Personal Narrative: My Trip To The California Academy Of Sciences

Some people consider coral reefs the most beautiful places on earth. With the plants and animals progressing all around the beautiful corals, it is spectacular. Located on the northeast coast of Australia, there lies a place just like this. This is the Great Barrier Reef. These coral reefs are called, “the rainforest of the ocean,” because it supports a huge diversity of life. Coral reefs are more than just beauty, they are a home to fish and other creatures. They protect humans against floods and storms. The reef not only contains an abundance of marine life, but it is also the world’s largest coral reef system. It is so gigantic, astronauts could see it all the way from outer space. This paper offers an extensive amount of information about the Great Barrier Reef, including how it was formed, the animals that call it home, and how it is dying.

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.

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.

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.

Hello I am Rey Rodriguez, and I’m still currently a bit undecided on what I’m majoring in. I love teaching and all things entertainment such as acting,singing,and production so I may start looking towards a major in which I can do a little bit of it all. I’m looking into hopefully transferring to Cal State Northridge or possibly Cal State Long Beach by next fall.Sociology has always been a subject I have found very interesting so I’m hoping on furthering what I already know and look forward to learning things I didn't know. A big part of me is music, I’m constantly listening to music or singing to myself. I enjoy going to live shows and concerts that is definitely a big hobby of mine, I also enjoy just hanging out and going out to eat with

In 2009, Dr. Sylvia Earle wrote The World is Blue to educate and alert the reader about human impacts on marine ecosystems. Through this book she conveys her passion and methodical arguments concerning the importance of the conservation of the ocean, which encompasses approximately 80 percent of the earth’s surface. Dr. Earle states “the ocean touches you with every breath you take, every drop of water you drink, every bite you consume” (17). This statement emphasizes the significance of the ocean, not only for marine life, but all life forms on earth. The book implies that currently in today’s world, the conservation of the ocean requires a global effort to reduce human damage from the past generations. Using facts gleaned from credible scientific resources, she defines the problems of overfishing, bycatch, and pollution. By analyzing human impacts on marine ecosystems, Dr. Earle determines successful and unsuccessful solutions to these problems and suggests various ways individuals can change their lifestyles to reduce impact on the environment as a whole.

As I took the LASSI, I was comparing my educational experience at UCSB and currently at USC. I know that if I would have taken the LASSI while being an undergrad at UCSB plenty of those percentages would be on the lower end. There are various reasons for this; all revolving around my experience being a first-generation college student. When I first started UCSB, I met my first friends who were from a different culture and race. Prior to UCSB, my only knowledge about Asian and white people came from the media and my friends’ experiences. Moreover, much of my knowledge was negative and when I went to UCSB I unconsciously chose to hang out with those who looked like me. Nevertheless, I quickly learned that what I had seen and heard prior to UCSB

There once was a whole nother world below the beautiful waves in the Asia Pacific, a year a go to be exact. A breathtaking array of life beneath the ocean. Only now the maldivian reef is dead, obliterated by the stress of the rising temperatures in the ocean. In the last 30 years, the world has failed to realize that we have lost half our coral reefs. Scientists are searching for ways to guarantee the lone ecosystems to recuperate beyond the next 30 years. The whole world depends on it since it supports a quarter of all marine life. Julia Baum Of Canada states, “We are losing them right now, really quickly, much more quickly than i think any of us ever could have imagined.” Can you believe that in about 2050, if we don’t find ways to help conserve

Although it may not be apparent to many, coral reefs are an immense necessity to ecosystems across the globe. They act as a major source of nitrogen and other critical nutrients for the hundreds of marine food chains that live close to or in these ecosystems. Coral is proves to be a major factor is recycling these nutrients. On top of this, coral reefs are a major component when it comes looking at its assistance in carbon and nitrogen fixing (an essential process due to the rise is global warming and pollution). Coral reefs absorb nearly one-third of the carbon dioxide generated by burning fossil fuels (GCCM). Aside from the ecological benefits, there are many benefits humans gain from healthy coral reefs. Coral reefs are an enormous help when it come to hurricanes. These reefs act as a natural barrier against storm surges. The natural barriers provide protection to coastlines from damage in which intense waves and tropical storms can bring. Reefs bring in billions of dollars to not only the United States, but hundreds of countries around the globe, as well as millions of employment opportunities. Reefs can help humans in the medical field as well. In these reefs lie the potential to implement biotechnologies and develop treatments for many illnesses, both acute and fatal alike. Coral reefs most crucial impact on this earth is one that cannot be disregarded. While coral reefs merely cover a fraction of a percent of the oceanic floor, these reefs produce what is estimated

