The Effects of Global Warming on the Great Barrier Reef Essay

The Coral Reefs are limestone formations that are produced by living organisms. They are found in shallow tropical waters. The predominate organisms that make them up are stony corals, which are colonial cnidarians that secrete calcium carbonate (limestone) as an exoskeleton. Calcium carbonate is also deposited by other types of marine organisms such as tube-building annelid worms but any reef formed by a biological community is called a coral reef. These skeletons accumulate due to the tides and create a formation that supports the living coral as well as the highest species diversity of all explored marine habitats. Reefs are found between the latitudes of 30°N to

Elevated sea temperatures caused by climate change and extra-bright sunlight can result in coral bleaching. As the water gets warmer, corals will expel the algae known as zooxanthellae that lives in their tissues causing the coral to turn completely white. When temperatures drop, the corals can recover, but they might be vulnerable to disease and when

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

"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 bleaching occurs when coral polyps are stressed. One form of stress on the coral is an increase in temperature. Often a one degree Celsius elevation in the monthly mean maximum temperature is enough to cause bleaching. Bleaching is the process of the coral polyps expelling the zooxanthallae. The polyps are left without any pigmentation and appear nearly transparent. All that can be seen is the white limestone skeleton. Corals normally recover from this bleaching unless high ocean temperatures persist for too long a period or become too warm to permit recovery.

The Great Barrier Reef is bleaching at a significantly alarming rate. As scientists figured out it is contributed by three main perpetrators. The main culprit of the bleaching of the bleaching of the reefs is record warming water. This has been linked to El Niño and global warming. Next, acidification of the ocean from mainly human causes. Finally, fishing impacts have hurt the barrier a great deal. The northern part of Australia is bleaching much more rapidly than the south. The reef brings in a lot of tourism and money for Australia and losing it would also mean losing a lot of jobs for people as well. Scientists have noticed through the bleaching some coral species have survived and

Coral reefs have one of the highest biodiversity of animals in one ecosystem than any others on the entire planet. Coral reefs are colorful habitats in the ocean, some of which are not too far from the shore. They are made from skeletons of calcium carbonate and animals, which make a rocky substance known as coral. Coral reefs are a home to many different types of creatures that live under the sea, some are unknown to a majority of the human species. “Coral reefs are sometimes referred to as the ‘rainforest of the sea’ because they teem with life and abound in diversity” (Agardy). Sadly, due to the many factors of global warming, these natural treasures are dying from what is called “bleaching”. Coral bleaching happens from the warming temperature

Moderate to extensive bleaching were reported throughout Southeast Asia. In Indonesia, bleaching started in early 1998 in West Sumatra resulting in over ninety percent mortality. It then spread to other reefs throughout the country causing decreases in live coral cover ranging from thirty to ninety percent (Chao, 44). Then in Australia the Great Barrier Reef, a surveyor discovered up to 50 percent mortality in the reef from coral bleaching near Cape York, Australia. “Scientists have predicted that nearly half of these reefs (more than 4,600 square miles or 12,000 square kilometers, or more than five percent of reefs) could disappear forever” (National Geographic). As the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere rises due to emissions of fossil fuels, the gas dissolves into the ocean. Which causes the pH of the water to lower, causing it to become more acidic, which can make it harder for reef-building organisms to construct their hard

Less than 10% of the Caribbean reefs are showing live coral cover. (Harvey) Coral reefs can only tolerate a narrow range of temperatures. If the water around them warms by just a couple degrees and lasts more than a week, they are likely to bleach. There are a lot of causes of coral bleaching: change in ocean temperature, overexposure to sunlight, runoff and pollution, and extreme low tides. The main one is the rising ocean temperature. When there is a storm, runoff water could carry pollutants and toxic to the ocean water, causing coral that lives off-shore to bleach. Shallow coral reefs could be exposed to a lot of sunlight, causing them to bleach. And when there is low tide, coral reefs are exposed to the air, causing them to bleach. Overall, coral is very fragile and they have not mutated or evolved to improve this yet. Corals have a symbiotic relationship with the algae zooxanthellae that live in their tissue. The algae is not the primary food source for them, but also gives them their

The Great Barrier Reef is the most substantial living structure on Earth; this complex aquatic system houses around 1,500 different species of fish. Coral polyps living in the GBR released their algae as water approached 88°F, resulting in the coral becoming white. These vast bleaching events are becoming increasingly critical, lasting longer, and are occurring closer together; this is undoubtedly tied to climate change. This bleaching process is typically due to pollutants, an overabundance of sunlight, or very hot waters driving corals to eject algae. This process doesn't kill corals instantly. In fact, if conditions improve, algae can re-colonize corals and recoup. Without the algae (the coral’s main source of food), however, corals become

Scientists say that climate change is making coral bleach. Coral bleaching is the process of coral turning white. This happens when the water gets too warm for the coral to prosper. Even in the cooler parts of the reef coral is bleaching slowly. The Great Barrier Reef has been hit with a big loss of coral and it is important to our economy because it provides protection. It works as natural barrier between floods and populated land. Oceanservice.noaa.gov says “When reefs are damaged or destroyed, the absence of this natural barrier can increase the damage to coastal communities from normal wave action and violent storms.” This means that if each coral reef is slowly dying than when they all are gone not only will there be lack of protection

Coral bleaching is one of the visual effect of climate change. Caused by the stress put on the coral because of the temperature of the water becoming warmer. This major effect of climate change could lead to the death of the Coral. This has been especially noticed on the Great Barrier Reef. Only recently the earth has witnessed severe coral bleaching episodes all around the world.

Coral is the building block for a niche underwater ecosystem that consists of diverse sea life. These ecosystems are known as coral reefs and are named so due to the limestone (calcium carbonate) that is secreted by the coral lifeform. (Baker, Glynn and Riegal 2008) Coral reefs are host to such a diverse population of sea life, some of which may be endemic to the reef, that the destruction of them can cause large scale damage to populations. When under a lot of stress, the vibrant colours that are iconic to coral start to fade, thus the term coral bleaching. (Baker, Glynn and Riegal 2008) If the coral is left like this and its stressful conditions disappear it will eventually return to its vibrant colour, unfortunately if the stressor continues the coral will die. (Baker, Glynn and Riegal 2008) Reef building occurs over hundreds of years which makes the large scale coral bleaching all the more impactful on the underwater ecosystems. Bleaching events are so severe that an entire coral reef can die off from just 1 mass event. (Baker, Glynn and Riegal 2008)

Within the past year or two the great barrier reef started to die. Scientists believe that this is happening due to coral bleaching. Coral bleaching is when the water is too warm for the coral and it begins to produce algae which causes it to turn white. It is possible for the corals to recover but that can only happen if temperatures drop. Over 90% of the reef has been affected by the bleaching. The reef is home to over 2,000 species of animals. The bleaching is causing many marine animals to lose their homes.

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.