Arguments Against Coral Bleaching

Red tide in Florida is a reoccurring problem that threatens marine life every year. Red tide in Florida waterways has a negative impact on marine life because it produces toxins that are harmful to marine species. It lessens the amount of oxygen in the water which ultimately leads to the migration and death of many different marine animals. Millions of dollars are poured into red tide research and prevention every year to help predict when and where a red tide is going to form. All the while, millions of dollars are being lost due to a drop in tourism and bans on fishing as red tide wreaks havoc on businesses and marine life.

Coral bleaching is not just a national problem that Australia faces alone. In the last year (2015), 12 percent of the world’s coral reefs have bleached (Howard). Since the Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest reef, covering 133,000 square miles, and stretching 1,200 miles along the coast of Australia, it poses an incredible threat to Australia’s economy and environment (Howard). Coral bleaching is not an issue that is often plastered all over the news or brought to people’s attention often. Coral Reefs, especially the Great Barrier Reef are seen as the perfect tourist destination because reefs are known for their wide variety of marine life and beautiful bright corals one would see on brochures. However, when a coral is bleached, it loses

Primary consumers are normally herbivores therefore they feed off of producers. There is a wide variety of herbivorous animals that reside in the Great Barrier Reef. These include invertebrates such as molluscs and echinoderms, as well as certain species of fish, the most notable being the parrotfishes, surgeonfishes, rabbitfishes, rudderfishes and damselfishes. The primary consumer’s role in the Great Barrier Reef’s food chain consists of them feeding off of the primary producers such as coral, therefore transferring the energy from the producer to consumer. The primary consumer only obtains around 10% of the producer’s energy as they may not eat the whole entity or energy might be lost through waste. The population of the largest and most significant vertebrate plants feeds, including sea turtles, dugongs, have been severely decimated by the impacts of humans on the reef. The loss of these vital animals has and will more severely disturb the coral reef food web in a significant manner, although the specific impacts are not clear

When the water of the sea becomes warmer due to higher temperatures which diminishes the oxygen content, the coral expels the algae that exists within their tissues causing it to turn completely white. This results in coral bleaching. Thus, the elevating heat stress which results from high sea temperatures serves as the main factor that induced damage to the coral reefs. If the heat prevails, the reef may even die instead of recovering. Coral reefs provide home to a significant number of sea species and coral bleaching causes their habitats to destroy completely and effect the marine life adversely. Thus it is much better to prevent coral bleaching than to accomplish its recovery which may take many

Coral Bleaching is caused when elevated seawater temperatures result in extensive coral loss. When the water becomes too warm coral will expel the algae living in their tissue, causing the coral to turn completely white. Pollution from urban or agricultural run-offs, sedimentation from undersea activity like dredging, and changes in the salinity are other contributors to coral bleaching. Although coral can survive the bleaching they are under more stress and are subject to mortality. This issue is not a new problem; coral bleaching has had a substantial effect on coral for many years. “In 2005, the U.S lost half of its coral reefs in the Caribbean in one year due to a massive bleaching event”(National Ocean Service). Another article states that in January 2010, cold-water temperatures in the Florida Keys caused a coral bleaching event that resulted in some coral death. Researchers have evaluated the cold-stress of the water will make coral more susceptible to disease, in the same way warmer water impact coral. Luckily there are things that we can do to help stop this

As predators in their ecosystem, Great White sharks help maintain the coral reefs and seagrass habitats. Recently, because of the downturn of sharks, those coral reefs and seagrass

The Great Barrier Reef is actually the largest living thing on Earth. In fact, it can even be seen from space. The only problem with reefs is that they can only survive under a certain temperature range. If the temperature is too low or too high for the reefs, this causes the algae, which gives the coral their beautiful and bright colors, to leave the coral, and therefore causing the coral to become bleached (National Ocean Service). This is exactly what has happened this year. Data has recently been released that El Niño has caused complete bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef (The New York Times). Let that sink in, the World’s largest living thing, that has been around for about 500,000 years, is dying this year. People need to realize that

