Environmental Effects Of Coral Reef Bleaching

Dr. James Kerry from James Cook University (2017) explains that, “A temperature change of only one or two degrees for three or four weeks is enough to push corals out of their comfort zones and they then have more stress put upon them” (para. 30). This ethos argument is very effective. Doctor James Cook gives a lot of input on coral bleaching that is very interesting. If coral bleaching isn’t on your radar yet, it will be soon. The coral reef provides homes to an abundant amount of marine life. Bleaching could cause the extinction of many coral species. According to Stephanie Wear, The Nature Conservancy’s director of coral reef conservation (2017), “Recent steamy temperatures indicate a rough year ahead for the world’s coral reefs” (para. 1). About ninety-three percent of climate change heat is absorbed by the ocean. One thing to understand is that corals have a very small

"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."

coral survival, growth and reproduction leaving corals bright white. Furthermore, climate change alters the carbon dioxide concertation within the ocean causing variation of pH level through which ocean become more acidic. This event is referred to as ocean acidification. When this occurs, the corals are unable to absorb calcium carbonate needed for skeletal maintenance (Freiwald, et al., 2004). In addition, human population dynamics have increased through the 21th

Coral bleaching usually occurs when the surface of a sea with coral in it becomes too warm for the coral. When the water heats to as little as one degree higher than normal, coral expels the algae living in its tissue, which causes it to turn completely white. The rise in temperature of the sea surface has been linked mainly to global warming. Other causes of coral bleaching include oxygen starvation caused by an increase in zooplankton, increased solar irradiance, increased sedimentation, bacterial infections, changes in salinity, herbicides, low tide and exposure, cyanide fishing and elevated sea levels. Bleaching events in 2016 were unprecedented, nearly 90% of the coral in the Great

Coral reefs have been called the rainforests of the ocean and are one of the most diverse and important ecosystems on the planet. This paper will explore how global warming has effected these fragile ecosystems. It will focus on the impact of increasing ocean temperatures on coral reefs.

Change in ocean Temperature: increased ocean temperature drastically caused by climate change is the leading cause of coral bleaching.

Developing organizations, such as The Ocean Agency and the Coral Restoration Foundation, have been raising concern in efforts to conserve and furthermore sustain aquatic life and the ecosystem in which they inhabit. These unique fish, found living and populating among the coral reef, face a level of degradation and life threatening obstacles. The coral reef acts as a home to more than a quarter of the know fish species, where their population and species have been widely studied. This ecosystem is a beautiful representation of life which supports, and is supported by other neighboring ecosystems; embodying a significance as the leading consumer item for those who live along the reefs. Their importance to our planets collective ecosystem is not fully understood, due to the way these ecosystems are interconnected to one another, but nevertheless illustrates an example of a struggling life which may provide problems for both terrestrial and aquatic life-forms. Aside from the human dependency, being that “More than 450 million people live within 60 kilometers of coral reefs, with the majority directly or

Of those threats, climate change is the one that has the biggest impact on the reef. The rising temperatures are causing bleaching.When water is too warm, corals will expel the algae, called zooxanthellae, living in their tissues causing the coral to turn completely white (NNOA). Without it, the coral starves, but doesn’t have to die. It can recover from this, but has a higher fatality rate than corals who didn’t go through the bleaching process. The poor water quality is a result of increasing sediment, nutrients and contaminants entering coastal waters in run-off from agricultural, industrial and urban land uses (“Poor Water Quality”). The nutrients and sediments boost algae growth, which effects the corals growth. Overfishing is the final major threat. Once the fisherman catch most of the fish in the area, they must go lower. This leads to them hitting the coral and causing further damage. Although they have these threats, they can overcome it to continue to

The bleaching of coral reefs is when warm water forces algae to leave the reef. Once the algae disappear, the coral goes from a vibrant color to a pale white. As one marine biologist said, “You go from a vibrant, three-dimensional structure teeming with life, teeming with color, to a flat pavement...” This bleaching makes the coral more vulnerable to diseases and a greater risk of death. The biggest bleaching events to have occurred in

That's very bad for marine ecology and size of Great Barrier Reef, notes student Rachel Levin. On a genetical level, there have some reactions too. "We found they can switch on genes to produce proteins that neutralize the toxic chemicals," explains Levin, whose article on coral bleaching was published in the Molecular Biology and Evolution.

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.

Global warming is a pressing issue and a main offender in relation to the destruction Great Barrier Reef and other similar coral reefs around the world. The process of coral bleaching may be directly linked to Global warming and is a very negative

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the 7 natural wonders of the world, the world’s largest coral reef system extends across 2,300 kilometres just off the north-east coast of Australia. The bio-diverse natural reef is the largest living structure on the planet, so big it is visible from space (Great Barrier Reef Foundation, 2017). Unfortunately, the Great Barrier Reef is under threat. There are several elements influencing the rapid decline in the coral ecosystems health. This qualitative study will explore the affects coral bleaching is having on the coral ecosystem of The Great Barrier

Coral Reef Bleaching is when water is too warm, coral will expel the algae living in their tissue causing the coral to turn completely white. Some things that causes coral reef bleaching is Solar Irradiance, Subaerial Exposure, Freshwater Dilution, Xenobiotics . Solar Irradiance Mostly happens in the summer months. Solar radiation has a role in bleaching. Subaerial Exposure happens when extreme low tides can potentially induce bleaching. Freshwater Dilution causes coral bleaching when a storm-generated precipitation and runoff. Xenobiotics is zooxanthellae loss occurs during exposure of coral to elevated concentration of various chemicals contaminants. Zooxanthellae is a yellowish-brown symbiotic dinoflagellate present in large numbers in the cytoplasm of many marine invertebrates.

There are many causes that contribute to the ghostly image of bleached corals, pollutants in the water, natural events - hurricanes, waves, and human activities - commercial scuba diving, heavy tourism in highly biodiversed aquatic areas. Yet the one major factor that causes this bleaching is the increase in the sea surface temperatures. The warmer temperatures are results of global warming, the rising concentrations of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, mainly carbon dioxide.