Thermal discharge from the Third Nuclear Power Plant is behind the rapid destruction of Kenting National Park’s coral reef, a marine researcher said, warning that the reef’s disappearance would jeopardize the fishing industry and ecosystem.
Allan Chen (陳昭倫), a research fellow with Academia Sinica’s Research Center for Biodiversity, said the plant has accelerated the deterioration of coral by emitting thermal discharge that has driven seawater temperatures 1.5°C to 2°C higher over the past 26 years.
The number of varieties of coral has fallen from between 20 and 30 that existed 26 years ago to three today, Chen said.
Except for the sandy area off western Taiwan, coral can be found all around the nation and off Penghu, where the water temperature has shot up by 1.09°C in recent years. Coral reefs are considered the most important marine ecosystem for the fishing industry, tourism, culture, medicine and coastline protection, Chen said.
Chen’s research shows that Taiwan’s seawater temperature peaked between the 1970s and the 1980s, in line with global trends. In the last six decades, the average temperature of Taiwan’s seawater has risen 0.79°C, slightly higher than the 0.5°C experienced by other tropical sea regions in the world.
Scientists have warned that if global warming continues at its current pace, the world’s coral reefs will completely disintegrate by the end of the century.
Industrial waste, overfishing, pollution, ocean acidification and typhoons all contribute to the destruction and bleaching of coral reefs, the scientist said.
He said the live coral coverage rate in Kenting now was about 70 percent, roughly the same as in 1986, but that the rate could be a misleading indicator because coverage rate does not mean the live corals are fully functioning.
“It’s like tearing down a multifunctional high-rise building like Taipei 101 and replacing the area with one-story houses. You lose most of the original diversity and functionality,” he said.
In related news, a group of rare soft corals has been discovered off the coast of Rueifang Township (瑞芳), Taipei County.
Wang Min-hsian (王銘祥), who made the discovery, described the area as an underwater “crystal palace,” but he said he feared the coral would be destroyed if plans to build a wharf near the site proceed.
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