...The rainforest of the sea, also known as the coral reefs, has a significant amount of marine species and organisms living in a small fraction of the ocean. They cover about 0.1 percent of the ocean’s surface and support more than 4,000 species of fish, 800 species of hard corals and hundred of other species (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA). This estimation of numbers does not include the unexplored parts of the coral reefs, and many scientists are trying to further explore this area. Based on research, scientists concluded that coral reefs are very sensitive to the type of environment they live in and due to natural occurrences and human activity the coral reefs are slowly dying. The dying of coral reefs detrimentally affects many of the species that rely on this area for food and shelter, which includes humans as well. However, who or what can we blame for this happening? The coral reefs for being too sensitive or humans for polluting the oceans? Coral reefs are highly sensitive to the...
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...Coral reefs form some of the most diverse ecosystems on earth. They occupy less than 1% of the worlds ocean surface, about half the area of France, yet they provide a home for 25% of all marine species, including fishes, molluscs, echinoderms and sponges. They are most commonly found at shallow depths in tropical waters, particularly in the Pacific Ocean. Coral reefs deliver ecosystem services to tourism, fisheries and shoreline protection. The annual global economic value of coral reefs has been estimated at $375 billion. It is believed to have emerged more than 540 million years ago. New species originate 50% faster in coral reefs than in any other habitats. The fossil records show that reefs have been remarkably successful in surviving through large environmental disturbances. However the combination of drastic environmental changes that we're seeing today, such as degraded water quality, depleted fish stocks, coral bleaching, ocean acidification and loss of habitat causes them to be under great threat. Coral reefs are perhaps one of the greatest but, least known of wonders of our world. There are three different kinds of coral reefs. There are fringing, barrier, and atoll. Fringing reefs are attached to margins of an island or continent, rough, table like surface, as much as 1 kilometer wide. On their seaward side they slope steeply to the ocean floor. Fringing reefs grow in shallow water near the shore and prefer dry climates with limited river runoff. There are...
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...Great Barrier Reef loses half its coral in less than 30 years The Great Barrier Reef has lost half of its coral cover in the last 27 years, according to a new study released today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Based on over 2,000 surveys from 1985 to this year the study links the alarming loss to three impacts: tropical cyclone damage, outbreaks crown-of-thorns starfish that devour corals, and coral bleaching. "We can't stop the storms, and ocean warming (the primary cause of coral bleaching) is one of the critical impacts of the global climate change. However, we can act to reduce the impact of crown of thorns," says John Gunn, the head of the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), which conducted the research. Crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci), the world's second largest seastar and a renowned predator of coral, have seen several outbreaks in the Great Barrier Reef during the past few decades. Outbreaks of the coral-chomping invertebrates are believed to have increased from one every 50-80 years to one every 15 years, which scientists have linked in part to fertilizer and chemical runoff from the mainland. In total, the researchers found that 42 percent of coral loss could be linked the crown-of-thorns outbreaks, 48 percent to tropical cyclones, and 10 percent to coral bleaching. The annual loss of coral cover has sped up as well, averaging 1.45 percent annually since 2006. This pummeling, occurring too quickly for...
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...to a Coral Reef Early Warning System station in Discovery Bay, Jamaica, utilized in conducting ocean acidification studies near coral reef areas [edit]Australia Main article: Environmental threats to the Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system.[46][47][48][49] The reef is located in the Coral Sea. A large part of the reef is protected by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Particular environmental pressures include runoff, salinity fluctuations, climate change, cyclic crown-of-thorns outbreaks, overfishing, and spills or improper ballast discharge. [edit]Southeast Asia See also: Southeast Asia coral reefs Southeast Asian coral reefs are at risk from damaging fishing practices (such as cyanide and blast fishing), overfishing, sedimentation, pollution and bleaching. Activities including education, regulation and the establishment of marine protected areas help protect these reefs. [edit]Indonesia Indonesia is home to one third of the world's corals covering nearly 85,000 square kilometres (33,000 sq mi) and one quarter of its fish species. Indonesia's coral reefs are located in the heart of the Coral Triangle and have fallen victim to destructive fishing, tourism and bleaching. Data from 414 reef monitoring stations in 2000 found that only 6% are in excellent condition, while 24% are in good condition, and approximately 70% are in poor to fair condition.[50] [edit]Philippines In 2007, Reef Check, the world's largest reef conservation organization...
