barrier Reef remains untouched by bleaching since 1998 and 80% of individual reefs have bleached severely once, twice or three times since 2016, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0960982221014901">our new study</a> reveals today.</p> <p>We measured the impacts of five marine heatwaves on the Great Barrier Reef over the past three decades: in 1998, 2002, 2016, 2017 and 2020. We found these bouts of extreme temperatures have transformed it into a checkerboard of bleached reefs with very different recent histories.</p> <p>Whether we still have a functioning Great Barrier Reef in the decades to come depends on how much higher we allow global temperatures to rise. The bleaching events we’ve already seen in recent years are a result of the world warming by 1.2℃ since pre-industrial times.</p> <p>World leaders meeting at the climate summit in Glasgow must commit to more ambitious promises to drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions. It’s vital for the future of corals reefs, and for the hundreds of millions of people who depend on them for their livelihoods and food security.</p> <h2>Coral in a hotter climate</h2> <p>The Great Barrier Reef is comprised of more than 3,000 individual reefs stretching for <a href="https://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/the-reef/reef-facts">2,300 kilometres</a>, and supports more than 60,000 jobs in reef <a href="https://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/our-work/Managing-multiple-uses/tourism-on-the-great-barrier-reef">tourism</a>.</p> <p>Under climate change, the frequency, intensity and scale of climate extremes is changing rapidly, including the record-breaking marine heatwaves that cause corals to bleach. Bleaching is a stress response by overheated corals, where they lose their colour and many struggle to survive.</p> <p>If all new COP26 pledges by individual countries are actually met, then the projected increase in average global warming could be brought down <a href="https://www.climate-resource.com/tools/ndcs">to 1.9℃</a>. In theory, this would put us in line with the goal of the Paris Agreement, which is to keep global warming below 2℃, but preferably 1.5℃, this century.</p> <p>However, it is still not enough to prevent the <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/chapter/spm/">ongoing degradation</a> of the world’s coral reefs. The damage to coral reefs from anthropogenic heating so far is very clear, and further warming will continue to <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aan8048">ratchet down</a> reefs throughout the tropics.</p> <h2>Ecological memories of heatwaves</h2> <p>Most reefs today are in early <a href="https://www.aims.gov.au/reef-monitoring/gbr-condition-summary-2020-2021">recovery mode</a>, as coral populations begin to re-build since they last experienced bleaching in 2016, 2017 and 2020. It takes about a decade for a decent recovery of the fastest growing corals, and much longer for slow-growing species. Many coastal reefs that were severely bleached in 1998 have never fully recovered.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/430169/original/file-20211104-19-1po1sc2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/430169/original/file-20211104-19-1po1sc2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <span class="caption">The fringing reef flat at Orpheus Island on the central Great Barrier Reef, prior to mass coral bleaching in 1998.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Bette Willis and Andrew Baird</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span> <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/430168/original/file-20211104-27-16wyz5j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/430168/original/file-20211104-27-16wyz5j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <span class="caption">The same reef flat at Orpheus Island after further bleaching in 2002 and 2016.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Bette Willis and Andrew Baird</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></p> <p>Each bleaching event so far has a different geographic footprint. Drawing upon <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/6/11/11579">satellite data</a>, we measured the duration and intensity of heat stress that the Great Barrier Reef experienced each summer, to explain why different parts were affected during all five events.</p> <p>The bleaching responses of corals differed greatly in each event, and was strongly influenced by the recent history of previous bleaching. For this reason, it’s important to measure the extent and severity of bleaching directly, where it actually occurs, and not rely exclusively on water temperature data from satellites as an indirect proxy.</p> <p>We found the most vulnerable reefs each year were the ones that had not bleached for a decade or longer. On the other hand, when successive episodes were close together in time (one to four years apart), the heat threshold for severe bleaching increased. In other words, the earlier event had hardened regions of the Great Barrier Reef to subsequent impacts.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/430176/original/file-20211104-15-noksid.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/430176/original/file-20211104-15-noksid.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="Bleached coral" /></a> <span class="caption">Bleaching is a stress response by overheated corals.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></p> <p>For example, in 2002 and 2017, it took much more heat to trigger similar levels of bleaching that were measured in 1998 and 2016. The threshold for bleaching was much higher on reefs that had experienced an earlier episode of heat stress.</p> <p>Similarly, southern corals, which escaped bleaching in 2016 and 2017, were the most vulnerable in 2020, compared to central and northern reefs that had bleached severely in previous events.</p> <p>Many different mechanisms could generate these historical effects, or ecological memories. One is <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0041-2">heavy losses</a> of the more heat-susceptible coral species during an earlier event – dead corals don’t re-bleach.</p> <p>Nowhere left to hide</p> <p>Only a single cluster of reefs remains unbleached in the far south, downstream from the rest of the Great Barrier Reef, in a small region that has remained consistently cool through the summer months during all five mass bleaching events. These reefs lie at the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef, where upwelling of cool water may offer some protection from heatwaves, at least so far.<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/430397/original/file-20211104-23-29h946.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/430397/original/file-20211104-23-29h946.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <span class="caption">Map of the Great Barrier Reef showing the cumulative level of bleaching observed in 2016, 2017 and 2020. The colours represent the intensity of bleaching, ranging from zero (category 1, dark blue) to severe bleaching that affected more than 60% of corals (category 4, red)</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author provided</span></span></p> <p>In theory, a judiciously placed network of well-protected, climate-resistant reefs might help to repopulate the <a href="https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/conl.12587">broader seascape</a>, if greenhouse gas emissions are curtailed to stabilise temperatures later this century.</p> <p>But the unbleached southern reefs are too few in number, and too far away from the rest of the Great Barrier Reef to produce and deliver sufficient coral larvae, to promote a long-distance recovery.</p> <p>Instead, future replenishment of depleted coral populations is more likely to be local. It would come from the billions of larvae produced by recovering adults on nearby reefs that have not bleached for a while, or by corals inhabiting reef in deeper waters which tend to experience less heat stress than those living in shallow water.</p> <p>Future recovery of corals will increasingly be temporary and incomplete, before being interrupted again by the inevitable next bleaching event. Consequently, the patchiness of living coral on the Great Barrier Reef will increase further, and corals will continue to decline under climate change.</p> <p>Our findings make it clear we no longer have the luxury of studying individual climate-related events that were once unprecedented, or very rare. Instead, as the world gets hotter, it’s increasingly important to understand the effects and combined outcomes of sequences of rapid-fire catastrophes.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/170719/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/terry-hughes-9894">Terry Hughes</a>, Distinguished Professor, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/james-cook-university-1167">James Cook University</a></em> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sean-connolly-94343">Sean Connolly</a>, Research Biologist, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/smithsonian-institution-1227">Smithsonian Institution</a></em></span></p> <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/5-major-heatwaves-in-30-years-have-turned-the-great-barrier-reef-into-a-bleached-checkerboard-170719">original article</a>.</p>

