Australians Only Thread

[CaaC (John)+]

Quote

Great Barrier Reef coral report cuts both ways

Reef report card shows signs of recovery along with deepening concerns

The northern and central parts of the Great Barrier Reef have recorded the highest coral cover in more than three decades according to an annual reef report card released today. 

The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) has published the results of 87 reef surveys undertaken between August 2021 and May 2022.

Marine heatwaves driven by climate change have led to four mass coral bleaching events on the Great Barrier Reef since 2016, with the most recent in Summer 2021-22.

Yet since that event, the lack of severe cyclones and fewer outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish has enabled coral in the northern and central parts (north of Gladstone) of the Reef to recover. 

Average hard coral cover in the region north of Cooktown increased to 36% (from 27% in 2021) and to 33% in the central Great Barrier Reef (from 26% in 2021).

New growth has largely involved Acropora corals, which are fast-growing but vulnerable to strong winds and cyclones.

The story in the southern Reef was a different kettle of fish. Between Proserpine and Gladstone, coral cover was 34% – a drop from 38% in 2021 – largely due to crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks.

Dr Paul Hardisty, chief executive of AIMS says this shows how vulnerable the Reef is to the continued acute and severe disturbances that are occurring more often, and are longer-lasting.

Hardisty says the increased frequency of mass bleaching events are “uncharted territory” for the Great Barrier Reef.

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“In our 36 years of monitoring the condition of the Great Barrier Reef we have not seen bleaching events so close together,” he says.

Professor Peter Mumby from the University of Queensland’s Marine Spatial Ecology Lab says while the report is encouraging and shows the Reef has resilience, “we can only be cautiously positive.” 

“Coral bleaching events are occurring more frequently and if we can reduce their impact by reducing our emissions, then the reef has the resilience to respond accordingly,” he says.

Dr Zoe Richards a senior research fellow from Curtin University’s Coral Conservation and Research Group says increased cover is good news given thousands of plants and animals rely on coral for habitat.

But she says the Acropora species tends to grow in a boom-and-bust pattern.

“This means the next thermal stress event could easily decimate coral communities once again. We are already finding evidence that each mass bleaching event leads to local extinctions of rarer species, so the short-term success of a handful of fast-growing coral species masks the full story about the largely hidden losses of biodiversity on the internationally significant Great Barrier Reef.”

https://cosmosmagazine.com/earth/oceans/gbr-coral-report-2022/

 

Edited August 4, 2022 by CaaC (John)
Spacing correction

[Harry]

On 01/08/2022 at 04:30, Spike said:

@Toinho

@Devil-Dick Willie

@Harry

So we are slowly but surely arranging things to immigrate to Australia. Ideally it’d be ASAP but with the housing market it’s all about patience, even though my homesickness is slowly killing me. I am kind of out of the loop having not rented since 2014, so any of your experiences with bank loans, mortgages, renting, would be really helpful for me. Especially since the three of you live in very different areas of the country, and I’m not opposed to living in any of them, although the Brisbane area is ideal because that’s closest to home, and I am very much a dyed in the wool Qlder.

It depends what you're looking for and whether it's a long term play to build a life there, or life there for a few years and not save anything.

Melbourne is expensive. There are lots of inner city apartments so could probably buy one for 400k. If it's a house I'd suggest the outer western suburbs which are up and coming. Closer to the city than the eastern or south eastern and lots of young families and good urban development, and new transport infrastructure being built. You could get a 3 be house in Werribee for 450-600k.

Not too sure about rent.

I have to say a lot of Melbourne's selling point was the awesome CBD which is not at its best after the pandemic. 

If I had to give actual advice I'd say a smaller city is a better play, for affordability purposes, with interest rates tipped to rise another 1% this year. 

[Spike]

1 hour ago, Harry said:

It depends what you're looking for and whether it's a long term play to build a life there, or life there for a few years and not save anything.

Melbourne is expensive. There are lots of inner city apartments so could probably buy one for 400k. If it's a house I'd suggest the outer western suburbs which are up and coming. Closer to the city than the eastern or south eastern and lots of young families and good urban development, and new transport infrastructure being built. You could get a 3 be house in Werribee for 450-600k.

Not too sure about rent.

I have to say a lot of Melbourne's selling point was the awesome CBD which is not at its best after the pandemic. 

If I had to give actual advice I'd say a smaller city is a better play, for affordability purposes, with interest rates tipped to rise another 1% this year. 

400k for a flat is theivery.

[Harry]

5 hours ago, Spike said:

400k for a flat is theivery.

I might be wrong about that cost tbh. 300-400 might be possible for 2 bedroom apartments

[Toinho]

7 hours ago, Spike said:

400k for a flat is theivery.

About the price here, if not closer to 500k closer to the CBD. Crazy world. 
 

If you were legit looking into WA, would be happy to research for you. 

Edited August 7, 2022 by Toinho

[Spike]

11 minutes ago, Toinho said:

About the price here, if not closer to 500k closer to the CBD. Crazy world. 
 

If you were legit looking into WA, would be happy to research for you. 

I don't know if it is 'legit' or not but I wouldn't be opposed to WA. I know you and one other person from my hometown...

[Toinho]

Just now, Spike said:

I don't know if it is 'legit' or not but I wouldn't be opposed to WA. I know you and one other person from my hometown...

