Post by tekmac on Dec 28, 2004 8:29:44 GMT -5
PHUKET, Thailand (28 Dec 2004) -- Coral reef-rich areas off the western coastline bore the brunt of the deadly waves that struck last Sunday and claimed hundreds of lives and badly damaged marine national parks in the Andaman Sea, officials and scientists said yesterday.
As rescue teams frantically searched for more survivors thought to be trapped under flattened structures or swept out to sea by the giant waves, national park officials were equally concerned about the destruction caused to the coral reef ecology in the region where various marine species live.
''The waves hit directly at our economic heart.Our tourism and fisheries were hit very hard and this should make the government begin a massive review [of marine environment policy],'' said marine scientist Thon Thamrongnawasawat of Kasetsart University.
A series of tidal waves, some as high as 10 metres, slammed the three national parks on the Phi Phi, Similan, and Surin islands, home to many species of coral and a paradise for divers.
However, this may now become a thing of the past as the coral reefs in these three areas may have been destroyed by the wave force along with the clay carried by the waves.
Murky water makes it impossible for the coral to absorb the sunlight it needs for survival. The Surin islands are most at risk because the coral there are in shallow water, where waves of such magnitude can do a lot of damage.
''Its line of structure must have changed a lot, but right now we don't know by how much,'' Mr Thon said.
Coral in the Surin islands cover an eight sq km area and have the largest reefs in the Andaman Sea, which attract huge numbers of tourists each year.
Any abrupt changes to the coral reef ecology, where 70% of marine species in the Andaman Sea are found, would inevitably affect its inhabitants.
Mr Thon believes many fish and crabs must have been killed by the force of the waves, which he compared to dynamite, that broke and crushed them.
Knowledge about the Andaman Sea corals, accumulated for over 10 years, may also need to be reviewed.
''Our information on coral has disappeared overnight and now we'll have to start from scratch,'' Mr Thon said.
Meanwhile, academics said severe water shortages were likely after the giant waves. Piamsak Menasveta, dean of Chulalongkorn University's faculty of science, said the waves had damaged sand bars at river deltas, which work as small dams holding fresh water in the rivers.
''Without these sand bars, water will flow into the sea very quickly, causing severe water shortages in the affected areas,'' Mr Piamsak told yesterday's press conference.
Absornsuda Siripong of the faculty's marine science department, called on the governments of the countries of the Indian Ocean rim to jointly establish an earthquake and tsunami warning centre similar to those in use elsewhere.
''Damage from Sunday's tsunamis was enormous because none of the countries in the Indian Ocean had a tsunami warning system, `` he said. It is not good to only depend on the United States,'' the marine scientist said.
SOURCE - Bangkok Post
As rescue teams frantically searched for more survivors thought to be trapped under flattened structures or swept out to sea by the giant waves, national park officials were equally concerned about the destruction caused to the coral reef ecology in the region where various marine species live.
''The waves hit directly at our economic heart.Our tourism and fisheries were hit very hard and this should make the government begin a massive review [of marine environment policy],'' said marine scientist Thon Thamrongnawasawat of Kasetsart University.
A series of tidal waves, some as high as 10 metres, slammed the three national parks on the Phi Phi, Similan, and Surin islands, home to many species of coral and a paradise for divers.
However, this may now become a thing of the past as the coral reefs in these three areas may have been destroyed by the wave force along with the clay carried by the waves.
Murky water makes it impossible for the coral to absorb the sunlight it needs for survival. The Surin islands are most at risk because the coral there are in shallow water, where waves of such magnitude can do a lot of damage.
''Its line of structure must have changed a lot, but right now we don't know by how much,'' Mr Thon said.
Coral in the Surin islands cover an eight sq km area and have the largest reefs in the Andaman Sea, which attract huge numbers of tourists each year.
Any abrupt changes to the coral reef ecology, where 70% of marine species in the Andaman Sea are found, would inevitably affect its inhabitants.
Mr Thon believes many fish and crabs must have been killed by the force of the waves, which he compared to dynamite, that broke and crushed them.
Knowledge about the Andaman Sea corals, accumulated for over 10 years, may also need to be reviewed.
''Our information on coral has disappeared overnight and now we'll have to start from scratch,'' Mr Thon said.
Meanwhile, academics said severe water shortages were likely after the giant waves. Piamsak Menasveta, dean of Chulalongkorn University's faculty of science, said the waves had damaged sand bars at river deltas, which work as small dams holding fresh water in the rivers.
''Without these sand bars, water will flow into the sea very quickly, causing severe water shortages in the affected areas,'' Mr Piamsak told yesterday's press conference.
Absornsuda Siripong of the faculty's marine science department, called on the governments of the countries of the Indian Ocean rim to jointly establish an earthquake and tsunami warning centre similar to those in use elsewhere.
''Damage from Sunday's tsunamis was enormous because none of the countries in the Indian Ocean had a tsunami warning system, `` he said. It is not good to only depend on the United States,'' the marine scientist said.
SOURCE - Bangkok Post