Domestic Travel

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From the Red Centre to the green tropics, Australia’s Outback presents a palette like no other

<p><strong>By Reader's Digest, in partnership with APT</strong></p> <p>From the sunburnt sands and ochre-hued escarpments of its Red Centre to the lush green rainforests of Tropical North Queensland, Australia’s Outback packs a punch when it comes to the kaleidoscope of colours on show. <a href="https://www.aptouring.com.au/?utm_source=readersdigest&amp;utm_medium=advertorial&amp;utm_content=20200302_outback2020_readersdigest_native&amp;utm_campaign=outback2020">APT</a> has been operating tours in the Outback for more than 50 years, and are experts in tailoring holidays to showcase the best of each magical region.</p> <p><strong>A world of rainforest and reef</strong></p> <p>In Cape Tribulation, rainforest-clad mountains tumble down to meet the coastline, where pure white sands and turquoise waters dazzle. This is the only place on Earth where two World Heritage-listed sites meet – the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest. The Daintree is the oldest tropical lowland forest in the world and is home to thousands of species of birds, animals and reptiles. Here, giant fan palms, emerald green vines and ancient ferns tangle together, forming a dense rainforest that makes you feel as though you are stepping into Jurassic Park.</p> <p><em style="font-weight: inherit;">On tour</em></p> <p>APT offers an 11-day 4WD adventure through Cooktown &amp; Cape York. Arrive in Cairns and transfer to Port Douglas, where you’ll spend a night at the luxurious Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort. Travel to Mossman Gorge in Daintree National Park and set off on a Dreamtime Gorge Walk. Explore Cape Tribulation and Cooktown then visit Split Rock, an intriguing Indigenous rock art site. Take a helicopter flight into the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve before continuing north to the tip of Cape York. Here, set out on a walk to the tip of the peninsula and enjoy a helicopter flight for an aerial perspective on this incredible landscape.</p> <p><strong style="font-style: inherit;">Be moved by the outback’s heart</strong></p> <p>As the light shifts and changes throughout the day, so does the landscape at Uluru – the Outback’s spiritual heart. At sunrise, feel an overwhelming sense of calm as you watch this mighty monolith come to life against a pastel-coloured sky. In the afternoon, Uluru appears as an ochre-brown hue, scored with dark shadows. As the sun begins to set, it bathes the rock in burnt orange, then a series of deeper and darker reds, before it finally fades into charcoal as night falls. Spend a night at the Field of Light and savour dinner under the stars, accompanied by the soothing sounds of the didgeridoo. With Uluru in the background, watch in awe as 50,000 soft lights cover the desert floor behind you.</p> <p><em style="font-weight: inherit;">On tour</em></p> <p>On APT’s 11-day Central to South Explorer tour, start your journey in Uluru, where you’ll embark on a base tour at sunrise and experience a night at the Field of Light. Learn about the history of opal mining in Coober Pedy then travel along the iconic Oodnadatta Track to WIlliam Creek. Take an included scenic flight over spectacular Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre before journeying to Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park. While here, spend two nights at the Ikara Safari Camp – the perfect base for exploring Wilpena Pound National Park. A winery lunch in Adelaide’s Clare Valley is the perfect ending to your journey.</p> <p><strong style="font-style: inherit;">Getting your fill of Lake Eyre</strong></p> <p>Few sights in Australia stir the soul more than that of the normally dry Lake Eyre filling with water and suddenly teeming with life. The lake, properly known as Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre, relies on monumental rains in Queensland and the Northern Territory for water to begin to flow into it. Last year saw the lake reach levels unseen for almost half a century, and it is hoped that 2020’s northern monsoon season will see the region once again alive with fish surging through the rivers that feed Lake Eyre, and its surface thronged with an array of birdlife including hundreds of thousands of pelicans. In a land battling drought and bushfires, the vision of water shimmering on the surface of the lake is life affirming. And it is something to be treasured and celebrated, so take this rare chance to go with the flow.