How Does Technology Affect 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

They protect against coastal flooding, wave damage, storm surges, wave damage, and also they provide homes for lots of fish.. Coral reefs are dying because of the increase in ocean acidification that is caused by the increase of CO2 in the atmosphere. Coral reefs may stop growing if the CO2 concentration levels are high which is expected over the coming decades according to the article. Coral reefs are also vital for people and business. In the article it was reported that more than 30 million small-scale fisherman and women depend on coral reefs for their livelihoods, specifically in Indonesia where fish supported by the reefs provide the primary source of protein.

Coral bleaching is normally characterized by the expulsion of the zooxanthellae algae, loss of algal pigmentation, or both. Coral bleaching events have had serious effects on corals and reefs worldwide. What is crucial to the understanding of zooxanthellae expulsion and bleaching is how the density of zooxanthellae within the coral is changing, if at all, under the prevailing range of environmental conditions (Gates and Edmunds, 1999). Over the last twenty years, there has been a dramatic increase in both the frequency and intensity of coral bleaching events. Sixty major bleaching events have been reported between 1960 and 1979, whereas only nine were reported prior to 1979 (Huppert and Stone, 1998). Given the dependence of the coral on this symbiotic algae, it is important to determine the cause of these bleaching events. According to Helvarg (2000, p.12):

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.

Coral reefs are greatly hurt by tourism. When tourism first began, people had little regard for the delicate balance in the reefs. They would often break off parts of the coral to keep as souvenirs, damaging the area and hurting both the corals and the fish or other animals that relied on it. While humans today are more aware of the damage they cause, regular visitations can still create great damage by snorkelers or divers accidentally hitting and damaging the reefs.

    Coral reef destruction is a big deal. There are many environmental threats on coral reefs which means they are slowly dying. Coral reefs play a very important part in marine ecosystems. Sea creatures depend on them for protection, camouflage, as a home, and also for food. Scientists believe this could be from natural causes like erosion, and global warming as reasons that coral reefs die off but one of the main reasons is pollution. There are many different ways pollution can affect coral reefs. There is a chemical in sunscreen called oxybenzone that may be contributing to the destruction of coral reefs as swimmers are trying to protect their skin. This chemical has toxic effects on young coral that can damage their DNA,

A third problem the coral reefs face is strangulation by seaweed. The over-fishing of the coral reefs leads to a decrease in plant-eating fish. This leads to an overgrowth of seaweed which block the light from the coral causing death to the coral reefs. (Denecke, 2001)

Furthermore, extraction of building materials such as sand affects coral reefs, mangroves, and hinterland forests, leading to erosion and destruction of habitats. Overbuilding and extensive paving of shorelines can result in destruction of habitats and disruption of land-sea connections such as sea-turtle nesting spots. Coral reefs are especially fragile marine ecosystems and are suffering worldwide from reef-based tourism developments. Evidence suggests a variety of impacts to coastline ecosystems result from shoreline development, increased sediments in the water, trampling by tourists and divers, ship groundings, pollution from sewage, overfishing, and fishing with poisons and explosives that destroy coral

The corals are dying the have a problem name Bleaching of coral and is too difficult that the become better. The humans are destroying all, nature is

Finally, there are millions of species who live in the coral reef. It is used both for shelter and for a food supply. There is a vast amount of trawlers that come through each year to dredge the ocean. But think about what would happen if the coral reefs disappear. All the species that depend on the reef for shelter would die. And all the species who hunt for food there would also die. Dredging the ocean rips apart the coral reefs wether that was meant to happen or not. If the natural beauty of the reefs and the security it brings to animals dissapeared, it would be a major

Over the past year, 12 percent of the oceans reefs have become bleached due to ocean acidification. Ocean acidification and in turn coral bleaching, is due to carbon pollution causing global warming, this makes the oceans warmer, thus making them more acidic. Coral reefs and shellfish cannot survive these levels of acid in the water. In particular the Great Barrier Reef, one of the seven natural wonders of the world, is suffering from this bleaching. The Great Barrier Reef has been declining in recent years due to this acidification, however, as of recently it has come knocking on death 's door. Carbon levels started rising about 200 years ago during the industrial revolution, because the machines invented started pumping carbon dioxide

Overfishing, tourism, abnormal fishing methods, pollution are the main causes of human origin that is responsible for the reefs deterioration. For example, the dumping of industrial wastes and waste oil dumping is causing massive harm to the coral reefs, which need fresh water for its

The chance to recover these reefs is now. One example of it already being too late is in Hong Kong, Singapore, Manila. All these locations had thriving beautiful reefs a long time ago, but human impact has destroyed the infrastructure of the reefs and there is just a barren wasteland except for select hardy fish that live off of what is left. When I say human impact, an example of this is the sale of coral skeletons. The residents of China and surrounding areas would go out into the reef with dynamite. The fisher man would take the dynamite and wedge it into the reef and light the fuse. The reef would be blown into manageable pieces and then taken to the port to be dipped in bleach and put on the market as decoration. Another practice that is used is the use of cyanide on the reefs. This practice is still used today in order to supply the aquarium market with exotic fish that are too hard to catch. How the practice works is the fisherman will take a diluted solution of cyanide and dose the whole reef. If this is done correctly, the fish will not die, but become temporarily paralyzed so they can be picked up in a net and brought onto the boat. The fish will then be transferred to store and be put on sale in a crowded tank until someone takes them home. The larger fish are never targeted for aquarium homes due to the size and lack of demand. When you have an ecosystem as complicated as a reef, taking out chunks of the food chain will only have very negative impacts. The reefs

 Clean Water: Corals are sensitive to pollution and sediments. Sediments can settle on coral, blocking out sunlight and smothering coral polyps. Pollution from sewage and fertilizers increases nutrient levels in the water, harming corals. When there are too many nutrients in the water, the ecological balance of the coral community is altered.

The deterioration of coral reefs is mainly linked to human activities – 88% of coral reefs are threatened through various reasons as