The Benefits of the Florida Coral Reefs

Throughout the world, coral reefs have died off due to a chemical process known as bleaching. NOAA states in “What is coral bleaching?”, bleaching is the by-product of corals getting too warm; when corals get too warm they expel the algae (zooxanthellae) living in their tissues, which causes them to turn completely white. Today, the remaining coral reefs are being stressed by the human inhabitants who exist upon the land masses from which these reefs neighbor; which, in turn, has caused these remaining reefs to approach extinction. Moreover, coral reefs are underwater barrier islands, and if they become extinct, Florida and any other landmass protected by a reef shall face the full brunt of every storm that comes their way. However, at the

Puerto Rico is built from a volcano. So along the coast of Puerto Rico, there are many coral reefs. This island I chose to look at, is called Desecheo Island or Isla de Desecheo. It 's just of the coast of Puerto Rico. The coral reefs in the island are continental reefs according to geomorphologists( people who study physical features of the Earth’s surface). It is a fringing reef around the coast of the island and a shelf reef beyond that. In the fringing reef, the depth of the reef is mixed between shallow and deep. When it gets near the shelf reef areas, the depth gets deeper. The coastal averages is about 80 degrees fahrenheit with high density.

The Great Barrier Reef in Australia, is the most damaged coral reefs in the recent years. The biggest record of coral bleaching in history happened around March this past year. One way reserves are a positive impact on coral reefs is protecting them from the daily threat of humans it receives. “Coral reefs face numerous man-made threats, including development, pollution, global warming, unsustainable fishing practices, and marine debris” (Chapman). Reserves can be made in order to protect the coral reefs, do research on how to protect the reefs that are not in a reserve, and prevent coral bleaching. A reserve in Hawaii did just this back in 2000 in order to manage the coral reefs around the area. Technology now can be used positively to overcome the dangerous causes of global warming. The reserve should be used as an example to the human race to present the artificial facts of what each person does to the planet with their daily activities. In order to achieve protection to coral reefs through technology, is putting the work and effort to make a clean, green, and happy environment for not only the coral reefs but the entire environment surrounding

In an article by David Stauth, a student at Oregon State, showed how pollutants can effect coral. Pollution can lead to coral diseases and coral bleaching as well. A study conducted in the Florida Keys shows that from pollution diseases in coral doubled and the signs of stress in coral tripled. One astonishing thing however is when the pollution was removed the coral was able to recover in a short amount of time. Using relief acts to clean the water of sewage and other pollutants could help the coral reefs to strengthen themselves to deal with other stress factors that they may face such as coral bleaching. Reducing pollution not only helps the water and coral it will help keep the environment clean. Not only would cleaning the pollution help adapt the coral to the climate change, but it also would repopulate the ocean since a majority of its species lives around the coral

Coral reefs are one our greatest protections in Florida. They provide a huge protections against storm surges from the ocean. Coral reefs are huge host for fish and sea life. In order to help sustain this life and our shores we need to be taking care of our reefs. We could benefit our coral reefs by simply putting less pollution into the ocean. It would also be a great idea to reduce how much we fish coral reefs and instead try to spread out the fishing across other areas. Managing our water cleanliness is the largest point that needs to be acted upon. This is due to us living in Florida and we have a huge affect on what is put into the water, because we are so close to it. Instead of letting all the toxic waste we let soak into the

There are 4,000 species of fish and 800 species of hard coral. Healthy coral reefs are among the most biologically diverse and economically valuable ecosystems on earth. Coral reefs also protect shores against erosion by causing large waves to break and lose some of their force before reaching land. In contrast, coral reefs are one of the most endangered natural resources. Throughout the world, individuals have came to the self-realization that these reefs are dying. Native families on certain islands in Southern Caribbean are no longer able to catch their food close to the shore-line like they once could. Declining reef health is harmful not only to creatures inhabiting coral ecosystems, but also to the human populations that depend upon them. Coral reef depletion is caused inadvertently by air pollution and greenhouse gases. The greenhouse gases cause a change in the PH of the rain. Since coral is a basic substance, acid rain can cause the coral to dissolve away. America should step up to change what is happening for several reasons. These can include because of the reliance on fish for consumption, and the economic gain due to trade or purchase. America is the most powerful country and should therefore take the initiative on these types of issues. Our country has went this period of years without any criminal punishment or regulation for the destruction of our reefs.From the year 1996 to the year 2002, coral reefs onent from 70% coral coverage to below 10% coral coverage. With America’s dependence on fish biodiversity & the supply demand thereof, one can see that allowing coral reefs to undergo such a decline would be a prime example of an unjust action. Boats would purposely run over top of such ecosystems & tear up the homes of millions of organisms. When individuals do this, the economy will directly or