</p> <p><strong><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.413612565445px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7843791/red-centre-2-um.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/5655363ea89d4bf1b0684a7bf50cfbba" /></strong></p> <p><strong>Paradise found amid corals and blooms</strong></p> <p>Stretching over 1,100 kilometres of seemingly untouched coastline, Western Australia’s Coral Coast is a marine paradise like no other. Here, waves lap lazily on pristine white-sand beaches and turtles sweep through sheltered turquoise bays.</p> <p>The crystal-clear waters of Ningaloo Marine Park harbour the world’s largest fringing reef. Beneath the surface, you’ll find dolphins, dugongs, manta rays, and more than 500 species of fish. There’s more to discover on land, where colourful blankets of native wildflowers burst into bloom between August and September along the spectacular Wildflower Way. For a whole new perspective on the region, take to the skies on a helicopter flight over the Dampier Archipelago. The staggering contrast between brilliant white beaches, aquamarine waters, and the rugged red Pilbara landscape is a breathtaking sight – one that can only be experienced from the air.</p> <p><em style="font-weight: inherit;">On tour</em></p> <p>Board the MS Caledonian Sky in Broome and navigate the remote islands of Western Australia’s Coral Coast on a 15-day small ship expedition cruise and 4WD adventure. Discover life below the surface while snorkelling the clear waters of this marine paradise. Disembark in Geraldton and continue the adventure as you explore Kalbarri National Park and the eerie limestone Pinnacles. To finish up your journey, there’s a stay in a luxury eco-tent on the beautiful Rottnest Island.</p> <p style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;"><em style="font-weight: inherit;">This </em><em>article originally appeared on <a href="mailto:https://www.readersdigest.com.au/travel/from-the-red-centre-to-the-green-tropics-australias-outback-presents-a-palette-like-no-other">Reader's Digest.</a></em></p> <p><em>Photos: Reader’s Digest</em></p>

Domestic Travel

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12-year-old autistic boy "left to die" after drinking bleach

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> <p>A 12-year-old boy has been "left to die" after being tricked into drinking something that his mother believes was laced with bleach.</p> <p>Ronnie Phillips was left in an induced coma after sneaking out of the house with his younger brother to meet some other children.</p> <p>It was here that the other children gave Ronnie the drink, which he took as he thought it was alcohol.</p> <p>Ronnie's heartbroken mother Danielle Potter told <em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.sussexlive.co.uk/news/sussex-news/crawley-boy-12-left-die-4597796" target="_blank">SussexLive</a></em> that her son collapsed and his brother was screaming for help as he thought he died.</p> <p>“I just want to make people realise the dangers of drink, drugs, playing stupid games and running away leaving a child to die,” Danielle told the publication.</p> <p>“Kids will be kids but this sort of stuff is just ridiculous and dangerous”.</p> <p>Sharing her son’s experience online as a warning, Danielle added: “What my 12-year-old thought would be a laugh and a bit of fun with his mates has resulted with him like this in a coma, a machine breathing for him and in ICU.”</p> <p>His grandmother posted an update to the <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/fq96f-ronnie?utm_source=facebook&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1&amp;fbclid=IwAR2zp7jBuyRAVDGQTn4JQjQaVSkdzDbMpNWqxA83MLKfVKNMLP0Ez1CPW50" target="_blank" class="editor-rtflink"><em>GoFundMe</em></a> page updating people about Ronnie's condition.</p> <p>“This is my 12 year old grandson who is autistic. On Friday night some older children tricked him into drinking bleach and the result was him having to be put in a induced coma!” Tracey Willmor wrote.</p> <p>“He is now awake but can’t understand why no one likes him and would do this to him when he thought they was his friends! I want to show him that people do care and are not all nasty”</p> <p>Ronnie has since recovered and is due to return home soon.</p> </div> </div> </div>

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10 different ways you're not using bleach but you should be

