Causes And Effects Of Coral Reefs

Corals build colonies that secrete calcium carbonate to form ocean reefs. When they're healthy, coral reefs provide shelter and food for animals all along the food chain, including the top: us. Across the planet, half a billion people rely, directly and indirectly, on corals for their living. That's why what happens to the 9,000-year-old Great Barrier Reef, as well as to other reefs worldwide, is critical. The floods in Queensland have hurt the Great Barrier Reef by funnelling into the ocean vast plumes of freshwater and agricultural runoff that could severely damage the coral. Besides the extreme rain that sparked the floods, rising ocean temperatures, changes to the ocean's chemistry and the global trade in natural resources — all symptoms of our fossil-fuel economy — are waging a multiform war on the marine

Six abiotic factors that affect the organisms living in the ecosystem are sunlight, temperature, the density, the buoyancy level, the salinity level, and the penetration of light. The sunlight entering the ecosystem allows the process of photosynthesis to continue. This process provided nutrients, food, and energy to the plants and animals in the area, allowing the food chain to be secure. The temperature of the water should be between 68 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperatures go lower than the range, or higher, some organisms who use the coral reef as a habitat may not be able to adapt or survive in the new conditions. The density of the coral reef affects the communities of animals and other biotic factors since some of them can only survive between certain depths of the water. The buoyancy level of the water in the coral reef contributes to the ability to move for the animals. Buoyancy is the force that supports an organism’s weight. The salinity level in a coral reef is greater than the salinity in a freshwater ecosystem. If the salinity levels

Since Tsunamis have occurred, there has been a considerable amount of destruction to buildings and structures. People have spend Millions in rebuilding these structures which is not benefiting the economy and this disaster has been continuously been in the news and also has been happening around the world especially in the Ring of Fire. This part of the world is disastrous as many seismic sea waves, earthquakes and volcanoes occur. [1] There are many problems relating to waves that affect people over the world. Some waves being very dangerous while other not as much. Tsunamis (Seismic sea Waves) is a series of very huge waves which are created by underwater disturbances including earthquake, landslide, volcanic eruptions or meteorites. [2]

Tsunamis are caused by earthquakes underneath the ocean, which can results in gigantic waves that cause devastation and change the Earth’s surface by causing radiation and causing underwater landslides. In the article “Is Santa Catalina Island Sinking or Rising?” it describes how an effect of tsunamis. It states, “A tsunami could have struck the coast from Catalina when the underwater landslide occured” (Los Angeles Times 2). Therefore, tsunamis can strike coasts and can create landslides underwater, changing the ocean floor by creating caves and canyons. Also, tsunamis can wear away beaches. When giant waves crash into coasts of masses of land, they can wear away the coast. Finally, tsunamis can cause radiation. In the article “Dangerous Tsunami Threat off U.S. West Coast,” it explains, “It [the tsunami] also damaged a nuclear power plant, causing a meltdown and spreading dangerous radiation in the area” (Los Angeles Times). Consequently, tsunamis can destroy and interfere with human made buildings which may contain toxic gases which may be released into the air and cause damage the environment. Incidentally, damaging the environment can lead to killing plant and animal life, and the Earth in that area could potentially become barren and

Located in tropical ocean waters, coral reefs provide priceless resources to both human and marine life. The leading natural cause of destruction among the coral reefs is global warming. Other natural causes are earthquakes, hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons. The destruction to the coral reefs from these natural disasters is minimal compared to the dangers caused by man. Man-made destruction has a much wider impact on the health of the coral reefs. This destruction includes over-fishing, damage from anchors, aquarium industry, overgrowth of seaweed, and being smothered by sediments.

Tsunamis occur when an earthquake happens in the ocean and the energy goes to the water creating huge waves. Tsunamis are very dangerous they can be so strong that they wash away the city, harm thousands, and cause hundreds of thousands to billions of dollars in damage. “A giant tsunami along the West Coast would wash away coastal towns, destroy U.S. Highway 101 and cause $70 billion in damage. More than 100 bridges would be lost, power lines toppled and coastal towns isolated. Residents would have as few as 15 minutes’ notice to flee to higher ground, and as many as 10,000 would die” (Dangerous tsunami threat off U.S. West Coast). This shows what kind of damage this geo-process can

Many people have gone scuba diving at some point in their lifetime, even going out to some of the world's most famous and beautiful coral reefs such as the Great Barrier reef or the Belize Barrier reef. But doing so does more harm than good, adding on to reasons for their decline. When doing recreational activities like these many touch coral reefs which can devastate and eventually kill an entire colony. In addition, when any type of boat is above a coral reef the harm done can be monumental, as boat groundings and damage from anchors can cause the breaking of the coral reefs, scraping, and there is always the potential for a accidental oil spill which can permanently kill coral reefs. Furthermore, coral reefs are being over exploited for a number of reasons. Coral mining is used to obtain coral to sell as jewelry, medicine, and some construction materials. But the methods for removing coral are disastrous as they use mining blasts which could lead to a coral reefs death. In addition, our own fishing markets are over fishing and have used incredibly harmful ways to catch the most fish in one go possible. This has the same effects as coral mining because the coral reefs have the potential to deteriorate, taking an incredibly long time to regenerate, or even cause its death. Although, coral reefs have been most gravely impacted by pollution and the detrimental effects of global warming. Due to a rise in ocean pollution, coral reefs can be impacted in a number of ways. One being the fact that it can cause disease to appear on the coral, but also lengthen the reproduction of coral. Due to plastics large numbers with in the ocean it can also cause the death of numerous marine organisms and other reef species. Furthermore, coral reefs are greatly impacted by climate change, which is

