2005年印尼地震 造成大量珊瑚礁死亡 | 環境資訊中心
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2005年印尼地震 造成大量珊瑚礁死亡

2007年04月17日
摘譯自2007年4月12日ENS,印尼,茂物報導;許念真編譯;蔡麗伶審校

ㄧ位科學家在印尼Simeulue發現隆起的珊瑚礁(照片來源: Wildlife Conservation Society)科學家最近在印尼亞齊省外圍,發現2005年3月28日地震時造成的大量死亡珊瑚礁。他們發現整個島嶼上升超過1公尺,導致珊瑚暴露而造成空前死亡數量。

野生物保育協會印尼計畫(Wildlife Conservation Society's Indonesia Program)及澳洲研究委員會中心卓越珊瑚礁研究(ARCCoERS)於2007年3月,初次調查印尼蘇門答臘島亞齊省周圍的珊瑚礁狀況。科學家在眾多調查中初次記錄到,環繞亞齊省海線600公里的35個研究地點中,地震造成地殼上升後對於珊瑚的影響。

該協會印尼海洋計畫專案人員坎伯博士(Stuart Campbell)表示:「這次發現是不尋常的大量珊瑚死亡案例。相較於其他威脅,例如珊瑚白化,這些被地震提升的珊瑚無一倖存。」

ARCCoERS的柏德博士(Andrew Baird)說:「出乎意料地,這些隆起的珊瑚保存完整,即使這些群聚已經離水兩年,我們仍可辨識每個不同種類。有些種類在某些地點完全受損,也有不同種類現在佔據著淺礁。」

坎伯博士還表示:「現在的挑戰是與當地社區和政府單位共同合作,保護這些珊瑚礁以確保工作持續進行。」該團隊另外初次在印尼記錄到珊瑚礁受到冠棘海星(crown-of-thorn starfish)廣泛破壞。冠棘海星是珊瑚掠奪者,在澳洲和世界其他地方已嚴重毀壞珊瑚。

Indonesian Earthquake Killed Vast Coral Reefs
BOGOR, Java, Indonesia, April 12, 2007 (ENS)

A massive death of corals resulting from an earthquake off Aceh, Indonesia on March 28, 2005 was just discovered by scientists two years after the upheaval. They found that an entire island heaved more than a meter upwards, exposing and killing corals in unprecedented numbers.

Last month, scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society's Indonesia Program and the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, ARCCoERS, first investigated the condition of coral reefs off the province of Aceh on the island of Sumatra. In surveys that covered 35 sites along 600 kilometers (372 miles) of coastline, the scientists documented, for the first time, the effects of earthquake uplift on coral reefs.

Dr. Stuart Campbell, coordinator of the Wildlife Conservation Society Indonesia Marine Program says, "This is a story of mass mortality on a scale rarely observed. In contrast to other threats like coral bleaching, none of the corals uplifted by the earthquake have survived."

Dr. Andrew Baird of ARCCoERS says, "Amazingly, the uplifted corals are so well preserved we could still identify each species, despite these colonies having been exposed for two years. Some species suffered up to 100 percent loss at some sites, and different species now dominate the shallow reef."

"The challenge now is to work with local communities and government agencies to protect these reefs to ensure the recovery process continues," he says. The team also documented, for the first time in Indonesia, extensive damage to reefs caused by the crown-of-thorn starfish, a coral predator that has devastated reefs in Australia and other parts of the world.

全文及圖片詳見 ENS報導

作者

蔡麗伶(LiLing Barricman)

In my healing journey and learning to attain the breath awareness, I become aware of the reality that all the creatures of the world are breathing the same breath. Take action, here and now. From my physical being to the every corner of this out of balance's planet.