These banks contain coral rubble, seagrass and macroalgae with other invertebrate taxa, which play a key part in the ecosystem. The bank systems contain essential fish habitats, which provide sheltering and foraging grounds. Past studies have indicated these fish assemblages showed a high diversity and biomass of coral reefs. Most of the biomass in the Florida Keys ecosystem is made up of species that stay in channels for most of the day. These signs show that the bank systems are important for the FKNMS for providing a structural support and high productivity for the biodiversity. Exploitation of these essential fishes and pollution of the water could greatly destroy the bank systems and cause a rippling effect among the ecosystem. Knowing how important these bank systems are, they should receive additional protection through management zones. New management actions will help protect fish and stocks, to ensure the stability of recreational and commercial fisheries. To ensure a higher water quality and sustainable habitats, anchoring activities and vessel discharges will be restricted in the management zones. Some management zones containing sensitive wildlife habitats will be restricted to public

Coral reefs are one of the most diverse and complex habitats. They are one of the most interesting and colorful ecosystems found in the marine environment. They are very unique in many different ways and a crucial support for human life. They play also a very important role in the marine life such as giving shelter and food for millions of species including fishes, crabs, or shrimps. They support 33% of marine fish species. They also have specific and certain conditions to be formed, and to survive. They are also known as the “rainforest of the oceans” because of its huge diversity. In this research paper we will explore more about coral reefs and their importance.

Reef faces many types of challenges and learns to overcome these in life. The traffic

Overlooked and often forgotten, wilderness is surrounding the envionments humans live in. Wilderness does not have to be a untarnished and completely protected. Just as families have a place to call home, wilderness provides a home and a place of refuge for animals and plants and other non human living organizims. They make up the balance needed to sustance the wilderness. How humans and wilderness intact is what will cause florecment or produce neglect. Neglect will lead to long term negative consequences that would impact both humans and the wilderness. On the surface in most wilderness areas in may seem that life in the wilderness in well and with continues protection will go on. Although, an area of wilderness has been forgotten and is being abused. Thoughforgotten that wilderness needs a home just has much has humans.

The cell death leads to the expulsion of the zooxanthellae from the corals, which eventually will lead to coral bleaching. Zooxanthellae give corals their color. Symbiodinium are responsible for the majority of coral’s energy (Berkelmans 2006). A coevolutionary relationship is necessary for coral reefs to thrive. This symbiotic relationship is effective in recycling nutrients and using light (Berkelmans 2006). Without this symbiosis, corals cannot survive without zooxanthellae. Symbiodinium responds to thermal stress in a negative manner in correlation to its symbiotic relationship with

Environmental impacts for example, Climate change, especially the rising ocean temperatures and Ocean Acidification is as of now influencing the Great Barrier Reefs Ecosystem. Coral bleaching coming about because of expanding ocean temperature and lower rates of calcification in skeleton-building life forms, for example, corals, because of sea acidification, are the impacts of most concern and are as of now obvious. Agricultural sources are adding to the waterfront and inshore territories of the Great Barrier Reef by expanded Nutrients, Sediments and different Pollutants in the catchment runoff. With the coastal population continuing to grow the coastal development grows which contributes to the modification

Climate change is the biggest long-term threat to the Great Barrier Reef and coral reefs worldwide, according to the Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan. It has caused sea temperature increases, ocean acidification, altered weather patterns, and rising sea levels. The sea temperature increases affect many species. It causes coral bleaching to occur, which is when the microscopic algae separates from coral, taking the color, as well as the energy away. It affects the photosynthesis and reproduction of seagrass, the reproduction of coral, and enables a range of microscopic organisms that cause disease to thrive. It affects the reproduction of fish - because they have a narrow temperature range in order to reproduce effectively -, the sex

According to the research world wildlife organisation, 1.6% of the world’s oceans have been declared as marine protected areas (MPAS), and 90% of existing MPAS are open to fishing. MPAS are important because they protect habitats such as coral reefs from destructive fishing practices. No-take zones allow