Thompson+&+Van+Ee+OpEd


 * Can coral reefs keep up with sea-level change? (400 words) **

Put a baby on a roof all day. It get sunburned. Put it in a dark basement. It squalls.

Corals are like that. They need sunlight -- but not too much. If sea level falls abruptly, the effect is like that of putting a baby on a roof one sunny day -- but worse. It can kill the coral.

If sea level rises quickly, coral animals stretch upward trying to stay within their preferred water depth.

Some types of corals "stretch" more than others. Massive corals can only grow a few millimeters a year. Some branching corals, on the other hand, can grow as fast as a human hair -- about 6 inches a year. Sea level is predicted to rise at a rate of 1.2 cm per year. (UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES?) Under ideal conditions, (MOST? EVEN SLOWPOKE?) corals can keep up with this rate of sea-level rise. But ideal conditions are rarely met.

Geological records show that corals have kept up with rapid sea-level rise in the past, but at no point before have corals had to combat so many detrimental factors at the same time.

Imagine trying to climb the stairs with a bad cold, an angry dog chewing on your ankle.

Besides predators, competitors and erosion, today’s corals have to deal with the effect of human activities. We pollute, reducing the ability of corals to capture energy and fight disease. We over-fish, messing with the delicate balance of reef ecosystems. We inflict physical damage on the reefs with boating and fishing, destroying in moments what was created in centuries.

Corals have coped with sea-level rise in the geological past, but today's reefs face a unique combination of stressors. We're doing our part to assure that some are set on the roof while other founder in the basement.

We can't rescue corals from every challenge they face. But shouldn't we consider shielding them from the damage we're now inflicting on them?

I LIKE THE METAPHOR. I THOUGH YOU STRETCHED IT A LITTLE TOO FAR, BUT I LIKED IT. ONE THING I'M MISSING HERE: WHAT DO CORALS GIVE BACK TO HUMANS? BEAUTY AND. . . ?