When looking at a piece of art a sense of wonder and beauty bewitches the beholder.
What if this same sensation could be experienced underwater? not just taking in the natural
beauty of the ocean but what if one were able to experience a piece of art underwater. In Spain
there is such a place, it is called The Atlantic Museum. It is a place where one could experience
the rawest connection between nature and art. The ingenuity of this project has lead to some
concerns. Most would see this as an opportunity of a lifetime but one should beg the question if
it would beneficial to the ocean and surrounding ecosystems for over a life time? There is a high
possibility that it could harm marine life and the surrounding coastal ecosystem.
…show more content…
They are inherently
unstable. They may seem stable, but they’re not. Everything is moving and changing. In a sense,
everything is on the edge of collapse” (Michael Crichton, Jurassic Park). Even though the
museum portrays a beautiful connection with art and nature, one must ask if it is really worth
doing so.
In the costal region of Spain there is a major problem concerning their few reaming coral
reefs. Today, most coral reefs around the world are dying, not producing enough life such as
coral and food to support the surrounding marine life. “According to the World’s Resources
Institute’s 2011 report, Reefs at Risk [are] at least 75% threatened…. The oceans absorbs the
increased carbon dioxide produced by our activities on land, they have become more acidic.
Rising sea temperatures [which] have caused coral bleaching”(Susan Smillie, pg1). The ocean
has tiny organisms that break down CO2 into byproducts; these organisms are called
cyanobacteria’s. Without this bacteria the oceans be come more acidic and effecting tempters
and coral reefs. The organisms “primarily consuming carbon-rich coral mucus,
…show more content…
With this idea in mind the Atlantic museum was born.
“The sculptures [are] made by PH-neutral concrete, which, it is hoped, will attract algae and
marine life and give the local ecosystem a boost” (Ocean Leadership, pg1). With the help of
scientists and arts they were able to come up with statues that would be able to withstand the
elements while producing a stable environment for new coral reefs to grow.
However, when a person is first hearing about an underwater museum, the first thing that
might come to mind is how would it be beneficial to the coastal region or local marine life in that
area? It seems to have more of an effect on the economy than the ecosystem. It seem that it is
just a new way to generate money from tourists than to help the environment. “The museum off
the coast of Lanzarote is set to be submerged 12 meters under the ocean, accessible to scuba
divers and visible to glass-bottom boats” (The Local, pg1). This seems to show more of a focus
on tourists than with the problem at hand. Some scientist argued that the construction of the
project would put the natural balance of the ecosystem at risk. “Some questioned whether
New and interesting artifacts will not only entertain old customers but will also attract new customers to the museum. For example, the National Museum of the American Indian, the first national museum dedicated to the preservation, study, and exhibition of the life, languages, literature, history, and arts of Native Americans, is known for its variety of more than 800,00 works of extraordinary aesthetic religious, and historical significance (Source
Corals provide shelter for nearly one quarter of all known marine species. The reefs are home to over 4000 species of fish, 700 species of coral, and thousands of other forms of plant and animal life. Living coral reefs are the foundation of marine life, and this also means that they are essential for human life, but all over the world they are dead or dying because people are destroying them at a very fast rate. Already 10% have been lost, and there are predictions that 705 of all corals on the planet will be destroyed in 20 to 40 years unless people stop doing what they are doing now – i.e., pollution, sewage, erosion, cyanide fishing, bad tourism.
Over the last century, [it is evident that] the current levels are beginning to impact organisms that make their shells out of the minerals aragonite and calcite…” (Bralower) “Coral reef[s] are highly vulnerable to ocean acidific...
Coral Reefs are said to be the “tropical rainforest” of the sea. They are home to over 25% of all marine life (http://coralreefalliance.org.stories/storyReader$77). Over the past few decades they have been subjected to destructive anthropogenic practices. Some of the major threats to coral reefs include sedimentation, water pollution, harmful recreational activities, and global warming. All of these things cause stress on corals and can potentially cause mortality. Corals are made up of two parts, a polyp and zooxanthellae. A polyp is a calcerous body that grows from a hard part of the ocean floor. Zooxanthellae is a photosynthetic algae which lives in the polyp and provide energy for themselves and the coral. In many cases, corals undergo “bleaching,” which is a process where corals lose the zooxantheallae or chlorophyll pigment, and turn white (Wilkinson et all). After bleaching corals can survive for several months. It is possible for corals to recover by hosting more zooxantheallae, but it can take between 5 and 50 years for them to recover completely (Wilkinson et all, 1999).
