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Peering Under the Ice and Assessing the Reef

29 May 2018
Geology

Ice penetrating radar data in central Antartica has revealed valleys and mountains near the South Pole – see https://phys.org/print446450328.html …. and it seems the mountains prevent ice flowing from the main ice sheet towards the West Antarctic peninsular (and the sea).

At https://phys.org/print446705350.html … an international study has examined the Great Barrier Reef's ability to recover from abrupt environmental changes – over millennia. It seems the Great Barrier Reef has survived through successive swings in sea level and yet it is claimed current minimal global warming is killing it. Over the last 30,000 years the reef has adapted to sudden changes by migrating across the sea floor as oceans receded or rose back again – according ot Jody Webster of Sydney University. The events occurred during the last glaciation and during deglaciation. To keep on track with the CAGW meme, necessary to get published, they also found the reef was 'highly' sensitive to increased sediment input – pointing a finger at modern land management.

As sea levels dropped the reef was exposed to air causing death to the corals – at around 30,000 years ago, and again around 22,000 years ago. The reef actually moved further out to sea to keep pace with the falling sea levels. The corals migrated from what was dry land back into the ocean – or those ones died out, as the continental shelf system around Australia was exposed, and here we have some guesswork. The new reef was located further off-shore and it is assumed it was a gradual process, yet at the same time they are talking about abrupt sea level change as the corals in the reef died (a death event as they describe it). Obviously, other factors could be involved in the 30,000 years ago event as we know that Australian megafauna died out at this time – and then there is all that sediment. Where did it come from? The situation at 22,000 years ago differed in that it was at the height of the Late Glacial Maximum and it is known that lower sea levels prevailed (or at least in some locations on earth). Hence, the reef would have been left high and dry – on land. No wonder a new reef popped up further out to sea. The drop in sea levels may have occurred in a two step process.

During deglaciation there were two further death events (for the corals), at 17,000 and 13,000 years ago (which involved abrupt sea level change – upwards. In this situation the reef migrated back towards the new shoreline – but what actually caused the reef killing events. Was it simply corals disliking deep water or was there another factor. The first date coincides with the Oldest Dryas event (bringing the Late Glaical Maximum to an end) and the second event coincided perfectly with the Younger Dryas event. Is that a coincidence?  These reef killing events also involved massive increases in sediment – which catastrophism might explain. The dates are interesting in that context as they seem to gel in with the Clube and Napier Taurid complex series of catastrophes – beginning in the major event between 40 and 30,000 years ago. This is when Neanderthals went missing, and huge bones beds of mammoth and other mammals were laid down. If this marked the arrival of Napier's centaur object in the inner solar system it would have caused periodic upheavals as a result of debris and dust left behind in the atmosphere coming into contact with the orbit of the Earth (and the Younger Dryas event is pictured as part of this process).

It did not end there however as two further events occurred at 10,000 and 9,000 years ago. The authors say they do not know of any abrupt rise in sea levels at these times – so what was going on. Well, there is a good chance they gel into sea level change episodes too, in spite of the scepticism of the researchers. At 8,000BC (10,000 years ago) there were major changes to the continental shelf system off western Europe, from Scotland and Ireland south to Spain and Portugal. A large body of the continental shelf system disappeared – and Ireland became separated from mainland Britain. Did something similar affect Australia? At 9,000 years ago we have a date that represents the emergence of the present reef – but the date is surprisingly close to the 6,200BC event when major sea level changes occurred in a number of places including Sunda Land (which was drowned to create the present Indonesian islands). In Europe this marks the drowning of the North Sea basin and other inundations of the continental shelf system. There were sea level changes in various other parts of the world at the same time – even in the English Channel. If this involved a movement at the axis of rotation the 9,000 year date must go out of the window – but did it?

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