Mother Jones 'Something Really Terrible': Article Analysis

As atmospheric carbon dioxide levels continue to rise, global warming will increase ocean temperatures and, along with that, the frequency and severity of bleaching events. In 2010, one of the hottest years in recorded human history, reefs bleached throughout the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean and off the coasts of Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and the Philippines. Without the necessary reduction in the production of emissions, the death of the Great Barrier Reef will result in 6 billion dollars less in the economy and the loss of more than 50,000 jobs, If the oceans' corals were to collapse, the whole food chain will

A case study that was carried out a few years ago states that since 2005, the caribbean region has lost 50 percent of its corals, mainly due to the effects caused by the increase of temperatures. From 1997 to 1998, mass bleaching is estimated to have caused severe effects to 16 percent of the world’s coral reefs. Even though signs of recovery have been seen in

Coral reefs are found in shallow tropical waters along the shores of islands and continents. Coral bleaching is a topic that gets left in the dust. Not many people really pay attention or show much interest in it. Widespread bleaching, involving major coral reef regions and resulting in mass coral mortality has raised concerns about linkage of the events to global phenomenons including global warming or climate change and increased UV radiation from ozone depletion. Corals provide a lot not just for us humans but for marine life as well. Marine Biology provides information about how bleaching happens and how it affects the coral. Buchheims’ article is full of logos and a few pathos while the other source is full of ethos. In The Nature Conservancy’s director Stephanie Wear provides us with lots of professional opinions

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.

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):

Since early 1998, climate change has been demonstrating its effects in increasing the ocean 's temperature (West & Salm, 2003). Warm water stress corals causing the phenomenon known as coral bleaching, by which expulsion of colourful symbiotic algae the zooxanthellae, vital for

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

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.

It warned that pollution is undermining the health of coral, rendering it unable to resist bleaching or recover from the effects”(Fears).

Bleaching occurs when the corals are exposed to warming waters. The heat causes the corals to release their internal photosynthetic algae. This algae is normally used by reef-building creatures as food, but once released, it’s gone and causing many of these reef-building creatures to die. One article suggests,”Bleaching events often result in the exodus of sixty to ninety percent of a coral’s zoolanthellae mass. By 2030, more than 90 percent of the world's coral reefs will be endangered by bleaching.” The beauty of the reef is slowly being destroyed by this climate change

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

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.

As many know, coral reefs are the most beautiful, structurally complicated and diverse marine ecosystems. Coral reefs do numerous amounts of things; for example, they provide habitats for various types of living organisms, they protect shorelines from storm damage, and produce and sustain white sandy beaches. Although coral reefs look feeble, they are actually strong and durable during certain conditions. Coral reefs are capable of recovering from brutal storms and even volcanic eruptions as long as the dusts and sediments settle and are washed away. Before the reefs can begin their healing process, the water condition needs to be clean and clear of all toxins. What’s killing the coral reefs then? Sadly, human enterprise is simultaneously destroying coral reefs directly and reducing their capacity to recover (Fujita,2003). First, we will talk about 3 major threats human enterprise has on the coral reefs. Keep in mind that the threats mentioned are not the only threats out there. We shall then talk about evidence against some of these topics. Last, we will talk about how these threats towards our coral reefs affect us humans; along with ways to change our environment.

It is thought that worldwide climate change could play a role in the increased amount in coral reefs bleaching.

A healthy coral reef requires moderate water temperatures, clear and clean water, and an intricate series of interacting organisms, plants, and animals. Coral reefs are delicate structures and anything that disrupts the dynamics of its environment can be detrimental. Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of the earth's atmospheric and oceanic temperatures. Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the influence of human activities has been deeply intertwined with global warming. Global warming has an immense potential to alter ecosystem functioning and consequently alter the functioning of the plants, the animals and the other life forms that live within the ecosystem. On a global scale, atmospheric emis-sions of greenhouse gases are causing ocean temperatures to increase, pH levels to decrease (resulting in ocean acidification), and sea levels to rise, according to the U.S. Global Change Research Program. Most coral reefs can not tolerate an increase in temperature and a lower pH. Coral polyps use calcium from sea-water to create their hard skeletons in a process called calcifica-tion. Experimental studies indicate that increases in