Coral Reef Conservation
Coral reefs are calcium carbonate structures secreted by miniscule coral polyps, and are one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. Home to about 25 percent of ocean life, coral reefs are additionally crucial because they protect coastlines from damaging situations such as tropical storms and wave action. Today, more than 20 species of coral reefs are endangered due to pollution, ocean acidification, and rising ocean temperatures (Lee, J. J. 2014). Florida is home to the Great Florida Reef, the third largest coral barrier reef system in the world. Coral reef conservation plays a major role in reducing their extinction. Studies have estimated that by 2050 about 90 percent of coral reefs will have died out (Becatoros,
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These are factors which can fluctuate naturally, and thus the state of coral reefs has changed in the past in correlation to global climate change. Although it takes a very long amount of time, the regrowth of corals can happen when the right conditions are present. So in the past, when the natural processes of the earth destroyed or killed corals, they would enter into a period of growth again once the necessary conditions were fulfilled. The problem for the past few decades is that coral reefs are threatened by more than the natural warming of the globe or their predators. Human actions have both introduced more diseases to corals, and increased the rate at which the temperature of the planet is increasing. Subsequently, we can now see a rather significant decline in coral reefs all around the world. For instance, the percentage of coral coverage on the Caribbean reefs has decreased to 8 percent, from the 50 percent coverage present in the 1970s (Yong, E. 2013). This is due to both the impact that humans have on global climate, as well as destructive and/or unsustainable fishing habits in coral reef ecosystems. It seems to be that the move towards protecting coral reefs, through laws and the work of nonprofit organizations, became prevalent after the early 1980s. Prior to this point in time, corals were …show more content…
One of the organizations that aid in coral reef conservation and rehabilitation is the Coral Restoration Foundation; founded in 2007, this organization’s mission is to “restore our coral reefs, educating others on the importance of our oceans, and using science to further research and monitoring techniques” (Coral Restoration Foundation. (n.d.)). They reach their mission by creating coral tree nurseries and administering restoration programs that focus on threatened coral reef species (Coral Restoration Foundation. (n.d.)). Reef Relief is another non-profit organization that is “dedicated to improving and protecting coral reef [ecosystems]”. Reef Relief was founded in 1987 and began to make their statement with the “installation of reef mooring buoys in Key West.” Now-in-day, this organization has started several projects and programs, like the Coral Nursery Project and the Coral Reef Conservation Program, that educate residents and visitors about the benefits of protecting coral reefs and methods on how to do so (Reef Relief. (n.d.)). The Florida Ocean Alliance is a non-profit organization whose goal is to “protect and enhance Florida’s coastal and ocean resources for continued social and economic benefits”. The Florida Ocean Alliance began in 1999 and since then has been making an effort to reach the public and policy makers on information about ocean and coastal issues that
Nowlis, J., Roberts, C., Smith, A., and Siirila, E., 1997, Human Enhanced Impacts of a Tropical Storm on Nearshore Coral Reefs: Ambio, v. 26, no. 8, p. 515-521.
This article discusses how important the organisms symbiotic with coral reefs are, as well as how important coral reefs are to our environment. Also explained is how natural and non natural things things like hurricanes and overfishing affects them. A study is quoted about how water acidity also plays a role in the bleaching of corals. Lastly, restoration and conservation efforts are discussed and how we could possibly help our oceans.
Obura, D. & Grimsditch, D. (2009). Coral reefs, climate change and resilience : an agenda for
One argument is that many different things are contributing to the destruction of coral rather than climate change including overfishing, marine pollution and cyclones/hurricanes (World Climate Report, 2010). Although this may be true, the main causes of coral reef destruction still relates back to global warming. From 1985 to 2012, coral populations in the Great Barrier Reef have decreased by 50.7 per cent, with 48 per cent due to tropical cyclones, 42 per cent because of crown of thorns starfish (COTS) and 10 per cent directly due to bleaching (De 'ath et al., 2012). It has been indicated that due to global warming, there has been an increase in the number of tropical cyclones (Knutson et al., 2010). However, it has also been found that there is a possibility of cyclones actually mitigating coral bleaching (Baker et al., 2008; Schultz, 2012). With even just a 2°C increase in temperature the probability of COTS survival escalates by 240 per cent under certain conditions (Australian Institute of Marine Science, 2015). However, repeated bleaching events result in higher mortality rates. The Caribbean has been experiences continuous declines of reef sites due to repeated bleaching events (Baker et al., 2008). There is no doubt that oceans surrounding Australia have drastically warmed since 1910 (Bureau of Meteorology, 2014), and this warming affects the
Coral reefs, which are underwater structures created by calcium carbonate secretions, are some of the richest interdependent ecosystems on Earth. According to Wikipedia, coral reefs occupy less than 0.1% of Earth’s ocean surface, yet they provide a home for 25% of all marine species. Often referred to as the “rainforests of the ocean,” coral reefs are home to thousands upon thousands of species of plants and animals (“Coral Reef”). Not only are they an important part of ocean environments, but coral reefs are also extremely important and beneficial to humans; these reefs protect shorelines and provide countless people with food, jobs, and income sources. However, coral reefs are disappearing at an extremely alarming rate. From overfishing to pollution to sedimentation, the world’s coral reefs are in grave danger and humans must actively work to protect and restore these oceanic rainforests.
