Marine Ecosystems: Coral Reefs

Currently there is no saturation level above four in the world. If current trends continue, by 2060, there will be no location above 3.5 and by 2100, no place above 3. The negative trends are extremely concerning as the changing water levels are making the reefs’ survival more unlikely. The energy required for calcification increase, and thus calcification rates decrease. Because of the lack of growth, coral diversity plunges. Over half a million species have spent their life on coral reefs. Coral reefs are intricate exchange bazaars that pass nutrients to various animals. Without the reefs, this exchange would not be possible and the abating of the reefs contributes to the disappearance of the ecosystem as a whole. While ocean acidification is not the only reason for the withering reefs, it is the most detrimental. The effect of ocean acidification extends beyond just the coral reefs. This process affects marine animals’ tightly regulated internal chemistry such as metabolism, enzyme activity, and protein function. Ocean acidification alters the presence of key nutrients such as iron and nitrogen essential to animals. It will also make the ocean noisier (Kolbert 136-141). The implications of ocean acidification are interminable. Human realization is imperative to slow the rate at which ocean saturation is declining. The less carbon emissions released in the air, the less carbon dioxide is absorbed by the ocean which will inadvertently prove beneficial to the coral reefs, but also many other species dependent on the

"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

Not only does this increase in ocean acidity result in shell degradation, but it has also been shown to breakdown existing coral reefs, as well as limit the building of new coral reef structures all over the planet. Corals, like calcifying species, rely on a steady supply of calcium carbonate in order to build and maintain it 's strong structures. This preventable destruction would not only be breaking down some of the most ancient ecosystems, but also some of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet. Occupying less than one percent of the ocean floor, coral reefs are home to more than twenty-five percent of marine life. Thanks to their diversity, coral reefs provide millions of people with food, medicine, protection from storms, and revenue from fishing and

Climate change is quickly affecting many social and economic sectors, both directly and indirectly. This is particularly true within the natural habitat sector, as varying impacts on global biodiversity threaten the existence of many species world-wide. While many problems such as warmer temperatures and rising sea levels are attributed to increasing carbon dioxide (CO2), there is one crucial problem that is often overlooked: Ocean acidification. As pH levels in the ocean fluctuate, there are devastating effects on sensitive marine ecosystems and individual species. Increased acidic conditions can pose threats to habitats, such as coral reefs and sea grasses (Guinotte and Fabry 320). These living habitats rely on calcium carbonate to form strong external structures, yet higher pH levels inhibit the organisms’ ability to successfully absorb the compounds needed for this process. Additionally, higher levels of ocean acidification can induce decreases in skeletal-forming compounds, diminishing entire populations of small ocean organisms such as crustaceans and phytoplankton (Doney). Therefore, it can be deduced that the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere cripple the marine wildlife ecosystems, because the addition of greenhouse gases, caused primarily by anthropogenic conditions, are acidifying the ocean and disrupting the bio-chemical compounds that are necessary for many marine species to survive.

Imagine the ocean, our beautiful blue, red, and green galore coral reefs supporting nearly a quarter of the oceans marine wildlife, simply being stripped away. Unfortunately this isn't a fantasy, but a key global issue happening in our oceans today. Due to environmental issues occurring in the ocean such as competition and predation, but now a days, most impacting is marine pollution and ocean acidification, causing a rapid decline in coral reef habitats, impacting our world as we know it. Coral reefs are greatly important to our world because they are one of the most diverse ecosystems, containing over 25% of all marine species, in addition to providing essential environments for marine food chains. Reefs are physically as well as biologically

The physical environment of coral reefs, like the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, are essentially made up of “reef-building corals ( or hermatypic)”2 which are formed by polyps, very small, vulnerable animals that unite together to coral colonies by excreting calcium carbonate to protect their soft bodies. To be able to build up a coral reef and survive, the polyps are in a symbiotic relationship with algae called zooxanthellae. These algae provide the corals with for example their significant color and increase the

