read the comments from the Australian. http://blogs.theaustralian.news.com.au/letters/index.php/theaustralian/comments/barrier_reef_is_indeed_threatened_by_warmer_globe/

Jennifer Marossey is spreading lies again.

Jennifer/Pollyanna's just doing what she's paid to do. There's probably some people who believe her spin, but they don't include people who actually have expertise in this area - like the director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies in his succinct rebuttal of her specious claims (link above).

for grahamY

"Tim. it's not "abuse" to suggest you are being fundamentally dishonest, just a dispassionate assessment from the editor of this journal. If you weren't included in the BB06 collection you wouldn't have got a guernsey for publication in OLO for this essay."

i guess the same standards of intelectual honesty dont apply to positions you agree with?

techinicaly of course most of the information in this article is correct, however it is the ommission of contrary evidence (which would lead to a very different conclusion) that marks this article as dishonest.

Unfortunately the article referred to above by Terry Hughes is neither a refutation nor rebuttal of any points made by Jennifer Marohasy. It simply asserts that she is wrong and in the end resorts to his "authority" as to why he should be believed. I am not saying Jennifer Marohasy is right or wrong but Terry Hughes has not provided any evidence that she is wrong on any point.

What global warming?

Rockhampton is shown as a hot spot of warming in Queensland. But a closer look found that the BOM data from Rockhampton PO from 1871- 1939, when compared to the data from the new station at Rockhampton Aero (5km away) shows mean annual temperature has actually declined by 0.40 degrees over the past 63 years.

The mean maximum has gone down by 0.2 degrees from 28.5 to 28.3 degrees while the mean minimum has gone down from 17.2 to 16.6 degrees.

The DNRM data on the frequency of extreme temperature events (1939-2003) tell us the number of days with maximum greater than 35 degrees has only increased from 15 to 19 days a year, in a range of zero to 45, while the number of days with minimum less than 5 degrees has dropped from 16 to 6 days a year, in a range from zero to 35 days.

This "hot spot" of temperature increase is only present over the interval from 1910 to 2003 as mapped by the BOM so the actual observed decline from the 1871-1939 data set must be from very high readings prior to 1910.

And this means;

Rockhampton, has actually cooled by 0.4 degrees over the past 64 years,
Rockhampton's climate is getting milder with fewer extremes,
The region can warm by 0.4 degrees before it exceeds the mean from 1871 to 1939,
If the region does get warmer it will be due to a reduction in cold weather, not an increase in warm weather, and
A reduction in cold minima poses no threat of increased bleaching.

Remember, Rockhampton was chosen as a representative, worst case site, by Qld DNRM, not me.

Furthermore, The length of coastal rainfall events has declined from 3.5 days to 3.2 days while the intensity has increased from 5mm to 6mm per rain day. So each rainfall event will deliver an improved mixing of surface waters and thereby disrupt the warm surface layers that build up in calm conditions and which cause most bleaching.

See www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_039083.shtml And "Climate Change, The challenge for natural resource management" at www.nrm.qld.gov.au

Perseus

Please don't quote real facts when it comes to global warming. You spoil everyones fun.