Corals : Indicators Of The Changing Sea

Earth has experienced many episodes of dramatic climate changes with different periods in earth history. There have been periods during which the entire planet has been covered in ice and at another time it has been scorchingly hot and dry. In this regards, earth has experienced at least three major periods of long- term frigid climate and ice ages interspersed with periods of warm climate. The last glacial period which current glaciers are the result of it, occurring during the last years of Pleistocene, from approximately 110,000 to 10,000 years age (Clayton, 1997). Indeed, glaciers present sensitive indicators of climate change and global warming and by estimating and monitoring the dynamic evolution of these ice masses, several

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.

“Discuss how both direct and indirect scientific measurements of atmospheric composition over the last 10,000 years have informed the climate change debate”.

Balog was once a skeptic of climate change as he believed that the theory surrounding global warming was based off of computer models. Furthermore, he did not believe that humans could alter the world’s climate on such a global scale. However, through studies of ice records, long tubes of ice drilled from the ground, Balog found key evidence suggesting ideas contrary to his prior beliefs. These glacial tubes preserved historical records of the past similar to the rings of a tree, recording past temperatures and CO2 levels. Using these records, one can see the direct variation between temperature and CO2. Additionally, the recent spike in both

One particularly visible sight that brings climate change to the attention of the public is the series of large tracts of bleached coral on the Great Barrier Reef resulting from unusually warm summers. The Great Barrier Reef is an Australian icon, symbolic of the wealth of Australia's biological diversity. It is the nursery to fishing industries and is visited by thousands of tourists each year, bringing hundreds of millions of dollars into our community. While the high visibility of coral bleaching has made us aware of this impact of climate change we should be equally concerned

The timeline of the coral reef abundant park formation starts as early as the Mesozoic Era. Following the break-up of Pangea, continental rifting of South American and Africa from North America began to take place. Due to this separation, the Atlantic Ocean basin was formed, primarily due to extrusion of volcanic rocks accompanied by the mantle plume upwelling due to crustal tension (Heatherington and Mueller, 1991). Towards the middle of the Mesozoic Era, while the Atlantic Ocean was still forming, shallow marine sediments were being deposited as they were transported from land areas to the ocean by the wind, ice, and or rivers. As marine transgression, the sea level rising due to the ocean basins filling with water continued on into the late Mesozoic Era, global warming established a marine accumulation of carbonates over the entire Florida Peninsula (Thornberry,

Throughout history climates have drastically changed. There have been shifts from warm climates to the Ice Ages (Cunningham & Cunningham, 2009, p.204). Evidence suggests there have been at least a dozen abrupt climate changes throughout the history of the earth. There are a few suspected reasons for these past climate changes. One reason may be that asteroids hitting the earth and volcanic eruptions caused some of them. A further assumption is that 22-year solar magnetic cycles and 11-year sunspot cycles played a part in the changes. A further possibility is that a regular shifting in the angle of the moon orbiting earth causing changing tides and atmospheric circulation affects the global climate (Cunningham & Cunningham, 2009,

Coral bleaching occurs when the microscopic plants (zooxanthellae) are expelled by rising ocean temperature. When there are no microscopic plants such as zooxanthellae, the coral turns white and die. The studies show that throughout the worlds ocean, from the Florida Keys to the Great Barrier Reef of the Australia have been evidence of unique coral bleaching caused by the rising of ocean temperature. In the early 1980s the coral bleaching event has increased because of rapid increase of sea water temperature. Esther et al., investigates growth of Oculina patagonica at multiple environmental conditions in the western Mediterranean Sea. The Oculina patagonia is stony coral specie which is found mostly in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. The coral was basically Atlantic origin which was transferred to Mediterranean Sea.

Several different scientific measurements have illustrated the fact that the climate of the Earth is indeed changing. Firstly, measuring the temperature of both the air and the sea through thermometers indicates the changes from the average (IFM-SEI 2011). In addition, soil has been analyzed to examine the forms of isotopes and levels of oxygen and carbon. Radiocarbon dating has also been utilized as have recordings of number, intensity, and the location of extreme weather events and natural disasters within the last century.

Sadly, only 7% of all corals have managed to be unharmed from the dangerous threat of climate change, resulting in coral bleaching. It is said that by 2050… however, there is still a bit of hope. Current marine biologists have found coral reefs deep down in the great barrier and are not being affected by climate

From 1979 to 2006 there were at least six mass coral bleaching events, each of which were triggered by warming conditions, including higher water temperatures (Goldberg & Wilkinson, 2004). In 2005 the United States lost half of their Caribbean reefs due to one such bleaching event (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2016). The color of corals typically comes from the zooxanthellae living within the coral tissues, and the white color that is associated with coral bleaching is due to the expelling of the zooxanthellae as water temperatures increase (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2016). Therefore, as coral bleaching seems to be related to increases in water temperature, it is reasonable to predict that coral bleaching events could become more common as global climate change results in further ocean temperature increases. However, bleaching events do not kill corals, rather coral bleaching places the corals under high stress and makes them more vulnerable to other disturbances, which results in

Today, most of the coral reefs were formed after the last glacial period. The most modern coral reefs are less than 10,000 years old. (Coral Reef, Wikipedia) The Great Barrier Reef is the biggest bulk of coral reefs in the world today. It is locating in Great Barrier Reef Marion Park in Australia and protected by the Australian government. GBRMPA assess the health of reefs every year. This year the extreme weather, particularly heat waves, cyclones, and flooding cause serious risk. El Niño leads the central of eastern Pacific Ocean’s sea surface temperature higher than normal. Recently, the Bureau announced that the early stages of El Niño showed up at tropical Pacific on 12 May 2015. (“Current conditions on the Reef ”) The compositions of the bulk of coral

Coral reefs have experienced damage by several ways all around the world. They can be harmed by natural events such as cyclones, tsunamis, and hurricanes. With large human populations and improved storage and transport systems, the scale of human impacts on reefs has rapidly grown. Pesticides and fertilisers used in agricultural development projects are carried in run off to sea and are known to play a role in coral reef destruction. The demolition of coral reefs is due to temperature changes, pollution, and tourists.

In the news reporters often talk about the effects of global warming as if they are anywhere from five to one-hundred years off in the future. Those dangers like unpredictable and catastrophic weather patterns may not pose a major threat to human populations yet. However, for the inhabitants of earth’s coral reefs, the planet’s constant warming immediately endangers thousands of species. While coral reefs occupy only a small fraction of the ocean’s floor, they account for roughly one fourth of the world’s marine life. Coral itself, which in large part comprises coral reefs is made up of thousands of tiny polyps that cling together and secrete a hard outer coating binding the individual polyps together (Jaap, 212-213). Generally coral make up the vast majority of all reefs, but soft bodied organisms like anemones litter the sea bed as well. Coral reefs’ seemingly eternal balance with man is now in jeopardy, as small things like clownfish infertility and massive coral population loss begin to snowball, eventually leading to human casualties. These vibrant structures made up of millions of years of development do not face potential threats from global warming. The existing threats are imminent.

The Coral Systems’ pricing model is the combination of the recurring revenue model and the per product licensing fee. This hybrid model allows company to start each quarter from the ending point of previous subscriber base. Coral sell a one-time license per subscriber according to the current number of subscribers at the time of license. For each addition subscribers, carrier is charged an addition license fee. The recurring revenue stream is created as the customer base grows. The hybrid model can build value for the company and solve potential problem of customers who wanted to buy the application and control.