<p>You can use bleach for much more than just brightening white clothes.</p> <p><strong>1. Keep your Christmas tree alive for longer</strong></p> <p>Keep the holiday spirit around just a bit longer with the help of bleach. According to Julia Byrne, a product developer, bleach at Clorox, you can prolong the life of your freshly cut tree with an easy mixture. Use a solution of two teaspoons of bleach per two litres of hot water, plus one cup of corn syrup, and an eighth of a cup of powdered iron from your local nursery. This mixture goes into your tree stand bowl instead of plain water, Byrne says.</p> <p><strong>2. Let your garden flourish</strong></p> <p>Try using bleach to clean flower pots and plants. “By cleaning your containers it helps prevent the transfer of moulds and diseases from old plants to new ones,” Byrne says. To disinfect, wash and rinse pots and planters by soaking them in a solution of half a cup of bleach to four litres of water for at least five minutes before rinsing with water.</p> <p><strong>3. Freshen up your garbage bins</strong></p> <p>Although garbage bins hold your garbage bags, the bins themselves need a good clean with bleach, too. Wash with soapy water and rinse. Then deodorise and sanitise the bins with a mixture of half a cup of bleach per three litres of water. Swish this solution over the inside of the bin and let it sit for two minutes before rinsing.</p> <p><strong>4. Keep fresh cut flowers alive</strong></p> <p>If you don’t have a green thumb, you can still use bleach to keep store-bought flowers alive. Smell your freshly cut flowers for longer by keeping them in cold water with a quarter teaspoon of bleach per litre of water, according to Byrne.</p> <p><strong>5, Eliminate litter box odour</strong></p> <p>Put an end to unpleasant cat box odours with bleach because it kills odour-causing germs, Byrne says. Wash the litter box with sudsy water and rinse. Then wipe it down with a solution of half a cup of bleach to four litres of water. Wait five minutes before rinsing.</p> <p><strong>6. Clean off mould and mildew</strong></p> <p>Bleach not only removes mould and mildew stains, but also kills the fungus, according to Byrne. “By killing the fungus, you no longer have to worry about the harmful effects that mould can have to your family’s health,” she says. Remove mould and mildew from your bathroom tiles with a mixture of equal parts bleach and water in a spray bottle. Let it sit for 15 minutes before scrubbing it off and rinsing.</p> <p><strong>7. Clean toys</strong></p> <p><span>Legos and other hard, non-porous objects such as kids’ toys could definitely benefit from bleach, especially if they are second-hand. “Bleach is perfect for disinfecting second-hand products because you can disinfect a lot of items with a small amount of bleach at a time,” Byrne says. Here’s what to do: add half a cup of bleach per four litres of water. Then wipe the surface with the bleach solution and let it sit on the surface for at least five minutes. Rinse it well with water and let it air dry.</span></p> <p><strong><span>8. Brighten and clean second-hand white linens</span></strong></p> <p><span>So you want to keep high thread count hand-me-down sheets without handing down any gross germs or bacteria. When washing, add two-thirds of a cup of bleach to your standard machine or one-third of a cup of bleach to your high-efficiency machine along with regular detergent. Ensure that the bleach contacts the clothes for ten minutes, Byrne says.</span></p> <p><strong><span>9. Clean most things in your kitchen</span></strong></p> <p><span>Sanitise second-hand food contact surface in the kitchen such as stainless steel utensils, plastic cutting boards, glassware, dishes, or baby bottles, Byrne says. Wash with water first, then rinse and wipe the surface with a solution of two tablespoons of bleach to one gallon of water. Let the solution stand for two minutes, rinse well, and air dry.</span></p> <p><strong><span>10. Make a DIY spray to use on most surfaces</span></strong></p> <p><span>Sealed tile, wood, countertops and plastic are all hard, non-porous surfaces that are safe for bleach. Create your own disinfecting spray with a combination of two cups of water and one tablespoon of bleach. Plus, bleach is good for cleaning glass dishware and porcelain because it doesn’t streak as much as some other cleaners, according to Byrne.</span><span> </span></p> <p><em><span>Source: <a href="https://www.rd.com/home/cleaning-organizing/ways-to-use-bleach/">RD.com</a></span></em></p> <p><em><span>Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.handyman.net.au/10-different-ways-youre-not-using-bleach-should">Handyman</a>.</span></em></p>

Home & Garden

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The huge threat facing our coral reefs

