A joint panel of academics from the Mission on Monitoring the Whitening of Corals in Taiwan called for the nation to reduce development, scuba diving and fishing in coral reef areas to allow coral reefs to recover.
The mission, formed by coral reef experts from Academia Sinica, National Taiwan University, National Sun Yat-sen University, the National Museum of Marine Biology & Aquarium, the Taiwan Environmental Information Center, the Oceanus Honors Gaia Association and the Taiwanese Coral Reef Society, said that there had been increasing amounts of coral whitening around the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands 東沙群島) and Kenting (墾丁) area since May.
Changing weather patterns, as well as El Nino has led to the warming of seawater, which causes coral bleaching once water temperatures exceed the corals’ heat tolerance levels, mission member Chen Chao-lun (陳昭倫) said.
Photo courtesy of Chen Chao-lun
Chen said that Typhoon Nepartak, which crossed Taiwan earlier this month, had done little to cool local waters, adding that coral reefs are likely to suffer more bleaching in the near future due to above-average water temperatures off Taiwan’s coast.
Strong sunlight and large waves can expose coral reefs in costal areas to hot air, which also increases bleaching, Chen said.
The mission will continue to monitor coral bleaching until September, it said, adding that should the public have any information on coral bleaching, they can contact the Oceanus Honors Gaia Association on its Facebook page.
Chen said that there is very little people can do to help stop coral bleaching.
Chen said people must strive to lower carbon emissions and avoid disturbing coral reefs, adding that fishing trawlers in the area should curb overfishing.
Chen also called on the local tourism industry to suspend scuba diving and snorkeling to allow reefs to recuperate.
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
A former soldier and an active-duty army officer were yesterday indicted for allegedly selling classified military training materials to a Chinese intelligence operative for a total of NT$79,440. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Chen Tai-yin (陳泰尹) and Lee Chun-ta (李俊達) for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例). Chen left the military in September 2013 after serving alongside then-staff sergeant Lee, now an army lieutenant, at the 21st Artillery Command of the army’s Sixth Corps from 2011 to 2013, according to the indictment. Chen met a Chinese intelligence operative identified as “Wang” (王) through a friend in November
Minister of Digital Affairs Lin Yi-ching (林宜敬) yesterday cited regulatory issues and national security concerns as an expert said that Taiwan is among the few Asian regions without Starlink. Lin made the remarks on Facebook after funP Innovation Group chief executive officer Nathan Chiu (邱繼弘) on Friday said Taiwan and four other countries in Asia — China, North Korea, Afghanistan and Syria — have no access to Starlink. Starlink has become available in 166 countries worldwide, including Ukraine, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, in the six years since it became commercial, he said. While China and North Korea block Starlink, Syria is not
Yangmingshan National Park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) nature area has gone viral after a park livestream camera observed a couple in the throes of intimate congress, which was broadcast live on YouTube, drawing large late-night crowds and sparking a backlash over noise, bright lights and disruption to wildlife habitat. The area’s livestream footage appeared to show a couple engaging in sexual activity on a picnic table in the park on Friday last week, with the uncensored footage streamed publicly online. The footage quickly spread across social media, prompting a tide of visitors to travel to the site to “check in” and recreate the
RSS