Planetary
Coral Reef Foundation News
December 2005
Our Holiday
Message to You
On
behalf of the RV Heraclitus crew and everyone at
PCRF, we wish you the happiest holidays and New Year! As
2005 draws to a close, we send a special thanks to you for
your support, for caring so much about coral reefs and for
joining us in our mission to preserve and protect them. We
are honored to be doing this work and delighted to share the
progress you have made possible.
What's New at PCRF?
We are excited to announce the launch of Studio of the
Sea
a
virtual universe for you to explore! Thanks to your
generous support, we have
recently added an editing suite on-board the RV
Heraclitus, produced a series of short films, and
designed and posted this new website,
studioofthesea.org.
Studio of the Sea's
mission is to produce films about the state of our oceans,
the beauty and decline of coral reefs and the life of island
cultures around the world. It is our hope that
Studio of the Sea
will inspire more and more people to make a difference in
the future of our oceans and coral reefs. As this
newsletter goes to press, nineteen powerful films and 245
stunning images are now online!
At Studio
of the Sea, you can become a coral reef
explorer as you dive with the crew and journey to remote,
exotic cultures around the world. You can also send a
colorful e-greeting to your family and friends and help
spread the word about PCRF by clicking on the E-Card option
under the images in our
Photo Gallery.
Visit us often at
Studio of the Sea
as it is a work-in-progress we will continue to
add films and photos as the Heraclitus makes its way
around the world.
PCRF at Sea Latest
News from the RV Heraclitus!
The RV
Heraclitus has just returned to the Solomon Islands
after a
very
productive year spent mapping and monitoring coral reefs in
the South Pacific and engaging in profound cultural and
information exchanges along the way. For example, in
Vanuatu, our crew invited government environmental
representatives aboard the ship and pledged to share their
research to further the country's understanding of their
coral reefs. Click here to meet our
all-volunteer crew. You can join them on their
adventures past, present and future by scrolling through
the Expedition Logs.
PCRF Findings
Underscore Global Coral Reef Crisis
Over the
past year, the Heraclitus crew conducted a series of
health and vitality studies in Fiji, Vanuatu and Tuvalu.
They found the reefs in
these
areas to be significantly at risk. Click
here to view data on these studies.
Sadly, the crew's findings in the
South Pacific reflect the growing planetary coral reef
crisis. Reefs are now dying at an alarming rate worldwide.
An estimated 25% of coral reefs have already disappeared and
an estimated two-thirds are at risk today. If the
degradation continues at the present rate, we face the very
real possibility of losing all the coral reefs on Earth
within this century.
Phoenix Islands Coral
Tragedy and Global Warming
In our
Spring Newsletter, we
reported on the Heraclitus crew's discovery of
massive coral mortality at Kanton in the Phoenix Islands in
November/December
2004. Since that time, we have worked to inform the public
about this tragedy in as many ways as possible we have
shared our data and images with other researchers, delivered
presentations at conferences, produced films,
reports and scientific papers,
and posted extensive information online. PCRF's scientific
team has now concluded that the massive death of corals at
Kanton is a clear example that global warming has
devastating implications for life.
We are honored that former Vice
President Al Gore is using our images from Kanton in his
global warming presentation and that the prestigious Coral
Reef Atoll Bulletin has accepted our scientific paper for
publication. You can watch
The Canary is Dead, our film about the Phoenix
Islands, at Studio of the Sea. The fact that it took
more than two years for anyone in the world to learn about
the death of corals in the Phoenix Islands, combined with
the fact that our discovery was made by pure chance, clearly
demonstrates the urgent need for our proposed
Coral Reef Satellite Mission
(CRSM). Had the CRSM been operational, the world community
would have immediately seen evidence of the dying corals and
scientists and ecologists could have immediately commenced
efforts to study and address the problem.
PCRF Education and
Outreach
Since our
inception, we have welcomed young people from around the
world as apprentices aboard the RV Heraclitus.
To
date, over 100 students have participated in this
nine-month program where
they learn seamanship skills, how to conduct coral reef
research and how to work as a team. This year, PCRF offered
a new on-board learning experience for five U.S. middle
school aged students and their parents in
Vanuatu. The students
learned to dive, took their first steps towards becoming
underwater researchers and gained first-hand knowledge of
our mission to map, monitor, preserve and restore the
earths coral reefs.
In 2006, our outreach goal
is to create a virtual experience for people around the
world at pcrf.org, one that
comes as close as possible to the on-board program enjoyed
by the U.S. students, linking everyone to innovative coral
reef educational materials. Imagine a virtual journey to the
Heraclitus and an inspiring underwater adventure through the
wonderland of coral reefs! Imagine linking this to online
coral reef learning packages culminating in actions people
can take to make a difference in saving coral reefs! Your
continuing support will make this possible!
Help Us Preserve Coral Reefs for
Future Generations!
We can't
imagine leaving a world without reefs to our children.
Please
join
our efforts to Save Coral Reefs by making a tax
deductible gift to PCRF today.
Click here to Donate Now!
Your support will make it possible for the RV Heraclitus
crew to continue their vital coral reef studies, enable
us to bring our urgent message to so many more people and
advance our mission to preserve and protect coral reefs
everywhere!
Thank you again for your
generous support!
For more information, visit
pcrf.org
Remember, You Make
the Difference!
Click here to Donate Now!
PCRF
PO Box 201
Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