<p>There are more than 11 billion pieces of plastic debris on coral reefs across the Asia-Pacific, according to our new research, which also found that contact with plastic can make corals more than 20 times more susceptible to disease.</p> <p>In our study, <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/cgi/doi/10.1126/science.aar3320" target="_blank">published in Science</a></strong></span>, we examined more than 124,000 reef-building corals and found that 89% of corals with trapped plastic had visual signs of disease - a marked increase from the 4% chance of a coral having disease without plastic.</p> <p>Globally, more than 275 million people live within 30km of coral reefs, relying on them for food, coastal protection, tourism income, and cultural value.</p> <p>With coral reefs already under pressure from climate change and mass <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/back-to-back-bleaching-has-now-hit-two-thirds-of-the-great-barrier-reef-76092" target="_blank">bleaching events</a></strong></span>, our findings reveal another significant threat to the world’s corals and the ecosystems and livelihoods they support.</p> <p>In collaboration with numerous experts and underwater surveyors across Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand and Australia, we collected data from 159 coral reefs between 2010 and 2014. In so doing, we collected one of the most extensive datasets of coral health in this region and plastic waste levels on coral reefs globally.</p> <p>There is a huge disparity between global estimates of plastic waste <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/content/347/6223/768" target="_blank">entering the oceans</a></strong></span> and the amount that <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/114/23/6052.abstract" target="_blank">washes up on beaches</a></strong></span> or is found <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/111/28/10239.full" target="_blank">floating on the surface</a></strong></span>.</p> <p>Our research provides one of the most comprehensive estimates of plastic waste on the seafloor, and its impact on one of the world’s most important ecosystems.</p> <p>The number of plastic items entangled on the reefs varied immensely among the different regions we surveyed - with the lowest levels found in Australia and the highest in Indonesia.</p> <p>An estimated 80% of marine plastic debris originates from land. The variation of plastic we observed on reefs during our surveys corresponded to the estimated levels of plastic litter entering the ocean from the nearest coast. One-third of the reefs we surveyed had no derelict plastic waste, however others had up 26 pieces of plastic debris per 100 square metres.</p> <p>We estimate that there are roughly 11.1 billion plastic items on coral reefs across the Asia-Pacific. What’s more, we forecast that this will increase 40% in the next seven years – equating to an estimated 15.7 billion plastic items by 2025.</p> <p>This increase is set to happen much faster in developing countries than industrialised ones. According to our projections, between 2010 and 2025 the amount of plastic debris on Australian coral reefs will increase by only about 1%, whereas for Myanmar it will almost double.</p> <p><strong>How can plastic waste cause disease?</strong></p> <p>Although the mechanisms are not yet clear, the influence of plastic debris on disease development may differ among the three main global diseases we observed to increase when plastic was present.</p> <p>Plastic debris can open wounds in coral tissues, potentially letting in pathogens such as <em>Halofolliculina corallasia</em>, the microbe that causes skeletal eroding band disease.</p> <p>Plastic debris could also introduce pathogens directly. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) – a very common plastic used in children’s toys, building materials like pipes, and many other products – have been found carrying a family of bacteria called Rhodobacterales, which are associated with a suite of coral diseases.</p> <p>Similarly, polypropylene – which is used to make bottle caps and toothbrushes – can be colonised by <em>Vibrio</em>, a potential pathogen linked to a globally devastating group of coral diseases known as white syndromes.</p> <p>Finally, plastic debris overtopping corals can block out light and create low-oxygen conditions that favour the growth of microorganisms linked to black band disease.</p> <p>Structurally complex corals are eight times more likely to be affected by plastic, particularly branching and tabular species. This has potentially dire implications for the numerous marine species that shelter under or within these corals, and in turn the fisheries that depend on them.</p> <p>Our study shows that reducing the amount of plastic debris entering the ocean can directly prevent disease and death among corals.</p> <p>Once corals are already infected, it is logistically difficult to treat the resulting diseases. By far the easiest way to tackle the problem is by reducing the amount of mismanaged plastic on land that finds its way into the ocean.</p> <p>Do you think enough is being done to cope with this threat?</p> <p><em>Written by Joleah Lamb. Republished with permission of <a href="http://www.theconversation.com" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Conversation</span></strong></a>.</em><img width="1" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/90694/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" alt="The Conversation"/></p>

International Travel

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Coral expert debunks Great Barrier Reef myths

