Coral Reefs : A Major Role Of Marine Ecosystems

The article talks about how climate change has affected coral reefs over the past several years. Kim Cobb who is a marine scientist at the Georgia Institute of Technology said that climate change has damaged the coral, the entire reef is covered with red-brown fuzz and algae had grown over the dead coral during his last dive in the deep waters of Kiritimati Island. According to the article, Scientists believe that the damages of coral reefs are caused by the mass bleaching of coral reefs around the world, heat stress from multiple severe weather events like El Nino and climate change. As a result, more than a third of Earth’s coral reefs are threatened and many may not recover.

Coral reefs are found in shallow tropical waters along the shores of islands and continents. Coral bleaching is a topic that gets left in the dust. Not many people really pay attention or show much interest in it. Widespread bleaching, involving major coral reef regions and resulting in mass coral

"Coral reefs… are fragile structures living within a narrow range of temperature, clarity, salinity and chemistry. Even a slight increase in ocean temperature, or increased CO2… can cause stresses such as bleaching… These stresses slow the rate of growth of the corrals… With some 60 percent of the world’s coral reefs now losing productivity, it’s becoming a global crisis and a scientific mystery."

Corals dislike warm water about as much as acidity. When oceans get typically warm, corals can eject the algae that symbiotically live in their skeletons, providing food in exchange for shelter. The ejection process is called bleaching, named by the white skeleton left behind when the coral gets sick and, in some cases, dies.

The ocean is two-thirds of our planet a vast blue landscape home to many biomes which according to Boyce Thorne-Miller “(ecosystem types) corresponding to sets of environmental conditions that vary with depth, latitude, and longitude” (16). However, the ocean and its biomes is under attack from the changing environment. We can see this through coral reef biomes as they make their home near the shores. Through coral reefs we can view the effects that these changes have on the ocean through how the coral reef biome is affected. Humans are a danger to the coral reefs and the wildlife that resides in the biome. The pollution being released into the environment is poisoning the coral and causes death and malformation to the wildlife. The ocean is changing due to global warming which is causing a change in the temperature and rising water levels leading to a change in the stabile areas coral can survive. The increasing acidification of the ocean is causing the coral reefs to die. I will be looking at the effects these issues cause to coral reefs biomes and the ocean to see the similarities in how they affect both.

1. Policy Description Introduction Worldwide we are facing an epidemic of large-scale Coral Reefs bleaching themselves white. Although white coral is not dead it is likely to die shortly after bleaching. The main problem is global warming, this causes overfishing, pollution and rising ocean temperatures with more acidity.

These increasing ocean temperatures, which result in global warming, are mostly due to the amount of CO2 released in the air, therefore threatening the existence of the coral reef systems (Cole, Pratchett and Jones). The reduction of the coral reef ecosystems are attributed to the climate induced bleaching from the past decade. The loss of coral reef environments has direct affects to the habitat of an organism within the reefs (Cole, Pratchett and Jones), leading to a decrease in biodiversity (Coker, Pratchett and Munday).

“Unusually high water temperatures have caused many coral species to lose their zooxanthellae, turn white, and die prematurely, thereby leading to a decline in reef building. Scientists predict bleaching will reduce diversity among corals and the creatures that depend on them” (“Great” World Book). Additionally, changes in the salinity of the water affects the Great Barrier Reef. Salinity is changing because of changes in climate. This is because warmer air from climate change can absorb more water than cooler air, therefore changing evaporation cycles. In places where there is more rainfall than evaporation, rainfall is increasing. In places where evaporation exceeds rainfall, evaporation is increasing. This process is widening the gap between humid and arid regions. This proves to scientists that climate change is affecting salinity (Calif). Furthermore, diseases are produced among coral because of climate change as well as pollution. Increasing temperatures are so effective on the reef that the only disease that can be treated is black-band disease (“Coral”). Ultimately, the coral in the Great Barrier Reef becomes brittle and pale because of these

The coral reef’s ecosystem are in major threat of the current bleaching events. Coral reefs are the main marine environment, which includes a variety of over 4,000 fish, and 800 different type of hard coral (“Corals”). Over 25 percent of marine animals are supported by the coral environment (“Coral Reefs”). The reefs are a key element of the ocean’s ecosystem (“Coral Reef Destruction”). Water temperatures are estimated to keep rising in the decades to come, which intensifies coral bleaching and other problems like black band disease, and white plague. These illnesses cause a majority of the coral to die, which will then lead to their ecosystem to plummet (“Global Warming”). Research as estimated that one to eight million organisms are yet unknown to scientists

What's Happening? Coral reefs are threatened by global warming. They can only live in waters between 18 C and 30 C. Therefore, with the increase in temperature of the surrounding water, there has been an unprecedented increase in the number of coral bleaching events during the past 2 decades (which have had some of the warmest years in history). When ocean temperatures get too high, coral polyps lose the symbiotic algae inside them, causing them to turn white, or "bleach," and eventually die.

Evolution is something that has been occurring since the beginning of time. Through the years the world has changed significantly, it has frozen and it has grown hotter. The earth will continue to change through time. With this, the plants and animals have changed as well. Our forests and oceans

Consisting of less than 1% of the world oceans, the coral reefs are ancient animals comprising of thin calcium carbonate deposits within the photic layer. Aside from its biologically diverse ecosystems, coral reefs are major source of food for millions and provides habitats and nursery areas for many marine organisms. Coral reefs also act as a physical buffer to protect the coastlines from tropical storms and erosion. In addition, many local communities rely on coral reefs to generate an income through activities such as fishing and diving. However, 75% of the coral reefs are under threat from induced impacts of humans and climate change (Burke, et al., 2011). This essay looks at the human impacts constantly being inflicted on coral reefs.

In the past few decades, a major concern has arisen concerning the drastic deterioration of coral reefs. Coral reefs have resided on the earth longer than any living mammal. However, recent research has shown, “Despite the natural ability to persist, many coral reef ecosystems are in poor health”

Coral reef ecosystems around the globe are threatened by human interferences and climate change. This has led to many scientists conducting studies on global coral reef ecosystems to gain a better understanding of the cause and effects of coral reef damage. In both Hodgson’s (1999) and Carpenter et al.’s (2008) studies, they are aware of the continuous degradation of global coral reef ecosystems. Hodgson's study involved conducting a survey on global coral reef ecosystems to see whether human actions were affecting the health of supposed pristine Coral reefs. Carpenter et al. incorporated Hodgson’s study into a compiled study about the possible extinction of reef building corals due to climate change and anthropogenic effects. Carpenter’s

What is Bleaching? Coral reefs contain symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae which gives the coral its healthy brownish color. The algae "utilizes sunlight and the coral animal's respired CO2 to produce energy rich compounds that feed the coral host" (AIMS, 2003). When stress factors such as "heat, solar radiation, pollution, reduced salinity and changes in oxygenation" occur around the coral, bleaching can begin (Dennis). When bleaching occurs, the algae, which create nutrients for the coral to feed from, is released due to stresses to the reef. Thus the coral starves and its white calcium carbonate skeleton of the coral becomes visible (AIMS, 2003). But one of the main stresses that contributes to the lifeless white appearance of the coral is the warmer temperatures of the sea surface water.