The Great Barrier Reef

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 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):

In the past two years, the bleachings of 2016 and 2017 have hit the Great Barrier Reef, and once again they have done horrific damage. Kerry states that the constant bleaching is concerning for two reasons: the 12 month gap between the two bleachings is too short for any coral recovery and last years bleaching was most severe in the northern part of the reef. Kerry states that last year, the temperature peak in March causes 67% of the corals to die in a 700 km section in the northern part of the Barrier Reef. This is the greatest loss of corals ever recorded in history and it’s still too early to tell if the corals will make it after this years bleaching. Kerry goes on to say that most of the bleached corals in the southern part of the reef have regained their color, meaning they thankfully survived. Kerry goes on to say there are four huge factors in the geographic patterns of the bleachings. He then goes on to give the reasons for the south surviving. To sum them up, it’s simply because the sea temperatures were close to normal during the bleachings of 2016 and 2017 in the south, the rainfall from El Nino coincided with the heat waves in 2016, and two local weather events saved the south from bleaching. Kerry closes the article by concluding that the bleachings from this year and last year will continue to unfold in the coming

This is an explanatory synthesis on the impacts of climate change on coral reefs. Climate change is affecting coral reefs in a negative way. Due to the increase of sea temperatures, coral reefs are becoming bleached. When a coral reef becomes it causes them to expel the algae, leaving the corals white1,2,3,4. In the essay, “A framework for understanding Climate Change Impacts on Coral Reefs” by Joshua Clinner (2016), he addresses that when coral reefs become bleached they have reduced growth rates. The article, “Five Species We Stand to Lose if Coral Reefs are Destroyed and What You Can Do About it” by Jenna Bardroof (2014), emphasizes that coral bleaching is a serious threat to coral colonies and specific mammals

Coral reefs have been called the rainforests of the ocean and are one of the most diverse and important ecosystems on the planet. This paper will explore how global warming has effected these fragile ecosystems. It will focus on the impact of increasing ocean temperatures on coral reefs.

In 1980, NOAA’s marine biologist started noticing the coral bleaching. There has been three important coral reef bleaching events in the history. The first global bleaching event “El Niño” was in 1998, it was a “huge underwater heatwave killed 16% of the corals on reefs around the world” . The second bleaching event was in 2010 and was called La Niña. This event affected especially areas near Palau and Micronesia in the Pacific. In October of 2015, NOAA announced the third global bleaching event in which has already become the longest event recorded, affecting coral reefs for consecutive years.

It is estimated that by the end of the century, climate change and warmer oceans will kill coral reefs. Lubofsky follows the studies of graduate student Hannah Barkley in this article. Hannah Barkley has been studying coral health in the western Pacific. She investigates how coral reefs respond to climate change and which corals can survive in this climate change. Coral reefs “provide habitats for 25 percent of all marine species” (Lubofsky 28) and protect shorelines from storm damage. Barkley moved her research from “Cape Cod to the Rock Islands of Palau to study reef communities” (Lubofsky 28) since temperature and acidity have risen in some Palauan bays. To obtain the temperatures in the Palauan reefs, Barkley and her colleagues set up a network of underwater temperature sensors around the barrier reef and inside the lagoons. One of Barkley’s advisors, Cohen, found that “ocean warming affects coral reefs in at least two ways” (Lubofsky 29). First, an increase in temperature by 1oC can break down the symbiotic relationship between the coral and algae causing the corals to become bleached and die. Coral bleaching happens when the symbiotic relationship is gone and photosynthesis ceases to occur. Second, warming “stratifies the ocean into warmer surface layers and denser,

Marine Park Authority’s conduct an outlook report every five years which examines the Great Barrier Reef’s health, highlighting current and future pressures. This

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

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

Global warming and climate change is the biggest threat the reef is having to face. Global warming is an effect of pollution caused by humans. Rapid urban development causes an increase ic carbon emissions which leads to an increase in greenhouse gases. A build-up of these gases cause temperatures to rise which will also increase the ocean temperature. This will have a negative affect on coral and put them under stress because they need a stable climate to thrive. During times of stress algae called zooxanthellae (gives coral vibrant colors) is expelled leaving the coral bleached white. This is called coral bleaching (Smithsonian). There have been two mass coral bleaching events in 1998 and 2002 (Great Barrier Reef). But, scientists anounce that these events aren’t over with yet. In fact, they will start to become more common with the rise of oean temperatures. Scientists are predicting that the biggest coral bleaching event yet will take place in the next few months (Smithsonian). Pollution and waste are also big factors in the decline of the reef. Not only do they affect the Great Barrier Reef, but many other ecosystems as well. Eight percent of the coastline along the Great Barrier Reef is used for cattle grazing or crop growing. Fertilisers, pesticides, and animal waste are all things that farms either use or produce and

Humans can also help reduce coral bleaching by reducing pollution, protecting food webs, and managing key functional groups: reef constructers, herbivores and bioeroders. Strong international policies should be passed on the reduction rate of global warming. Research experiments, samples and modeling needs to be

There are several dominant theories concerning the cause of reef bleaching. Some scientists believe that the complex causation of the GBR’s endangerment is from El Nino effects or the warming of ocean waters naturally. Another theory is that human impact has caused the GBR’s endangerment, but the topic is debated heavily by scientists and scholars. Support is given to natural causes being the cause of bleaching partly because of the money that is generated from tourism and fishing from the GBR. Some people believe humans have had an adverse effect on the GBR through pollution, overfishing, and the poisoning of the reefs. In 2016, an article announced to the world that the GBR died and an obituary was released. In reality, the GBR is not completely dead, but it is dying. This damage has been happening for decades, but scientists can trace the major damages to at least 3 major bleaching events since the 80’s. Some scientists say that the reef can still recover from the bleaching while others say that it cannot. The scope of this event is significant as humans realize that the damage to coral reefs goes

Coral reefs around the world are in danger. One of the causes is global warming, which has been increasing the temperature of the ocean water resulting in coral bleaching. This essay will focus on damage occurring to the Great Barrier Reef.

For a reef to develop successfully, it needs to grow in water that is greater than 18°C and less than 29°C and live in shallow clear water to allow for maximal light penetration, key for photosynthesis. However if the temperatures exceed more than 29 degrees for several hours upon end, coral bleaching is apparent. When corals begin to bleach they expel Zooxanthellae algae (which lives within the coral tissue), the coral transforms a pale white and in turn means it is extremely vulnerable and subject to increased fatalities. Furthermore, the presence of Tropical Cyclones can cause heavy physical damage to the reef, by breaking down coral colonies and displacing them from the reef structure.