Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Ocean Conservation Editorials by Dr. 'Gerry Goeden'





The following editorials and commentaries were published as broadsheet pages in the Epoch Times during 2013.





"Climate Change, Polar Bears, and Me". Commentary by Dr. Gerry Goeden

Recently, I was looking at the plight of polar bears as their frozen habitat shrinks into oblivion. It’s all very sad but it is after all half a world away. I’m still OK, right?

http://printarchive.epochtimes.com/a1/en/us/was/2013/11-Nov/21/C05_EET_20131121-DCUS.pdf




"Coral care needed to restore tsunami-wrought reefs". Science by Dr. Gerry Goeden

LANGKAWI, Malaysia—On December 26, 2004, a tsunami generated by the Sumatra Andaman earthquake, the third largest earthquake in recorded history, roared into Datai Bay on the Northwest corner of Langkawi, Malaysia.









"Discovering the water planet". Science and Environment by Dr. Gerry Goeden

"There has long been a belief that the sea, at least, was inviolate, beyond man's ability to change and to despoil. But this belief, unfortunately, has proved to be naive." (Rachel Carson, 'The Sea Around Us,", 1951)




"Ghost fishing and the staggering cost of rubbish". Science and Beyond by Gerry Goeden

Not many people know what “ghost fishing” is. It sounds scary and in fact is, but not for the reasons you might think.











"Old Dogs Can Learn 'Green' Tricks". Environment by Dr Gerry Goeden

A recent published study by the Imperial College London showed that environmental education could be passed between generations and affect behavior. No breakthrough you might think; my parents taught me plenty about how to behave.






"Are We Overharvesting Our Future?" Science by Dr. Gerry Goeden

I was recently bemoaning the sorry state of the Oceanic Whitetip Shark and mentioned that there is a Conference of the Parties (CITES) now underway in Bangkok to look at their protection. What was only a few years ago the most abundant large predator on Earth is now little more than a memory.






"What’s a Coral Triangle Day?" Science by Dr. Gerry Goeden


June 8th and 9th are very special days. They are World Ocean Day and Coral Triangle Day respectively. Both dates herald recognition of two of the world’s greatest and most important resources.





"Coral Care Needed to Restore Tsunami Wrought Reefs in S.E Asia". Science by Dr. Gerry Goeden

"Often called “rainforests of the sea”, coral reefs comprise the most diverse ecosystems on Earth, but they are now threatened with destruction."

LANGKAWI, Malaysia—On December 26, 2004, a tsunami generated by the Sumatra Andaman earthquake, the third largest earthquake in recorded history, roared into Datai Bay on the Northwest corner of Langkawi, Malaysia.



"Big Things Have Small Beginnings". Science by Dr. Gerry Goeden

"Reefs may be suffering but collapse is not inevitable."

Those readers who have followed my reports can’t have missed the point that I am deeply concerned about the state of the ocean. Things that we depend on are failing fast; our ‘ship’ is sinking and it seems that there is little we can do.







"Bad News for Me and Polar Bears?". Science by Dr. Gerry Goeden

"Rainfall in much of S.E. Asia will be very much less and many areas will become much drier or deserts including Indonesia, Malaysia, and Borneo."

Sea ice scientists working in the Arctic say it’s not a question of “if” there will be nearly ice-free summers, but “when.” The news is that “when” is sooner than we thought -- before 2050 and possibly within the next decade or two. Using three different modelling techniques they came up with an ice free Arctic by 2020, 2030, or 2050.






"As The World’s Largest Sea Turtle Quietly Slips Toward Extinction..."  Science by Dr. Gerry Goeden

I saw my first Leatherback turtle in the Florida Keys long before that string of gorgeous islands became the foundation of endless high-rise buildings. It reminded me of a flattened car; it was huge!






"SHARKS; Do They Need A Good PR Man?" Environment by Dr Gerry Goeden 

"Zoologists today estimate elephants around the world kill 500 people a year while the great white sharks (Jaws) kill only 4 people. Incredibly, there are about 24,000 lightning deaths (one every 20 minutes) and 240,000 lightning injuries annually. When was the last time we read stories of the lurking danger above or watched a movie where people were struck down like dominoes by searing thunder bolts?"






"Great Barrier Reef Rescue?"  Environment by Dr. Gerry Goeden

It’s hard to believe that it has been 43 years since I put my head underwater and caught my first glimpse of the Great Barrier Reef. I was a lot younger and very naive. Lots of years working for the government changed both of those facts.






"Climate Change.Did I Do It?" Environment by Dr. Gerry Goeden

I was a skeptic; I did not believe a word of it. Climate change was just the latest trend in scientific research and people in white lab coats were scrambling to get on the gravy train’ before someone came along and burst the bubble.






"Climate Change Setting a New Speed Record". Environment by Dr. Gerry Goeden

Our planet is undergoing one of the largest changes in climate since the dinosaurs went extinct. But it is not just the change that’s the problem; it is the speed of the change. Stanford climate change scientists warn that the likely rate of change over the next century will be at least 10 times quicker than any climate shift in the 
past 65 million years.







"Ghost Fishing and the Staggering Cost of Rubbish". Environment by Dr. Gerry Goeden

Not many people know what ‘ghost fishing’ is. It sounds scary and in fact is; but not for the reasons you might think.











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