<p>Perhaps you've heard that the epic, 2200km-long Great Barrier Reef in Australia has died.</p> <p>Perhaps you've read that on Thursday the Australian government released it's report card giving the state of the reef a D for the fifth year in a row.</p> <p>Perhaps you've read its obituary by writer Rowan Jacobsen on the website Outside Online.</p> <p>But before you start mourning the loss of what Jacobsen calls "one of the most spectacular features on the planet," the community of scientists that study coral reefs in the Pacific Ocean would like you to hold up, slow down, and take a deep breath.</p> <p>The news isn't good, but it may not be as dire as the obituary may have you believe.</p> <p>"For those of us in the business of studying and understanding what coral resilience means, the article very much misses the mark," said Kim Cobb, a professor in Georgia Tech's School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.</p> <p>"It's not too late for the Great Barrier Reef, and people who think that have a really profound misconception about what we know and don't know about coral resilience."</p> <p>Cobb spoke to us about the state of the world's largest reef system, and why there is reason for both concern and hope.</p> <p><strong>Q: Is the Great Barrier Reef dead?</strong></p> <p>No. It's not. We just had a massive bleaching event, but we know from past research that corals are able to recover from the brink of death.</p> <p><strong>Q: So bleached corals aren't dead corals?</strong></p> <p>That's right. There's lots of confusion about what bleaching means.</p> <p>Coral is an animal, and the animal exists in symbiosis with photosynthetic algae. The algae provides food for the coral in exchange for a great home. But when the water gets too warm, the algae become chemically destructive to the coral.</p> <p>When that happens, the coral convulses and spits out puffs of algae to protect itself.</p> <p>That removes all the colour from the coral tissue which is transparent, allowing you to see right through to the underlying skeleton.</p> <p>So you are not necessarily seeing dead coral, you're really just seeing clear coral without its algae.</p> <p><strong>Q: But bleaching is still bad, right?</strong></p> <p>Bleaching events are worrisome because if the coral misses this key food source from the algae for too long it will literally starve to death.</p> <p>But, if the water temperature comes back down, it will welcome the algae back. The key is that the water temperature change has to be relatively quick.</p> <p><strong>When was the massive bleaching event?</strong></p> <p>It started with the Hawaiian Islands bleaching in the early part of 2015 due to a moderate El Nino event in 2014-2015.</p> <p>After that there was the build up to the massive El Nino that culminated in the warmest ocean waters during the November 2015 time frame.</p> <p>Unfortunately, these warm waters didn't release their grip on many of the Pacific reefs until the spring of 2016, so that's nine months of pretty consistently high temperatures.</p> <p>That is a long time for a coral to be in a mode of starvation.</p> <p>H<strong>as the Great Barrier Reef been through anything like this before?</strong></p> <p>It has had very severe bleaching events associated with large El Ninos like we had last year, but the problem is we are seeing baseline ocean temperatures getting warmer every year.</p> <p>When you pile a strong El Nino on top of this ever warming trend, you get more extreme and more prolonged bleaching episodes.</p> <p>What was striking about this year was the extent of the damage.</p> <p>It was staggering.</p> <p>By important metrics the '97-'98 El Nino was bigger, but the damage from this last one was far more extensive.</p> <p><strong>So how can you remain hopeful about the fate of Great Barrier Reef and other reefs in the Pacific?</strong></p> <p>I work on a research site in the Christmas Islands that is literally smack in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and which was much more devastated than the Great Barrier Reef.</p> <p>It was worse off than any reef in the world with up to 85 per cent mortality. But even in the face of that whole-scale destruction, we saw individual corals that were still alive, looking like nothing had happened.</p> <p>I cling to that. I know from my own site that there is a lot more resilience baked into the system then we can hope to understand right now and that out of the rubble will come a reef that may not look exactly like it looked before, but may be better adapted for future temperature change.</p> <p>It kind of sounds like an awesome research opportunity.</p> <p>You better believe it. This is a window into the future of global reefs. It's a great natural laboratory.</p> <p><em>Written by Deborah Netburn. First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/%20%20" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Stuff.co.nz</strong></span></a>. </em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/2016/10/7-foods-to-lower-blood-pressure/"><strong>7 things to eat or avoid to lower your blood pressure</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/relationships/2016/10/dorrie-jacobson-on-body-issues-and-intimacy/"><strong>How body image issues hold you back from intimacy</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/home-garden/2016/10/the-healthiest-leanest-ways-to-cook/"><strong>5 of the healthiest, leanest ways to cook</strong></a></em></span></p>

News

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5 lesser-known cruise lines you will love

<p>Everyone is familiar with the big cruise lines, like Royal Caribbean, Carnival or P&amp;O – especially as one of their ships is docked at Sydney Harbour almost every day. But how about some of the lesser-known lines that offer a one of a kind experience?</p> <p><strong>1. Coral Expeditions</strong></p> <p>This small-ship line operates just a handful of vessels, all of which carry around 50 passengers. They sail around the Great Barrier Reef, through the Kimberley region or around the rugged wilderness of southern Tasmania. It’s best suited to adventurous, active travellers who like to spend their time off the ship, exploring, hiking or kayaking.</p> <p><strong>2. Viking Ocean Cruises</strong></p> <p>Viking River Cruises is one of the biggest names in the business with more than 50 ships sailing rivers around the world. But did you know they’ve also launched two ocean ships, and more are on the way? The mid-sized ships have a few really exciting features that you won’t find anywhere else, like an infinity pool cantilevered over the back of the ship and a glass-roofed central lounge area. Plus, almost everything onboard (like alcohol and specialty dining) is included in the price.</p> <p><strong>3. Fathom</strong></p> <p>This newly launched line is the first in the industry dedicated completely to voluntourism. It operates just the one ship, the Adonia, and sails from Miami to the Dominican Republic or Cuba where passengers engage in volunteer programs, like school visits and community projects. They are also encouraged to learn about the destination before they arrive, with lecture programs and language classes onboard during the voyage.</p> <p><strong>4. Un-Cruise Adventures</strong></p> <p>As the name suggests, Un-Cruise doesn’t think of themselves as a traditional cruise company. Operating a fleet of small ships in places like Mexico, Alaska, the Galapagos Islands and Hawaii, there’s a big focus on wilderness, wildlife and culture. Passengers will get to swim with sea lions, kayak around icebergs or hike through lush jungle looking for birds. There’s lots to do onboard too, with lectures, whale watching and sunrise yoga sessions.</p> <p><strong>6. Hapag-Lloyd</strong></p> <p>German cruise line Hapag-Lloyd operates what is generally regarded as the most luxurious ship in the world, but there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of it. The flagship Europa 2 is sleek, stylish and seriously swish. The cabins are huge, all come with a balcony, most have a bath tub with jets and many even have a steam sauna. There are 13 dining options for just 500 guests and the bilingual staff are on hand to meet your every need. At the same time, the atmosphere is relaxed and you never need to put on a tie if you don’t want to.</p> <p>What’s your favourite line to cruise with? Have you tried any of these under-the-radar, lesser-known cruise lines?</p> <p>Please share your story in the comments below.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/travel/cruising/2016/05/5-things-you-must-do-to-avoid-seasickness-on-a-cruise/"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">5 things you MUST do to avoid seasickness on a cruise</span></em></strong></a></p> <p><a href="/travel/cruising/2016/05/10-things-you-must-never-do-in-a-cruise-cabin/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>10 things you must never do in a cruise cabin</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/travel/cruising/2016/05/po-ships-first-new-zealand-cruise/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>P&amp;O’s first cruise around New Zealand</strong></em></span></a></p>

