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DECEMBER 2005 Content Jump Links: Related Links Bibliography

After the Tsunami

A team of scientist-divers predicts quick recovery for most reefs pounded by last year's killer waves
When a submarine earthquake sent monster waves surging through the Indian Ocean and Andaman Sea last December 26, there was no mistaking the toll on land: more than 225,000 people dead; homes, farms, fishing boats destroyed. Three and a half months later I joined seven Photograph by Carlo Cerrano other biologists and Uplifted more than five feet by the undersea earthquake that spawned set off on a twothe tsunami, dead coral reefs span 70 miles (110 kilometers) of coast off week research Simeulue Island near Sumatra, Indonesia. cruise along the coast of Thailand to survey a less obvious tollthe damage to the coral reefs. Priceless for their biological diversity, Thailand's reefs are a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of people who catch fish spawned there or work in the dive-tourism industry. In some places the reefs may also have helped blunt the tsunami's force as it hit land. After more than 500 dives at 56 sites, we found plenty of damage but even more reason for optimism. In the open ocean the tsunami's fast-moving waves were only a few feet high and posed little hazard to deepwater reefs. But in the shallows they slowed, piled up, and unleashed thousands of tons of force. Large bays, which can intensify the waves, were hit especially hard, with table corals big enough for a family dinner scattered and broken, and massive coral heads toppled and smothered in silt. Development on shore often worsened the damage by providing an ample supply of debris, including refrigerators, cars, and roofing, which battered the reefs as it was swept out to sea. And near the earthquake's epicenter off Indonesiafar from our surveythe seafloor was heaved up by an estimated 16 feet (4 meters), lifting some coral clear out of the water. Overall, though, our survey of the Andaman Sea coast and islands of southern Thailand revealed very light damage or none at all at 36 percent of the study sites and moderate damage at another 50 percent. Only 14 percent had severe damage. Except for localized kills, reef fish also seemed to have fared well. "The tsunami shook up their world like mad for a few minutes, but there are still plenty of fish around," concluded fish expert GerryAllen of the Western Australian Museum. Much of the damage will heal quickly, re-creating vibrant habitats. Broken and toppled coral can continue to grow. Even dead reefs can recover, providing they haven't been buried, as coral larvae drift in and recolonize them. We also saw efforts to speed the recovery. In the Similan Islands the tsunami dislodged hundreds of delicate, decades-old sea fans, dooming them to drift around and eventually die. We watched divers in a project led by the Phuket Marine Biological Center swimming in pairs, holding six-foot (two-meter) sea fans between them like chandeliers and reattaching them to rocks using masonry nails and cement. The project is a rare case of humans affecting reefs for the better. Throughout our survey we saw the oppositethe effects of overfishing, development, and global warming, which can raise water temperatures and cause fatal coral bleaching. "For reefs, in the fullness of time, this tsunami was just another bad day," says Australian coral expert Charlie Veron. But human impacts are unrelenting, and reefs may not be able to shrug them off so easily. Greg Stone New England Aquarium
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Related Links
Coral Reef Conservation www.coralreef.noaa.gov Visit this website to learn about what you can do to protect coral reefs. United Nations Development Programme www.undp.or.th/tsunami/tsunami.htm Find out about long-term tsunami recovery and rehabilitation efforts. Reef Base www.reefbase.org Visit one of the premier websites on coral reefs. Reef Conservation www.coralreef.org/coralreefinfo Learn more about coral reefs and how you can help. Diving Sites in Thailand www.divetheworldthailand.com/thailand-scuba-diving-dive-sites.htm Get information on some of the best diving sites in Thailand.
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Bibliography
Allen, Gerald R., and Roger Steene. Indo-Pacific Coral Reef Field Guide. Tropical Reef Research, 1998. Pennisi, Elizabeth. "Powerful Tsunami's Impact on Coral Reefs Was Hit and Miss." Science (February 5, 2005), 657. Veron, J. E. N. Corals of the World. Australian Institute of Marine Science and CRR Qld Pty Ltd, 2000. Veron, J. E. N. Corals of Australia and the Indo-Pacific. The Australian Institute of Marine Science, 1986.
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