This accumulation of terragenous sediment on coral reefs and coral habitats has been shown to have an adverse effect, by increasing the water turbidity and decreasing water clarity. This change in the water inhibits the penetration of sunlight. Sunlight is essential for the zooxanthellea, symbiotic algae living inside of the coral, to perform photosynthesis which allows the coral to remove waste. Additionally the glucose, amino acids, and glycerol that are formed by the zooxanthellea as a direct result of this photosynthesis, are used by corals to produce fats, carbohydrates and calcium carbonates all of which are necessary for the coral to continue to

Coral bleaching has increased dramatically over the past 50 years, as the oceans temperature and acidification has risen, all a result of the increasing amounts of CO2. “Rising Carbon Dioxide levels in the world’s oceans due to climate change combined with rising sea temperatures, could accelerate coral bleaching, destroying some reefs before 2050” (Sayer, 2008). Susannah Sayler (Australian scientist) tested this theory on 30 large aquarias in the waters off Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef. Using CO2 and temperatures predicted for the middle and end of the century, the scientists found ocean acidification from CO2, which reduces coral calcification, had the potential to increase bleaching and the death of reef-building organisms (Perry,

Coral is essential for the construction of coral reefs which hosts and immensely biodiverse ecosystem. Due to rising temperature caused by global warming the coral become stressed and go through a bleaching event that slows down reproduction, can make the coral susceptible to disease and can cause it to eventually die if the stressor is not fixed. If ocean temperatures continue to rise entire ecosystems will be destroyed by the death of

The Earth has experienced 5 notable mass extinction events to date; these extinctions have impacted coral reef systems significantly. Every occurrence of mass extinction has left the Earth without living reefs for millions of years. These intervals of absence are often termed ‘reef gaps’ (geological intervals where there are no traces of what might have been existing reefs). The sources of these ‘events’ will be discussed further. The primary causes of mass extinctions are linked to the carbon cycle and make-up of the oceans. The acidification of our oceans is argued to be the most serious of all the predicted consequences of C02 increase, due to anthropogenic behaviors. This article will be inferring that acidification has the potential

Coral reefs are one of nature’s most diverse ecosystems. The variability in organisms and plant life is what drives many scientists to understand how can something so unique occur. However, with humans continuing to grow and needing more space, nature is depleting rapidly. Not only with nature, but the coral reefs as well are being affected by humans. Many factors are contributing to the damaging of coral reefs. “Rapid increases in the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration by driving global warming and ocean acidification, may be the final insult to these ecosystems” (Guldberg et al. 2007). The need for resources are growing as time progresses and thus the Earth is not able to compete with the demands of human life. Trees are constantly

As corals also use calcium-carbonate to build their structures, ocean acidification will also impede their growth by corroding pre-existing coral skeletons, whilst simultaneously decreasing the growth of new ones (Smithsonian, 2016). When the pH is lower, the corals have to use more energy to bind the carbonate building-blocks, hence the calcification rate is lower, and they lay down weaker skeletons (EPOCA, 2008). One study showed that, in acidifying conditions, coralline-algae, which build calcium-carbonate skeletons and help stabilise coral-reefs, covered up to 92% less area (Andersson, 2007). It is also predicted that by 2100, 70% of all cold-water corals will live in under-saturated carbonate waters (ESF, 2009). Coral forms a barrier that

The spectacular and silicate coral reefs of Australia, Florida, Hawaii and Puerto Pico are ecological gems and important economic resources. Often called "rainforests of the sea" for their rich biodiversity, the coral on which these diverse ecosystems are based are actually living organisms themselves. They form when polyps -the living portion of stony corals-extract calcium from seawater and combine it with carbon dioxide to construct the elaborate limestone skeletons that form the reef.

Coral reefs were among the first ecosystems recognized as being vulnerable to the increasing ocean acidification. Ocean acidification is linked to the carbon dioxide that is released to the atmosphere and the reaction with seawater. The reaction of carbon dioxide with water forms weak carbonic acid (H2C03) that leads to increased acid levels in the ocean. This process uses the chemicals that coral reefs need to build their calcium skeleton thus interfering with their ability to grow normally. For instance, in the 1997-1998 El Nino-Southern Oscillation, 16% of all the tropical coral reefs died due to acidification.