A recent study has revealed that efforts to reduce sulphur emissions from shipping fuels have paradoxically worsened a coral bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef, highlighting the need for comprehensive climate action.
When sulphur emissions decreased due to international regulations reducing the amount of the pollutant in fuel to 0.5% from 3.5%, it allowed more sunlight to hit the reef's waters. This increased heat stress resulted in up to a 10% rise in coral heat stress, according to researchers.
The study found that between 18 and 28 February 2022, approximately 5,000 ships were in the area where the bleaching occurred. Computer models analyzed the amount of sulphur emissions under both scenarios with and without regulations, taking into account prevailing winds that would have blown sulphur over the reef.
According to Dr Robert Ryan, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Melbourne who led the research, "the removal of sulphur from fuels – which we believe is necessary – has caused a lot of extra sunlight getting on to the reef." This is contrary to expectations. Global warming has already raised ocean temperatures and driven frequent coral bleaching episodes over the Great Barrier Reef.
The study found that while emissions of CO2 have a lasting impact, with sulphur emissions only lasting days before being washed out, air pollutants and greenhouse gases should be reduced simultaneously. Climate scientist Prof Steven Sherwood noted that while global warming's overall effect on climate is relatively small, local effects can be more pronounced in the tropics.
This research underscores the importance of addressing both global warming and regional pollutants to mitigate their impacts on delicate ecosystems like coral reefs.
When sulphur emissions decreased due to international regulations reducing the amount of the pollutant in fuel to 0.5% from 3.5%, it allowed more sunlight to hit the reef's waters. This increased heat stress resulted in up to a 10% rise in coral heat stress, according to researchers.
The study found that between 18 and 28 February 2022, approximately 5,000 ships were in the area where the bleaching occurred. Computer models analyzed the amount of sulphur emissions under both scenarios with and without regulations, taking into account prevailing winds that would have blown sulphur over the reef.
According to Dr Robert Ryan, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Melbourne who led the research, "the removal of sulphur from fuels – which we believe is necessary – has caused a lot of extra sunlight getting on to the reef." This is contrary to expectations. Global warming has already raised ocean temperatures and driven frequent coral bleaching episodes over the Great Barrier Reef.
The study found that while emissions of CO2 have a lasting impact, with sulphur emissions only lasting days before being washed out, air pollutants and greenhouse gases should be reduced simultaneously. Climate scientist Prof Steven Sherwood noted that while global warming's overall effect on climate is relatively small, local effects can be more pronounced in the tropics.
This research underscores the importance of addressing both global warming and regional pollutants to mitigate their impacts on delicate ecosystems like coral reefs.
. its like, global warming is bad enough, but now we gotta worry about other air pollutants too? sigh. anywayz, gotta give props to the researchers who figured this out & are callin us out on our climate shenanigans 
. So, we reduce sulphur emissions in shipping fuels to 0.5% (good for us... I guess) and suddenly, coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef goes through the roof. Like, a 10% increase in heat stress? Yeah, that's exactly what we needed - more warning signs of our climate chaos 
. And let's not forget, it's just one tiny thing that's being looked at here... where are the studies on how much more CO2 emissions really make a difference? I mean, come on, people... let's focus on both problems before we start celebrating our tiny victories 
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a study found that reducing sulphur emissions from ships actually made coral bleaching worse on the great barrier reef?!? like what kind of paradox is that?!? i thought we were all about reducing greenhouse gases and stuff, but it turns out that reducing one thing can have unintended consequences elsewhere... 
5,000 ships in one spot? it's already a disaster zone and now we're making it worse by letting more sunlight hit those poor corals 
. climate scientists say global warming is bad enough but what about regional pollutants? shouldn't they be tackled together? 
. We need to find a way to address these pollutants and global warming simultaneously, not just focus on one thing at a time... it's like trying to put out a fire with two different types of water 
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what even is that?! i thought we were doing something right by reducing pollution? 
like, isn't that kinda obvious now? 
anyway, let's hope this study motivates us to take action ASAP! 
I'm so down for reducing sulphur emissions, but come on! Who knew it'd have such a domino effect? 
. We can't just focus on one thing (CO2) and forget about the rest (sulphur, nitrogen...). The fact that sulphur emissions were reduced in the first place was a major win for the environment 
, but it's clear we need to be more nuanced in our approach. Let's not trade one problem for another 
. We need to keep exploring ways to mitigate the effects of climate change and air pollution simultaneously 
. This study is just a reminder that we can't afford to get too comfortable with progress 
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We need to think about the bigger picture here. What if we're just kicking the can down the road for climate change? Shouldn't we be looking for more comprehensive solutions that address both global warming and regional pollutants simultaneously? 
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. I'm not saying we should give up or anything 
, just that we need to be super careful when we're making these changes.
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. It's like, our attempts to help the environment are sometimes actually causing unintended harm...we need to think outside the box here and get to the bottom of this! 
. I mean, you'd think reducing pollution would be a good thing, but in this case, it's like the Great Barrier Reef was just waiting for that extra bit of sunlight to go haywire 
. It's so important to consider all these climate factors when trying to make changes - can't just focus on one pollutant and expect everything else to magically fix itself 
so this study is saying that reducing sulphur emissions from ships actually made things worse for corals, but also it's not all bad news right? 
it's not a simple solution, but I guess that's what makes climate change so complicated 
Climate change is a mess, and we need to tackle both CO2 and air pollutants at the same time 
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Can't wait for more research like this to help us find solutions 
. Like, isn't it great that we're reducing pollution? 
The study also shows that even small changes can have big effects in tropical ecosystems, so we gotta be careful what we wish for 
Mind. Blown. We need to get our act together and reduce emissions ASAP! 
. It's like, we need to tackle global warming and all that, but what if we're not considering the smaller stuff too? Like air pollutants, which are washed out in days, so we might be thinking short-term 
. We should think about how our actions affect these ecosystems as a whole 
. We can't just focus on one thing; we need to look at everything that's going on and try to balance it all out 
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. i mean, who would've thought right? basically the less sulphur there was in the air, the more sunlight hit the reef and now coral bleaching is worse than ever 
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gotta save our reefs!
), but I guess I didn't expect it to make things worse... 10% rise in coral heat stress? That's not what I'd call a silver lining 
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