The Effect Of Ocean Pollution On Coral Reefs

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.

The chemicals from Industries can quite harmful depending on what 's flowing into the water. Releasing toxic liquids directly into the water affects marine life as is, but it can also change the temperature of the water, also known as thermal pollution causing animals and plants that can 't handle that temperature to eventually die. Land run off usually happens when rain or perhaps a flood carry a harmful pollutants, which include fertilizers, petroleum, and waste from animals. One of the major sources of ocean pollution would be oil spills that can come from Ships. However, oil is not only extremely toxic, but it is very difficult to clean up. Unfortunately when there is a spill people may try to clean it up as best as they can, but a good amount will stay. Ocean mining can be extremely harmful to the ocean. They use ocean mining to drill for silver, gold, copper, cobalt and zinc, however in doing so they create sulfide deposits deep down in the ocean causing long term effects to the area. Finally, littering is another huge source of ocean pollution. Such things can include debris, especially plastic, which never goes away.

Located in tropical ocean waters, coral reefs provide priceless resources to both human and marine life. The leading natural cause of destruction among the coral reefs is global warming. Other natural causes are earthquakes, hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons. The destruction to the coral reefs from these natural disasters is minimal compared to the dangers caused by man. Man-made destruction has a much wider impact on the health of the coral reefs. This destruction includes over-fishing, damage from anchors, aquarium industry, overgrowth of seaweed, and being smothered by sediments.

Construction of hotels, recreation and other facilities often leads to increased sewage pollution. Wastewater has polluted seas and lakes surrounding tourist attractions, damaging the flora and fauna. Sewage runoff causes serious damage to coral reefs because it stimulates the growth of algae, which cover the filter-feeding corals, hindering their ability to survive. Changes

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

There are multiple human factors that can and are affecting the coral reef ecosystems globally. One of the simpler ones is overfishing practices on the reef. An influx of people living in the tropics has caused major stress on coral reefs as a main food source. This can cause major effects on not only fish species, but the whole ecosystem. One article from volume 5, number 9 of the Conservation biology journal written in 1995 by Callum M Roberts from the University of the Virgin Islands reported that overfishing on the coral reef leads to a reduction of species biodiversity, and potential localised extinction of both the target species and other species that are indiscriminately fished from the coral reef. Loss of keystone species, for example, predators, such as triggerfish and pufferfish, of echinoderms, such as sea urchins, through overfishing can affect not just fish communities but the entire ecosystem, leading to major effects on reef processes (Callum M Roberts).

Over the past year, 12 percent of the oceans reefs have become bleached due to ocean acidification. Ocean acidification and in turn coral bleaching, is due to carbon pollution causing global warming, this makes the oceans warmer, thus making them more acidic. Coral reefs and shellfish cannot survive these levels of acid in the water. In particular the Great Barrier Reef, one of the seven natural wonders of the world, is suffering from this bleaching. The Great Barrier Reef has been declining in recent years due to this acidification, however, as of recently it has come knocking on death 's door. Carbon levels started rising about 200 years ago during the industrial revolution, because the machines invented started pumping carbon dioxide

An additional large cause of ocean pollution that is not as widely known as other sources; because, many consider it under the category of “ocean dumping” but in reality it is it’s own category of garbage dumping. The title given to this cause may be misleading as it is “...human waste and sewage water that has been partially treated or untreated...” entering the ocean. It is polluting the water directly like chemicals that are dumped. There is another name for this, sludge dumping, this is the less scientific term. Not all causes are related to directly dumping toxins and waste into the

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

Marine pollution is the spreading of harmful substances into the ocean. Oil, carbonic acid and plastics are harming the marine environment as well as the wide variety of animals and plants within. Marine pollution is caused by many industrial and domestic activities such as oil spills, garbage dumping, factory waste disposal and the burning of fossil fuels. A few of the main causes in the great barrier reef are oil spills, the burning of fossil fuels and general waste.Fossil fuels affect the reefs by the carbon dioxide from the fossil fuels accumulates in the atmosphere. As carbon dioxide enters the ocean, it reacts with the seawater to form carbonic acid. The carbonic acid harms oysters, mussels and clams, floating marine snail as well as the coral reefs - all of which are significant to the marine food webs.

Coastal reefs are destroyed by sediment. Erosion caused by construction (both along coasts and inland), mining, logging, and farming is leading to increased sediment in rivers. This ends up in the ocean, where it can 'smother' corals by depriving them of the light needed to survive. The destruction of mangrove forests, which normally trap large amounts of sediment, is exacerbating the problem. Some tourist resorts and infrastructure have been built directly on top of reefs, and some resorts empty their sewage or other wastes directly into water surrounding coral reefs. Fishing operations have expanded to, quite literally, every corner of the ocean over the last 100 years, due to the fact that technology now exists that enables humans to find and catch every single fish in the oceans, no matter where they are located on the planet. This affects the ecological balance of coral reef communities, warping the food chain and causing effects far beyond the directly overfished

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

Department of State (2016), “marine debris – trash and other solid material that enters the ocean – threatens wildlife and marine habitats and presents health and safety concerns for humans,” in other words causing marine pollution (p.1) . Not only can marine pollution affect the coral reef and its living organisms, but it can potentially threaten the lives of humans who consume seafood. This is evident through the effects of plastic. As a matter of fact, plastic acts like sponges, soaking up various toxins from outside sources before entering the ocean. Since a few organisms ingest these chemicals thinking that plastic is food, humans will then eat these fish contaminated with the same toxins. Many of the toxins that are in plastics are directly linked to “cancers, birth defects, immune system problems, and childhood developmental issues” (Andrews, 2016,

Pretend you are about to go scuba diving in the ocean. You jump in the water and begin to sink down. As you start surveying the coral reefs around you, something catches your eye. The coral has turned white, and no longer moves with life. This whiteness seems to have spread over a large area of the reef. You no longer see the colorful branches swaying in the current, or the schools of tropical fish swimming through the leaves. This death-ridden reef will never have the same life it once had.

Ocean pollution kills marine life everyday and damages the ocean in many ways that sometimes can't be fixed. The real question is where does it all go? Much of it ends up on our beaches washed in with the waves and tides, some sinks, some is eaten by marine animals mistaking it for food. The majority of pollutants going into the ocean come from activities on land. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), land-based activities are responsible for as much as 80 percent of the pollutant load in coastal waters and deep oceans. Land-based activities such as oil spills, fertilizer runoff from agriculture, improper or inadequate garbage disposal, poor sewage practices and the dumping of toxic chemicals into the environment are major causes of marine pollution. As someone who really cares about marine animals I always throw my trash away in trash cans and not on the ground and always recycle because it makes a difference.