The affected area is not only a very important ecological region, supporting coral reefs and many species of sharks and birds, but it also supports the crucial fishing industry.
Hay, M., & Rasher, D. (2010). Corals in crisis. The Scientist, 24(8), 43-46. Retrieved from
Coral reefs can be found in shallow and deep waters and are one of the most diverse ecosystems. They are home to many and most of the marine organisms in the ocean. Most of these ecosystems are at risk however due to the rising temperatures of the oceans. Sea temperatures in many tropical regions have increased by almost 1°C over the past 100 years, and are currently increasing at ~1–2°C per century (Ove Hoegh. 1999). Because of this increase in temperatures, the future of our worlds coral reefs are in danger and at risk to things like coral bleaching, effects of rising ocean acidification levels and the effects from sea levels rising.
Eight years later, Jacques Cousteau made his first underwater film, “10 Fathoms Down.” Incredibly, the movie was shot entirely with breath-hold diving. Naturally, this greatly limited the scope of the project. Because of his desire to explore the depths with more ease and for longer periods of time, Cousteau and Emile Gagnan developed the Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus, or scuba, as it is commonly known (Cousteau Society). This invention revolutionized sea research and exploration, and opened up a world of possibilities in the realm of underwater filming/photography that Cousteau would come to master.
With this research being slightly outdated, as a consequence the impacts founded as result of these studies may be higher or lesser. Management strategies for the reduction in the destruction of coral reefs due to human impacts are numbered, with further advancements in these strategies, there is encouraging signs to show that conservation and preservation is a useful tool and is being implemented in certain regions of the
According to Dustan, “Since the late 1970s, reefs across the world have been dying at an unprecedented rate, and it only seems to be getting worse. Dustan points out that in the Florida Keys alone extensive reef monitoring studies conducted by the EPA and other agencies have shown that the reefs lost more than 38% of their living coral cover from 1996 to 1999. Carysfort Reef lost over 90% of its coral cover from 1974 to 1999.” The Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, the single largest coral reef monitoring effort in the world, reported in October 2000 at the 9th International Coral Reef Symposium in Bali, Indonesia, that of all the reefs they monitor worldwide, 27 percent have been lost and another 32 percent could be lost in the next 20-30 years (Pockley 2000).
Coral reef ecosystems are among the most diverse, valuable, and complex ecosystems on the Earth. These ecosystems provide biodiversity, seafood, medicinal opportunities, recreational value, coastal protection, and so much more (Bryant et al). Coral reefs are not only important to the environment, especially considering a third of all marine species rely on them in some way, but also to the environment. Coral reefs provide jobs in various industries that produce billions for the economy such as fishing, tourism, and recreation (Collins). Although coral reef ecosystems are highly important, they are facing an ever growing risk and dying off at increasing rates. The loss of coral reef ecosystems will fundamentally change those marine environments
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.
These results agree with the hypothesis that our “untouched and super-productive world” is affecting marine life ecosystems (Vannela, 2012). All of these results combined confirm the overall hypothesis that pollution is getting worse in the ocean and more marine life ecosystems are being affected, but there
Coral reefs need to be preserved for many reasons. In this paper, I will discuss a few of them. First of all, they house a collection of diverse organisms, and contribute to fisheries which provide food items such as fish, crustaceans, and mollusks. Furthermore, coral skeletons are being used as bone substitutes in reconstructive bone surgery and may be able to provide important medicine, including anti-cancer drugs and a compound that blocks ultra-violet rays, they even help reduce global warming by taking carbon dioxide out of the air. These reefs provide a habitat for many species.
Coral reefs play an extremely important role in our everyday life. Our coral reefs provide us food and resources; but not only in America, as well as over 500 million people all across the globe, bringing in an outstanding annual economic value of $375 billion dollars. In today’s society, many of these main environments are endangered because of human activities. Unfortunately, many if not most of the world’s coral reefs have been destroyed or in the process of being destroyed. Some are being severely damaged by the existing water pollution, overfishing as well as destructive fishing practices, diseases, global climate change, and ship groundings. Coral reefs are also presently endangered by natural phenomena’s such as hurricanes, El Nino, coastal development, pollution, and careless tourism. The global effects of climate changes that are happening now is the increasing temperature of the ocean and the increasing levels of CO2 present in the atmosphere which is hurting and damaging the coral