There is an epidemic sweeping the world called coral bleaching. Some scientists are trying to create a super coral that might be able to withstand future coral bleaching epidemics. Some people though feel like creating these super coral’s is bad and it is making them into GMO’s. These people feel that humans should not interfere with coral and just let nature takes it course. Also within this article, it discusses that it is not only the El Nino weather pattern that is causing the bleaching. There are also humans cause like littering, overfishing, and even some of the ingredients in sunscreen. Though there are two different ideas on how we should repair the coral, both of these ideas will

As I swam back from the deep abyss I observed no fish or coral in the reef, gliding through the crevices I examined a black residue coating the rocks, oil, A City has died along with all of its inhabitants. Claimed by many scientist, coral reefs are at the brink of extinction. How could something worth so much to us whether it be its aesthetic or money value, receive so little attention? How could something so abundant die off in fifty years? The main culprit of the death of coral reefs you may ask, humans. The pollution and overfishing caused by humans has created a lethal environment that the corals cannot escape. If we do not change our ways, the sea and all industries based off it will cease to exist. The biodiversity that reefs supply is what fuels the seas. If the reefs were to die the sea, economies, and eventually countries would too. If we do not change our unsustainable ways the damage we do to reefs could just as easily harm us too.

The ocean is an ever present mystery due to the fact that we have over 70% of it undiscovered. It never ceases to amaze humanity with its unique creatures and habitats. One ocean environment I was fortunate to visit was the coral reefs near St. John at the Virgin Island Environmental Research Center. I learned interesting things about this unique living system and how they support many organisms, but one thing left me very bothered. On a tour of the coral reefs near a beach on St. John, I observed many pale detached corals. Not only that, but I saw the picture of these coral reefs from years before and the differences were enormous. In the old picture, the coral reefs were vibrant and many. It seems like now, the coral that was once ravishing and was in abundance are depleting and they are not as vibrant as they were before. I spoke to one of the researchers and they told me that there are only 15% coral reefs left today because of several factors which include pollution, climate change, and unsavory fishing practices that ravaged this once beautiful ecosystem. If these reefs are not protected in time it could be detrimental to the existence of many marine organisms.

However, many fisherman are unable to catch as many fish as they used to, so they are increasingly using cyanide and dynamite in fishing, which further degrades the coral reef ecosystem.[6] This perpetuation of bad habits simply leads to the further decline of coral reefs and therefore perpetuating the problem. One solution to stopping this cycle is to educate the local community about why conservation of marine spaces that include coral reefs is important.[7] Once the local communities understand the personal stakes at risk then they will actually fight to preserve the reefs. Conserving coral reefs has many economic, social, and ecological benefits, not only for the people who live on these islands, but for people throughout the world as well.

The decaying state of Earth’s environment has quite literally been a heated topic for years now. From the deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest to the acidification of Earth’s oceans, humanity has been abusing the natural resources that this planet has to offer for decades. The natural resource in the most immediate danger are the coral reefs present in tropical waters around the world. There is no tomorrow for these ecosystems; The time to act is now. According to Bradbury (2012), “Overfishing, ocean acidification and pollution are pushing coral reefs into oblivion. Each of those forces alone is fully capable of causing the global collapse of coral reefs; together, they assure it.” To a large extent, the damage is already done, however, efforts are still being made to preserve these beautiful sources of biodiversity. As there are with all aspects of life, there are always going to be naysayers, even when scientific research and data confirm the effects and byproducts of global warming. In this case, the disappearance of coral reefs may just be the unfortunate evidence that is needed to finally show that action must be taken to save the planet. Coral reefs are dying and this in turn kills off the reef ecosystems, and while some measures are being taken to combat the adverse effects of their absence, coral reefs are facing a downward spiral that will prove difficult to reverse.

There are concerns among environmentalists as the coral reefs around the world are dying. The reefs, which are one of the most diverse ones in the world, suffer from other factors such as overfishing and climate change. Scientists found that the waters contain ‘pulses’ of larval fish that restock the coastal fishes in the sea. They believe that since the South China Sea accounts for 1/10 of fish stocks for the world; the artificial islands should not be built as more than 1/4 of the world rely on it for food.