“The world's finest wilderness lies beneath the waves” (Wyland). Bright, vibrant colors overlapping each other in an overall peaceful looking fight to the death for the dim rays of sunshine flowing through the shallow waves above. These places all thrive from the saying “help others to help yourself” because everyone works together to keep the coral reefs running. The fish eat the bacteria off the coral that could kill off all the coral if it builds up enough. This mutualistic relationship in the coral reefs have been going on for centuries, but what happens if one very important factor leaves the relationship: Total Collapse.

Known for its color of various aquatic species, its diversity and liveliness of its residents, coral reefs are well known and popular among many around the world. But the increase in these admirers has come with a price. The colorful reefs have turned white as the chemical composition of the ocean and the ocean’s temperature changes as a result of climate change (Anthony 2009). Although many claim that climate change is naturally occurring, the extent and rapidity in which it is occurring is posing a great threat to many factors in earth, including the coral reefs. Formally known as coral bleaching, this phenomenon “is a process whereby the coral colonies lose their color, either due to the loss of pigments by microscopic algae living in symbiosis with their host organisms, or because these zooxanthellae have been expelled.” (Coral Bleaching 2008)

Coral is the building block for a niche underwater ecosystem that consists of diverse sea life. These ecosystems are known as coral reefs and are named so due to the limestone (calcium carbonate) that is secreted by the coral lifeform. (Baker, Glynn and Riegal 2008) Coral reefs are host to such a diverse population of sea life, some of which may be endemic to the reef, that the destruction of them can cause large scale damage to populations. When under a lot of stress, the vibrant colours that are iconic to coral start to fade, thus the term coral bleaching. (Baker, Glynn and Riegal 2008) If the coral is left like this and its stressful conditions disappear it will eventually return to its vibrant colour, unfortunately if the stressor continues the coral will die. (Baker, Glynn and Riegal 2008) Reef building occurs over hundreds of years which makes the large scale coral bleaching all the more impactful on the underwater ecosystems. Bleaching events are so severe that an entire coral reef can die off from just 1 mass event. (Baker, Glynn and Riegal 2008)

Brightly colored reefs, and a variety of creatures swarm over the Great Barrier. The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest reef system! The Great Barrier Reef has been around for an extremely long time, and it has thrived for thousands of years. Sadly, scientists have noticed that as of lately, this beautiful reef is in fact dying. Scientists have been studying the main contributors to this decline, and have been proficient in examining the smaller details. They have also been studying how the dying of this reef is not only affecting ocean ecosystems and organisms, but it has the potential to also greatly affect a part of our world’s population.

Due to global warming many of the coral reefs have been dying out. Due to this many fish species will be affected. Reefs are also described as underwater rainforest because they provide a habitat for one out of every four fish. “Scientist expect that more than 90% of coral reefs will die by 2050.” If global warming is not stopped then all the coral reef will die and so will the fish inhabiting them. Even an increase in a few degrees can cause the reefs to lose their color, and if the temperature keeps increasing then they will die. Some steps that scientists are trying to make happen are keeping the more tolerant species alive by reducing the stress that coral reefs are exposed to.

This is mostly accidental human interactions with the reefs that causes certain parts to break. Tourists do not notify anyone that the coral reef was damaged which can make it go unknown. Many tourism areas for coral reefs can be warned about the issues and taught how to safely handle reefs while still getting the experience. However, some areas are careless and don't know the importance of educating tourists so that the reefs can be enjoyed for many years later. The last major issue that affects coral reefs is pollution and the overuse of pesticides/fertilizers. You may wonder why pesticides/fertilizers can affect coral reefs but they do. The extra pesticides get absorbed into groundwater or end up in surface runoff which leads right into lakes, rivers or oceans. These pesticides get “eaten” by algae and enhances their growth, causing the corals to be suffocated. These pesticides are being consumed by marine life that is located near the reefs. This can result in marine animals dying or getting

Coral reefs, known to house a wide range of organisms, are being negatively affected by our environment. Seeing as to how one third of marine fish live part of their lives on coral reefs; it is easier marine fish to die off knowing that they are all in the same area. There are some places in not only our country, but also in others where the reefs have already been completely destroyed. Whereas, some reefs are barely surviving considering the great dangers coming their way. With the ideas of pollution, destructive fishing, warming waters, changes in ocean chemistry, and invasive species being the outcome of threats to coral reefs. However, it is said that the most common threats are the ones that have been caused by not only nature, but the

Today, islands are a huge part of the economy for countries worldwide, and it’s a great source for natural resources, but what is the price of this? Many islands today are suffering from the drawbacks from deforestation and overfishing among many other human-made environmental impacts. These changes that humans are making affects our islands in different ways, but, these changes could eventually lead to the end of certain animal species, it could influence the number of coral reefs that are currently in our ocean today, and it could affect how the severity of natural disasters.