Marine Conservation Essay

Coral reefs are very diverse ecosystems. They are “the rainforest of the sea”. Coral reefs can be very big or very small. The Great Barrier Reef (Australia) is 1,600 miles long and 40 miles wide. They are very important for our ocean, they provide food and home for many of the fish in the ocean. For some fish, coral reefs are the only viable food source or shelter they have. Coral reefs are very important.

Accurately, more than one-quarter of all marine wildlife lives within the boundaries of salt water reefs (Glick). Though government organizations are aware, the few existent laws and regulations have protected a lacking amount of these animals and their fragile sanctuaries. In addition, the oceans do not solely serve as habitats for thousands of marine species, but also serve as major contributors in the regulation of the earth’s weather and climate. The oceans also provide millions of jobs in the tourism, recreation, fishing and shipping industries (Weeks). Few people give coral reefs the clear recognition they deserve, and they are helplessly neglected. Circumstantially, human activities cause significant damage to the coral reef system. Afterwards, the damage could inevitably influence the function of the oceans and negatively impact everyday life on

Coral reefs are arguably the world’s most beautiful habitats. Coral reefs have been called the rainforests of the oceans, because of the rich diversity of life they support. Scientists have not yet finished counting the thousands of different species of plants and animals that use or live in the coral reef. There are three types of coral reefs: fringing reefs, barrier reefs, and atolls. Fringing reefs are located close to shore, separated from land by only shallow water. Barrier reefs lie farther offshore, separated from land by lagoons more than ten meters deep. Atolls, on the other hand, are

Marine biologists get to go underwater to explore and experience exciting events. They can look and study new fish, or can scuba dive down to the coral reefs. They get trained to look at the different environments under the water along with experimenting different sea creatures. Knowing the ocean and knowing what is inside it is very important for our society because the ocean is what makes up most of the earth and the ocean has a major impact on our weather and climate.

    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,

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.

Irreversible destruction is occurring to our coral reef system. The majority of this destruction is caused by the human race. It is important that the people of the world come together to determine how to keep our precious resources in tact for future generations.

Conservationists around the world are putting their best foot forward in an attempt to save the coral reefs. Coral reefs today are at a high risk of damage because of all the attention drawn to them by tourists. There are some islands that make all their money through tourism and exploiting the coral reefs, giving snorkel and scuba diving trips to guests that have traveled from around the world. Many people travel to these places with amazing under water worlds and they come extremely uneducated about these beautiful masterpieces. Tourists will drop their anchors on top of corals and drive their boats over corals, causing severe damage that will take the coral years and years to replenish. There are always new ways to enhance the lives of the

Coral reefs have suffered degradation due to anthropogenic activities for decades. The direct and indirect effects of overfishing and pollution from agriculture and land development have been the major drivers of coral reef decline over the past two centuries. More importantly, these threats to coral reefs have been compounded and exacerbated by superimposed impacts of global climate change, such as rising sea temperature and level, and increased ocean acidification. (T. P. Hughes, 2003)

As discussed before, humans play a, sometimes, dangerous role in the well-being of the coral reef. Since the coral reef, specifically the Great Barrier Reef, has become such a major tourist destination, it has lead to the issues of pollution, stealing of species, and the use of boats and other forms of water transportation that damage the coral reef

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.

However, with the population rising dramatically demand for resources have also increased. Companies producing these products for their consumers built factories not knowing its pollution is harming the environment. Although effects of pollution is evident on land, the ocean, especially areas near the coastline, have also taken a huge toll during this process. According to the article, “Caribbean coral reefs ‘will be lost within 20 years’ without protection”, Jessica Aldred, the author, states,” Region’s corals have declined by more than 50%.” (Aldred 2) implying that immediate attention is required due to pollution in the Caribbean. Furthermore, the cause of this pollution originates from tourists and citizens who carelessly throws trash into the ocean; the pollution can also come from hotels and building whose sewage is dumped along the coast. Tourism also increase the chances that a careless swimmer and or diver play, move, and take the coral. Some steps have been taken such as warning signs, but in order to stop this completely higher authority must be involved. Effects of pollution to coral reefs can be devastating; for example, it exposes the corals to more bacterias

Marine Biologists study many different organisms in their natural habitats. Often may they study or investigate a population’s behaviors. They also may assess the conditions of the habitats or the effect of a human’s activity on the habitat or the animal itself. Some of the Marine Biologist’s research may include conducting species inventories, testing or monitoring the sea creatures that have been exposed to pollutants, collecting and test some ocean samples, preserving some specimens, or any sample of unknown species or diseases, and mapping the distribution, ranges, or the movements of any marine population. In some cases, they may recommend some alternative industrial practices to minimize the negative effects on the marine species and/or habitats. They communicate their findings and the recommendations by writing some reports and also some scientific journal artifacts.

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

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