Coral Reef Essay

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A big change that has occurred in the oceans all over the world is the Coral Reefs are dying and are predicted to be dead by the end of the century due to the rising acidity of the oceans caused by many different threats to marine ecosystems. Coral reefs cover less than 0.2% of our oceans but they contain 25% of the world’s marine fish species according to Endangered: Biodiversity on the brink, 2010: pg.45). If this is the case that means by the time the end of the century comes around we will have lost close to 25% of the worlds marine ecosystems.
One explanation for dying coral reefs is increasing levels of carbon dioxide. As humans burn fossil fuels carbon dioxide builds up in the atmosphere. There is research showing that due to increased levels of carbon dioxide that the carbon dioxide has soaked into the ocean making the ocean more acidic and causing the reefs to die quicker (Endangered Oceans, 2009: pg. 70). When the ocean becomes more acidic it has more effects on the biodiversity within the ocean.
Another explanation for coral reefs dying is because of increasing in temperature. As the earth gets warmer due to global warming the oceans get warmer. According to research done by the International Union for Conservation of Nature because of global climate change coral bleaching takes effects on the coral reefs all over the world. This causes coral bleaching caused by these elevated sea surface temperatures. Status of Coral Reefs Around the World (pg. 21) says that the major threat to the coral reefs has been coral bleaching over the past decade. According to Green peace if the climate change is not stopped, coral bleaching will increase all over the world until it occurs annually by 2030-2070. This is ...

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...fer and grow too much algal. Both of these practices were developed around the 1950s. Both of these methods were practiced in the Great Barrier Reef until the early 2000s causing damage on a large amount of reefs within the Great Barrier Reef area. (Source)
Coral mining is a large issue that occurs in reef areas around the world. This is a practice of taking live corals to use to as bricks, road-fill, or cement for new buildings. Corals are also mined to sell as souvenirs to tourists and to exporters. A lot of mined coral ends up in the live rock trade which where miners take the live rock, in this case coral reef, and is sold for saltwater aquariums. (Source)
Costal areas are very popular areas to live within throughout the world. As costal development continues to develop quickly it poses threats to nearby coral reefs. Costal Development
d. Benefits Economically

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