Cruising

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93 per cent of Great Barrier Reef hit by coral bleaching

<p>A comprehensive, aerial and underwater survey of the Great Barrier Reef has suggested that 93 percent of the World Heritage site has been affected by coral bleaching. </p> <p>A review of more than 900 individual reefs showed the severe bleaching had occurred in the northern section of the reef, stretching 1,000 kilometres north of Port Douglas.</p> <p>Professor Terry Hughes from the National Coral Bleaching Taskforce told <em>ABC News</em>, "We've never seen bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef of that severity and when bleaching is that strong it affects virtually all coral species. We expect the central and southern corals to regain their colour and recover over the next few months.”</p> <p>"The southern third of the Great Barrier Reef fortunately cooled down late in summer due to ex-cyclone Winston. The 2016 footprint could have been much worse.</p> <p>"In 1998 and 2002, 40 per cent of the reefs had no bleaching — it's only 7 per cent this time," he said. We also know in 1998 and 2002 about 18 per cent of the reefs were severely bleaching — this time it's over half.”</p> <p>"So by those metrics this bleaching event is three or four times more severe."</p> <p>The aerial survey, which began last month, covered 911 individual reefs and found that only 68 had escape bleaching entirely. Of those that had been bleached, more than half had been severely bleached.</p> <p>If a coral remains bleached for an extended period it is likely to die, and Mr Hughes expects a mortality rate as high as 50 per cent in some parts of the reef.</p> <p>Professor Andrew Baird, from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, spent over two weeks at sea recording the bleaching, and told <em>ABC News</em>, "Tragically, the northern section is the most remote part of the reef, and its remoteness has protected it from most human pressures but not climate change. North of Port Douglas, we're already measuring an average of close to 50 per cent mortality of bleached corals."</p> <p><strong>Related links: </strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2015/12/life-lessons-from-grandparents/"><em>Top 10 life lessons kids learn from grandparents</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2015/10/quotes-about-siblings/"><em>9 heart-warming quotes about siblings</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2015/09/kids-addicted-to-technology/">How kids have fun today is alarmingly different to the good old days</a></em></strong></span></p>

News

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Coral beaching puts future of Great Barrier Reef at risk

<p>Concerns for the future of the Great Barrier Reef continue as Australian Environment Minister Greg Hunt has described the state of coral bleaching as, “major and significant”.</p> <p>Mr Hunt’s comments came after he received his latest briefing from the Reef 2050 Independent Expert Panel about the current state of bleaching.</p> <p>Mr Hunt said, “The event is still unfolding and the full extent and severity of bleaching may take several weeks to manifest. If major disturbances such as bleaching events occur more regularly, this will affect the reef's ability to recover.”</p> <p>Coral bleaching is a phenomenon that occurs due to increases in water temperature, and can kill or stunt the ability for the coral to recover.</p> <p>Mr Hunt’s admission comes as prominent naturalist Sir David Attenborough highlighted his concern for the reef’s future, “The twin perils brought by climate change, an increase in the temperature of the ocean and in its acidity threaten its very existence.”</p> <p>“Do we really care so little about the Earth on which we live that we don't wish to protect one of its greatest wonders from the consequences of our behaviour?”</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/02/vintage-photos-capture-pure-innocence-of-children/">Vintage photos capture the pure innocence of children</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/02/how-to-bring-up-a-happy-child/">22 tips for bringing up a happy child</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/02/heartwarming-photos-that-prove-every-child-needs-a-pet/">15 heartwarming photos that prove every child needs a pet</a></em></strong></span></p>

