Factors Affecting The Coral Triangle

Calculations for tourism for the year of 2015 are unavailable at this time, but for the year of 2014, the reef received a total of 2.19 million visitors. It is a well – known piece of information that there is a global climate change going on where there is a rise in CO2 in the atmosphere due to higher emissions of fossil fuel and more deforestation occurring. The ocean then absorbs more of this CO2, which in turn raises the acidity, which in turn creates a poor environment for the coral to live and recover from bleaching that has already occurred. This change in acidity also affects the calcium carbonate that corals use to build themselves. (“Climate Hot Map- Global Warming Effects Around the

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

Do humans cause global warming or is it natural? Many researchers, scientists, and environmentalists are expressing concerns about changes in the overall climate of the `earth. Some believe that a dramatically dangerous warming is taking place in the overall global climate, a problem that is referred to as "global warming”. What is global warming? Global warming is an increase in the average temperature at Earth's surface (“global warming”). Global warming is all about adverse climate change caused by the trapping of greenhouse gases in the earth's atmosphere that affects biodiversity and poses a serious health hazard. Scientists have found strong evidence that human activities have caused most of the warming since the mid-1900 (“global warming”). Humans are responsible for

Another issue is shipping accidents and oil spills. Mostly merchant vessels, commercial ships, use the Great Barrier Reef shipping route. According to Australian Maritime Safety Authority (2002), from 1985 to 2001, 11 collisions and 20 groundings occurred along the reef shipping route. These shipwrecks caused 282 oil spills between 1987-2002. In addition, Zubrzycki’s report (2013), Australia approves on of the world’s largest coal which will cause severe damage to the reef. Environmentalists state that the reef will be placed on in-danger list of Unesco’s World Heritage Centre. (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (2006). “Principal water quality influences on Great Barrier Reef

Coral reefs are an environment to a vast range of different species. 25% of all global reefs have been destroyed by humans. 60% percent of coral reefs are under threat by humans. The Great Barrier Reef is one of the largest reefs located in Queensland Australia, it is hugely impacted by humans. Pollution, tourism, and mining have all had a huge negative impact on the reef. Coral reefs in the Caribbean have also been significantly affected by human interaction due to the growth of population and more people living closer to the reef. This is causing many impacts such as loss of fish and coral etc. Coral reefs in the Caribbean are slowly disintegrating due to coastal development which increases fishing, pollution, agriculture use and

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

Global warming is an issue that is not new to us. It has already warmed by 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit since 1900s ("Global Warming Is Happening Now"). Ecosystems are feeling the heat and are struggling to maintain their lives. It is easy to observe that the effect of global climate change on the Earth. For example, the rises of sea levels, glaciers, and polar ice caps are melting; numerous animals are emigrating to find other places to exist; trees are in bloom sooner. Scientists have confirmed that the temperature will keep on rising up for the next decades because of human activities in the industry (Alina).

Therefore, the impact of overfishing and illegal collecting of coral may destroyed the social and economic well-being of the coastal communities who depend on fish for their way of life. Beside, it is also direct overexploitation of fish, intertebrates, and algae for food and the aquarium trade, removal of a species or group of species impacting multiple trophic levels, bycatch and mortality of nontarget species, and change from coral to algal dominance due to reduction in herbivores (Reef Resilience Organisation,

As a “society [we have a] choice to make, doing nothing a choice” (“Living on an Ocean Planet”). The growing reduction of ice capes has created rising sea levels that gradually will sink the coastlines surrounding the land and force humans to move more inland. It will affect marine fisheries to change where human fish but as some may organisms may adapt, other will die out. Consequently, changing the range of organisms due the acidification of the ocean and the ocean temperature rising. The severe weather caused the warmer temperature can cause harsh conditions and significant amount of damage around the coastline. In addition, the effects of the ocean becoming warmer harms not only the marine animals but also terrestrial animals, including us. The ocean is vital to our survival and to the many other animals that share our planet. The majority of our planet is covered with water, the ocean “provides at least half of the earth’s oxygen and the volume of water regulates temperature and drives weather systems” (“The Sant Ocean Hall”). The ocean’s healthy ecosystems provide us with many abundance of daily materials that we need to survive. They provide us with “food, fuel, fiber, fodder, medicines, and energy” (Dixon). The only planet in our solar system to have liquid water is failing at our hands, but we have the opportunity to solve the problem before it’s too late. “It’s not too late to avoid disaster, but we are

It is important for people worldwide to learn of the importance of the coral reefs and of the negative effects that unrestricted tourism and global warming have been causing to them. To clearly see the big picture, one must first go back to see the early roots of the problem. Coral reefs have been being mapped out as early as some of the first maritime sailors, and soon turned out to be a huge destination for tourism. Unregulated tourism is almost always bad, and this turned out to be the case for the coral reefs as well. Once it became apparent that the coral reefs were decreasing at an extremely high rate, governments and scientists finally did something right by regulating tourism attempting to save the once great coral reefs. What this bigger picture out of history shows us is the root of the problem and also insights of what can be done to further protect the

With the future of coral reefs being uncertain, and 2015 set to experience an El Nino to rival that of 1998, the future of these highly biodiverse ecosystems is something that researchers are rapidly trying figure out. Piecing together, and unlocking mechanisms involved in a coral species ability to adapt and or acclimatise, illustrate how some species of coral are more resilient to stress and answers as to what gives them this resilience. Ecosystems like coral reefs are so important; not only do they support a vast amount of species by being habitat engineers. They are also important to the 500 million people that rely on the reefs so heavily for food, a financial pool and

“Our globe is under new dramatic environmental pressure: our globe is warming, our ice caps melting, our glaciers receding, our coral is dying, our soils are eroding, our water tables falling, our fisheries are being depleted, our remaining rainforests shrinking. Something is very, very wrong with our eco-system” (Lamm) It may seem very overwhelming on where we should start to help our environment since it seems like such a big task. One small place that we can start is with helping our bleached coral which can help the whole state of our

An increase in temperature and rainfall also lead to the change in sea temperature and sea levels. Jennifer (2006) notes that, ‘Sea surface temperatures in many tropical regions have increased by almost 1°C over the past 100 years (some tropical seas up to 2°C) and are currently increasing ~1–2°C per century. In the Great Barrier Reef, sea surface temperatures have increased 0.46°C per century in the north to 2.59°C per century in the waters off Townsville. Sea surface temperatures on the Great Barrier Reef in early 1998 were the warmest in the past 95 years of instrumental record and were associated with significant coral bleaching.’ The annual sea temperature is rising and it will result in many wild animals died in the Great Barrier Reef. The average sea level has risen by approximately 8 centimeters per decade. The scientist predicted that the average sea levels will be continuously increased by 20 centimeters in the 21th century if the situation of the environment does not change over the next few years. Additionally, as the emissions of greenhouse gases into the air, the ocean absorbs the toxic gases, thus making the ocean more

Biological stresses are caused by microbes such as bacteria, fungi and viruses while physiological stresses are response to increase in seawater temperatures, ultraviolet radiation and pollutants. The recurrence of the coral diseases raise notably over these presents years leading to an extensive mortality of the coral reef. By monitoring coral disease, a baseline and long-term data set that can be used to learn on how climate and anthropogenic drivers affect coral reef sustainability (Harvell, 2007). According to the Australian Institute of Marine Science researchers, they proclaimed that the coral diseases were responsible for 6.5 per cent of coral death recorded on the Great Barrier Reef between 1995 and 2000. The three most common coral diseases and their causes are as