Earth, an endless source of wonder and beauty, produced the Great Barrier Reef. Hustling and bustling, the Reef thrives like a busy city, teeming with life. Sheltering thousands, corals, maintain the well-being of the Reef; however, the world threatens its nature and delicacy. Populations growing and technological advances increasing, the world becomes more and more disconnected with the natural world, posing an alarming risk for the planet we live on. Although many organizations try to keep the oceans clean, because of human interference and unnatural occurrences, the Great Barrier Reef needs scientific help to adapt corals to new conditions for means of survival, putting pressure on the Australian government to save their ocean environment.
The calm, warm water is a trademark of shallow lagoons, which serve as nurseries for fragile juvenile fish and precious other organisms which otherwise would perish in the turbulent waters of the reef or the oceanic waves. When the high tropical air and water temperatures collide with the cooler water and air temperatures during Hurricane season the reef faces destruction from high waves, hurricane winds, and the stirred up sediments from the ocean floor, causing branches of the corals to break off and the debris from the stirred up settles on top of the reef smothering the algae to suffocate and die off because the dust blocks the sunlight as well. The recent category 5 hurricane, most likely had a terrible impact on the reef, the rapidly organized evaluation of the damage found that extensive movement of the sand and major sediment accumulations covering the reef, causing structural damage to corals and the reef itself, in addition to cloudy water preventing the sunlight to penetrate the water. All these results of the latest hurricane have an impact on the reef and it is unknown how long it will take for the reef to recover (Anonymous, 2017) . The Florida Reef tract, stretching circa 580 km, is the only living barrier reef in the USA and extremely important of the state’s ocean economy. The region depends on the tourism
Coral reefs are one of the main sources of oxygen on the planet, and they produce half of the oxygen in the whole world. Corals are photosynthesizing organisms, meaning they use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen. Without coral reefs, oxygen would be limited and humans could not survive on this planet for very long.
The leading natural cause of destruction among the coral reefs is global warming. Global warming causes the bleaching of coral reefs to occur. Bleaching is a response to stress by the coral reef that happens when the water becomes to warm. The coral then put out a brownish zooxanthelle which causes them to lose their color. Without the zooxanthelle, the corals cannot provide nourishment for itself and th...
Climate change has been affecting coral reefs in a negative way. If the climate continues to get warmer more of our coral reef become bleached, the structure of the reefs will become weak, and algae that keeps coral healthy will die. In the essay, “A framework for understanding Climate change impacts on Coral Reefs” by Joshua Clinner (2016), he emphasizes our climate change has become one of the long-term threats to coral reef. The article “Climate change and human impacts are damaging the world’s coral reefs”, which didn’t include an author (2001), states that the sea temperatures throughout the tropics has increased dramatically leaving much of the coral unhealthy. Spencer Hall (2008), discussed in his article “Coral Reefs and Climate Change”, how the increase in climate change puts a lot of stress on coral reefs because they are very sensitive to the change of temperature. Rigel B (2003) states in his essay, “Climate Change and Coral Reefs”, that coral reef has already been negatively impacted by
We need coral reefs, and not just to make the ocean look pretty and colourful, they are more than just that…
Oceans cover 71% of the earth’s surface. The talk of climate change can often seem to focus on what is happening in our atmosphere, but there is a lot of change going on in our oceans. The oceans have absorbed 90% of the excess heat and 28% of the carbon pollution generated by human consumption of fossil fuels (Nuccitelli 2015). The purpose of this paper is to show how the effects of climate change effect the coral reefs in our oceans, with a focus on the coral reef systems in the Caribbean and of the Great Barrier Reef. The Caribbean coral reefs are well known to have suffered more damage between the two reef systems. That’s not to say that the Great Barrier Reef has not suffered its own damage. It has and will continue to suffer in the future.
Coral reefs are well known for their colorful array of marvelous sights including a parade of exotic flora and fauna. They are said to be the foundation for a quarter of marine species, and are a crucial support for human life as well. The coral reef ecosystem is a diverse collection of species (ranging from microscopic to larger-than-life in size) that interact with each other and their physical environment. If any piece of a coral reef is harmed or removed the entire community can be seriously affected, even to the point of collapse. Unfortunately, human impact has resulted in long-term stresses that, unlike the short-term stress of natural disasters, coral reefs are not as capable to recover from. “Approximately half of the world’s coral reef ecosystem resources are considered by scientists to be in 'poor' or 'fair' condition and have declined over time due to several anthropogenic threats” (“Status of Corals” par. 2). Through poorly administered commercial practices, carelessness and ignorance among the common people, and human aggravated natural processes coral reef destruction has become a serious issue afflicting the world’s biodiversity and it’s intricate biosphere mechanics (“Human Impact on the Great Barrier Reef” 1) (“What Are Coral Reefs?” 1).
Coral Reefs need to be preserved for many reasons. In this paper I will discuss a
Today many people do not see the need to preserve corals reefs. Hence because of the lack of appreciation for the reefs, they are slowly disappearing. Many citizens do not realize the importance of these reefs, the species they hold, and the food webs that connect the ecosystems. Our American government has stated many times that they are doing all they can to preserve and to replenish our coral reefs. However, how accurate is that statement? To answer these questions, we first have to understand what a coral reef is and how it can be saved.