Coral Reefs

Our Earth is 80% water and we as humans rely on the ocean and water greatly. Our oceans are teeming with life that we use as sources of food and other resources. The roots of our oceans are the coral reefs of the world. They produce the first stages of life that begins the food chain. Coral reefs have kept the ocean alive and able to produce our food because it has been left relatively unharmed, however recently, humans have posed a threat to the very corals and micro-algae that exist in reefs around the world. Our CO2 admissions have been causing a hole in our ozone and atmosphere like many have known. But this also has a dramatic effect on the essential part of our underwater life. Now we are faced with many questions such as, whats actually happening? How can we prevent further damage? With all these holes and our ozone weakening, the harmful rays of the sun penetrate much deeper into the water and as a result increases the water temperature and exposes the the corals and plants to the direct sun rays. When the water heats up even a couple of degrees, it basically cooks the coral. This gives the coral a bleached look effect because the coral was not adapted to the sudden change of the water temperature and has died because of this. According to Claire M. SpillMan, “Bleaching is a stress response of corals, the unfavorable conditions causing corals to expel their zooxanthellae, giving rise to the typical white coloration” (Advances in Forecasting Coral Bleaching Conditions for Reef Management). Because the fish depend on the coral reef for food, shelter and breeding, the fact that so many coral reefs around the world are in decline and are in the process of bleaching is a huge concern to us. If left untouched we are the cause of the oceans ecosystems to collapse. This sudden concern to us is caused by global warming and how we are too dependent on the burning of