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Time-lapse video captures beauty of Ningaloo Marine Park

<p>While it may not get as much attention as the famous Great Barrier Reef, Ningaloo Marine Park is arguably just as spectacular a place to visit.</p> <p>Encompassing 260km of fringing reef off Western Australia’s mid north coast, Ningaloo Marine Park provides perfect conditions for snorkelling and whale watching.</p> <p>This UNESCO World Heritage Site is home to over 200 species of hard coral, 50 species of soft coral, 500 species of fish and the spectacular whale shark<a href="/travel/domestic-travel/2016/02/best-place-to-swim-with-whale-sharks-in-wa/" target="_blank">.</a></p> <p>And, as we can see in the video above, you don’t necessarily have to get your hair wet to experience the unparalleled beauty of this special part of the world.</p> <p>Filmed over the course of 40 hours at Coral Bay, this time-lapse video encompasses two sun sets, sun rises and spectacular moon rises over an untouched stretch of sand.</p> <p>It’s amazing to see the way the pollution-free sky changes in colour as the day progresses, so make sure you watch the whole video. </p> <p><em>Video credit: YouTube / Random</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/international/2016/02/amazing-aerial-images-of-wa/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>10 amazing aerial images of Western Australia</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/international/2016/04/6-places-to-whale-watch-in-australia/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>6 places to go whale watching in Australia</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/international/2016/02/best-place-to-swim-with-whale-sharks-in-australia/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Best place to swim with whale sharks in Australia</strong></em></span></a></p>

International Travel

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The DIY 3-ingredient alternative to bleach

<p>While bleach is a powerful disinfectant, it’s not always the best option. If you’re worried about the environmental and health costs of bleach, try this DIY three-ingredient all natural alternative. It’s as effective without any of the harsh effects!</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">You will need: </span></strong></p> <ul> <li>12 cups water</li> <li>¼ cup lemon juice</li> <li>1 cup hydrogen peroxide</li> </ul> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">How to: </span></strong></p> <p>1. Mix ingredients together and place in spray bottle to use as a household cleaner or to use in laundry for washing whites.</p> <p>Source: <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/10/a-natural-bleach-alternative.html" target="_blank">One Good Thing By Jillee</a></strong></span></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/home-garden/2016/01/uses-for-cornflour-around-the-home/"><strong>10 uses for cornflour around the home</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/home-garden/2016/01/natural-ways-to-get-rid-of-cockroaches/"><strong>8 natural ways to get rid of cockroaches</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/home-garden/2016/01/trick-to-make-composting-easier/"><strong>Simple trick to make composting easier</strong></a></em></span></p>

Home & Garden

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5 ways to use bleach in the garden

<p>You know it’s a great cleaning product but did you know there are plenty of uses for bleach in the garden, too? Here are just five reasons to keep a bottle of bleach in the garden tool shed.</p> <p><strong>Kill moss and weeds</strong></p> <p>There are many times we welcome moss but when it’s on your brick, concrete or stone walkways, it can be slippery and unsightly. Scrub unwanted moss with a solution of ¾ cup bleach in three litres of water. If there are weeds poking out of the cracks and crevices of your walkways, pour a bit of undiluted bleach over them. Pull out after a day or two.</p> <p><strong>Sanitise gardening tools</strong></p> <p>Although gardening tools are tough and durable, it’s a good idea to give them a clean now and again as dirt will slowly corrode the metal and moving parts. Plus, if you’ve been handling a diseased plant, you don’t want your tools to spread the disease around. Wash tools with ½ cup bleach to one litre of water. Air-dry in sun and rub a bit of oil to prevent rust.</p> <p><strong>Extend life of cut flowers</strong></p> <p>While bleach is great for killing things, it also helps to extend the life of cut flowers. Add ¼ teaspoon of bleach to one litre of water. Its disinfectant properties will help keep water clean and inhibit growth of bacteria.</p> <p><strong>Removes mildew</strong></p> <p>If those outdoors chairs and benches are looking a tad “mildewy”, a simple bleach solution can help you remove those mildew stains. Add two to three tablespoons of bleach to a standard spray bottle of water. Spray on spots and rinse well.</p> <p><strong>Clean flower pots</strong></p> <p>To keep pots looking new, as well as killing any plant diseases that may linger from previous flowers, give pots a thorough scrubbing with a diluted bleach solution. Combined one part bleach to four parts of water to disinfect pots.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/home-garden/2015/12/how-to-control-whiteflies-in-the-garden/">How to control whiteflies in the garden</a></strong></span></em></p> <p><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/home-garden/2015/12/homemade-remedies-for-the-garden/">Homemade remedies for the garden</a></strong></span></em></p> <p><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/home-garden/2015/12/household-tricks-from-the-1900s-2/">More great vintage household tricks from the 1900s</a></strong></span></em></p>

Home & Garden

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