Feel free to message and say what you’d be looking for and I can give more accurate prices etc etc. I expect the market to go down at some point in the next 12 months though  

[Spike]

Just now, Toinho said:

Feel free to message and say what you’d be looking for and I can give more accurate prices etc etc. I expect the market to go down at some point in the next 12 months though  

I will closer to fruition, so the info is more accurate. We are still a ways away but it ultimately depends on employment, you wouldn't' happen to know if any companies that develop gambling software are in WA

[Toinho]

1 minute ago, Spike said:

I will closer to fruition, so the info is more accurate. We are still a ways away but it ultimately depends on employment, you wouldn't' happen to know if any companies that develop gambling software are in WA

Can look into it  

[Harry]

I've heard good things about the area South of Fremantle.

I think one other factor to consider is the weather. From a well-being perspective, being outside, near sun and near water are just good for the soul, and living somewhere where the winter weather is less bearish is a good consideration.

[Harry]

That's basically me saying fuck Melbourne. If my whole family weren't based here I would be in WA or further north

[Devil-Dick Willie]

400k for a flat in melbourne? Fuck that's cheaper than Wollongong. 

[Spike]

1 hour ago, Harry said:

I've heard good things about the area South of Fremantle.

I think one other factor to consider is the weather. From a well-being perspective, being outside, near sun and near water are just good for the soul, and living somewhere where the winter weather is less bearish is a good consideration.

I live in Chicago. Melbourne weather is child’s play in comparison. There isn’t a single location in Australia that has winter as bad as here.

[Spike]

19 minutes ago, Devil-Dick Willie said:

400k for a flat in melbourne? Fuck that's cheaper than Wollongong. 

He probably didn’t mention it was built in 1832

 

 

 

 

 

[Spike]

Go on boys, guess the coldest winter temp I have witnessed in Chicago 

[Toinho]

1 minute ago, Spike said:

Go on boys, guess the coldest winter temp I have witnessed in Chicago 

-15 Celsius is my guess 

Edited August 7, 2022 by Toinho

[Spike]

1 minute ago, Toinho said:

-15 Celsius is my guess 

Not even close

[Toinho]

8 minutes ago, Spike said:

Not even close

Google reckons coldest ever temp is around -29? 

[Harry]

1 hour ago, Spike said:

I live in Chicago. Melbourne weather is child’s play in comparison. There isn’t a single location in Australia that has winter as bad as here.

I don't know how the fuck you or anyone could do a US Midwestern winter.

But I still stand by my point, because you are coming with a clean slate and have warmer places to pick from which also have lower costs of living. 

[Spike]

8 hours ago, Toinho said:

Google reckons coldest ever temp is around -29? 

 

7 hours ago, Harry said:

I don't know how the fuck you or anyone could do a US Midwestern winter.

But I still stand by my point, because you are coming with a clean slate and have warmer places to pick from which also have lower costs of living. 

During January 2019 there was a weather even called a ‘polar vortex’. The temperature was the same on Fahrenheit and Celsius. -38’

[Toinho]

8 hours ago, Spike said:

 

During January 2019 there was a weather even called a ‘polar vortex’. The temperature was the same on Fahrenheit and Celsius. -38’

Damn son 

[CaaC (John)+]

Quote

South Australian manufacturers set to build high-tech solution for space missions

The mobile rail to space: new project will provide launch site flexibility.

A pair of South Australian companies are set to join rapidly expanding Australian space industry after winning the contract to build and supply a mobile launch rail – a transportable rocket launcher – for Australian spaceport and space mission provider Southern Launch. 

Ferretti International and Hydroil have been awarded contracts to build the launch rail, which is funded by a grant of $1 million to Southern Launch as a part of the Australian Space Agency’s Moon to Mars grant program. The launcher will send into space vehicles weighing from 20 kilograms to more than 3,000kg.

The project will create about 10 manufacturing jobs in SA.   

“The construction of a mobile launch rail means that we can use the rail at both our Koonibba and Whalers Way launch complexes,” says Southern Launch CEO Lloyd Damp. “This offers greater flexibility in the space launch locations available in South Australia and strengthens our position as the space state in Australia.”

The launch rail will be the first foray into space for Ferretti, better known as a pipe fabrication and structural steel company based in Adelaide and Whyalla, SA. “Being involved in a project in a new and emerging industry such as space, in our home state, gives us the confidence to go after similar projects both here and internationally,” says company business development manager Scott Searle.

Hydraulic engineering specialists Hydroil, who also work across Adelaide and Whyalla, will design and provide a full hydraulic system for launch vehicles; it’s the first space work for them, as well. “The skilled workforce we maintain in South Australia means we have the flexibility and expertise to take on new challenges such as this one for Southern Launch,” says Hydroil general manager Paul Dreimann.

Southern Launch will award additional contracts to SA companies for the transport, assembly and building of other components associated with the launch rail project.

https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/sa-rail-rocket-launch/

 

Edited August 9, 2022 by CaaC (John)
Spacing correction

[Carnivore Chris]

You dog cunts!

[Devil-Dick Willie]

50 minutes ago, Carnivore Chris said:

You dog cunts!

I hope you get the lot ya dog. 

[Toinho]

2 hours ago, Carnivore Chris said:

You dog cunts!

Someones had a tin