Sadly, this gorgeous reef is slowly being destroyed by human faults (Hennessy). Such faults are carelessness like walking on the coral without a care, dropping anchors on the coral, dragging diving gear over them, breaking them and taking them home as souvenirs and knocking and grounding boats on them. Tourism has also created a negative impact; the Great Barrier Reef is one of the most popular attractions in the modern world. The reef is so fragile that by merely walking on a small part or driving a boat too close can destroy thousands of corals. Also things like pollution such as sewerage, oil spills, fertilizers and pesticides damage the reef, cause sevre damge to the reef as they spread though the water and kill off living organisms. These errors place Great Barrier Reef’s environment at a dangerous risk, affecting the overall species and beauty within it. With all of these specific conditions, we can clearly see that human actions can pose great threats to the coral reefs. Coral reefs live in very precise, fragile and balanced marine environments, therefore even the slightest change can have a huge impact on an entire coral ecosystem. These reefs are able to endure many natural stresses by adjusting, however the present human pressures are destroying the reefs such that they cannot recover.

Coral reefs are generally called the rainforests of the sea, both due to the extensive amount of species they shelter, and to the significant productivity they generate (ICRI 2012). In addition to contributing to a valued habitat, coral reefs provide spawning, nursery, refuge and feeding areas, and provide nearly $30 billion (US) in net benefits in goods and services to world economies, including, tourism, fisheries, and coastal protection (ICRI 2012). Coral reefs are deteriorating all over the world due to untreated sewage and chemical agriculture run-off and unregulated coastal construction, both of which increases sedimentation, but they are also affected by over fishing and destructive fishing practices, scuba diving, and increased tourism (Spalding et al. 2001).

Cnidaria are a various species, with type ranging from mobile jellyfishes to the static coral. The Helmet jellyfish is a prime example the cnidarian species. Although it is a direct relation to other organisms that are completely different in nature, it shares some defining characteristics

Today the coral reef provides shelter and food to over 3500 species of plants and animals including 20 types of corals.despite the fact that it has raised high concerns of environmental degradation,science has designed technology to restore the liveliness of the threatened reef. Although Vince produces mediocre to sufficient evidence needed in order to educate the reader on the slight endangerment of the coral reef , Dolasia does a better job explaining how the coral reef’s wellness is struggling and how science is being used to resolve the conflict.

In a conclusion, coral reefs has contributed a lot not only for the aquatic and marine organisms but to human in economy sector too. Mostly organisms in the ocean depends on coral reefs for food, protection from predators and interaction between organisms that lived in the coral reefs. Example of interaction that can be seen in coral reefs is mutualism. In The Great Barrier Reefs, mutualism interaction can be observed between the sea anemone and clownfish. Both organisms obtained benefits as sea anemone is an ideal home for clownfish for protection whereas clownfish helps to lure other fishes to come closer so that sea anemone can catch them for foods (CAC, n.d.). If the coral reefs are affected, it will causing the imbalance of ecosystem

Coral reefs are one of, if not, the most biodiverse ecosystems on earth are being destroyed at a rapid pace. Just recently in the past few weeks, the great reef barrier had been declared ~25% dead and people were freaking out on twitter. Before I took this class, I had no clue how much coral reefs meant to us and to the organisms they are home to. Coral reefs are not only a home to ecosystems, but they also provide billions of dollars in food, jobs, and provide coastal protection. Coral reefs are being affected and destroyed by humans in many ways, some are; water pollution, mining and construction around sea coasts, and climate change. The greatest threat is climate change caused by global warming, due to greenhouse gases resulting from human activities. Rising temperatures are warming the ocean, and due to the rise in temperature coral reefs are bleaching. During coral bleaching the corals turn white, because they lose pigment due to expelling the algae zooxanthellae. The research being done is vital because we get a better understanding of coral reefs and how we can better manage corals and if they can adapt and survive rapid climate change.

Florida’s coral reefs are very important to its state. “It is a fact that Florida is the only state is the United States to have extensive shallow coral reef formations near its coast (Florida’s Coral reefs).” Molasses Reef, White Banks Reef, Mosquito Reef, Grecian Rocks, French Reef, and John Pennekamp’s Christ of the Abyss sanctuary are among the best well-known

As years start to progress and humans are started to manipulate the natural environment of these biological inhibitors. Coral reefs annually benefit human both directly and indirectly by $375 and about 500 million people need the reefs in

If I was a defense attorney arguing in court for protecting a coral reef from harmful human activities, I would give the following three arguments for the defense of this ecosystem. First, coral reefs are stunning and beautiful natural wonders, but they provide important ecosystem and economic services. If human were to destroy them, no one will ever be able to capture the beauty of them, but more importantly, touring companies would go out of business with no coral reefs to tour. Second, coral reefs protect 15% of the world’s coastlines from erosion caused by battering waves and storms. Without coral reefs, many our beaches will be damaged. Lastly, coral reefs provide habitats for one-quarter of all marine organisms, and they produce about one-tenth of the global fish catch. The species living in coral reefs around the world could suffer major problems including