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...Recipe for rescuing our reefs The colourful world supported by coral reefs is under threat as oceans absorb greater quantities of carbon dioxide, says Rod Salm. In this week's Green Room, he says we must accept that we are going to lose many of these valuable ecosystems, but adds that not all hope is lost. I've been privileged to see many of the world's finest and least disturbed reefs. Mine were the first human eyes to see many of the remotest reefs at a time when we really could describe them as pristine. I would never have dreamed that they were at risk from people, far less than from something as remote then as climate change. Today, despite the doom and gloom one reads so much about, one can still find reefs that are vibrant, thriving ecosystems. But sadly, too, there are more and more that look like something from the dark side of the Moon. These degraded reefs have been ravaged by destructive fishing, bad land use practices that smother them with silt, and pollutants that foster disease and overgrowth by seaweeds. More alarmingly, there are large areas that are killed off and degraded by warming seas linked to climate change. We've all read that global warming poses a tremendous threat to our planet, and that coral reefs will face an uphill battle to survive in warmer waters. Yet the greatest threat to our oceans and to all of its wonders is little known, nearly impossible to see, and potentially devastating. This is not climate change, but does stem from the excess...
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...Plastic Paradise Response I have heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch once or twice but I don’t think I full realized how bad the problem was until I saw Plastic Paradise. When I heard of the “garbage island” I honestly thought it was an island of garbage you can go out onto and potentially stand on. The fact that you can’t really see the island because it’s all spread out and a few inches below the surface was an astonishing fact! The way the oceans current moves that so no matter where the trash starts out in eventually it’ll arrive together in the island section by Midway is also very interesting. It would be pretty cool if the could study the way the currents moved so that way they can have ships in certain sections of the ocean that just pick up the trash there so it doesn’t keep traveling around the Pacific risking lives then finally coming together near Midway. I heard in high school science classes about how the plastic epidemic was affecting animals in the ocean as well as birds but the trash and plastic on Midway is threatening about 2 million albatross. When they toured the island they saw dead/dying birds from plastic that got caught up in their throats or stomachs which eventually killed them, but the man cut open the bird and they found pen lid and fishing line, pretty much they found a bunch of items that do not belong in the ocean and should have never got to those birds. Along with the birds the Captain of one of the boats said he caught a small fish...
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...Marine coastlines have held great importance for humans for thousands of years. We enjoy the beauty of the landscape, nourish ourselves with fish, crustaceans, and bivalves from the shore, and are highly dependent on marine algae which provide a major percentage of the oxygen found in the air we breathe (Walker, 1980). As economies have grown exponentially over the past century, so has the demand on our marine resources. Over the years we have seen a great reduction in the populations of fisheries we depend on. Not only does over harvesting affect our way of life, it has an even greater impact on the ecosystem and various habitats , and the biodiversity found along our coast (Worm et. al, 2006). Marine protected areas (MPA’s) are designated stretches of coastline that have become important in terms of fisheries and ecosystem restoration (Palumbi, 2001). These reserves allow marine flora and fauna to have a chance to return to healthy populations to allow for sustainable harvest and rehabilitation of species that have been affected by overharvesting (Gleason et. al, 2010). MPA’s in California have been implemented by legislature for the purpose of preserving and rehabilitating our coasts. In 1999, the Marine Life Protection Act was passed, requiring an overhaul to the design of the MPA system to increase its success and efficiency (www.dfg.ca.gov, 2013; Gleason et. al, 2010)1. In California there are now a total of 124 protected areas, of which 119 are MPA’s and the remainder...
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...oil. We need to burn these fuels because they're part of our daily lives. We use these fuels to have electricity, drive our cars, and fuel businesses. The trapped heat in the atmosphere is causing climate change which causes massive storms. The effects of these killer and dangerous storms is that we have to adapt to the new environment and because of killer storms there is a higher death rate. Secondly, global warming is affecting our coral reef because of the increased temperature and ocean acidification in the water the coral reef post as a threat to our oceans. Many species depend on the coral reef for basic needs such as food sources, habitat or shelter. Without the coral reef many species will die because they don't have a shelter or food supply. Without these species the ecosystem would fall apart. The worst case scenario will be the coral population collapsing by 2100 due to the bleaching of corals. Sadly the coral reef would be “the first global ecosystem to disappear”- Times Online: 21st century Noah’s ark needed to save coral reefs from extinction. Thirdly we are being affected by wild spread extinction. Rising temperatures make it harder for species to adapt to new climate, which can lead to massive extinction of many species. We depend on animals and plant life, if they were to go extinct we would not be able to function and live our daily lives. The climate change is also affecting...
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...the loss of old-growth natural habitats irretrievable within centuries. The fewer the species remaining on this planet, the more tenuous our own existence. EO Wilson rightly warns that our destruction of the Earth’s biodiversity will be the thing that future generations will least forgive us for. What can we do? A good start is to fully shut down the international trade in wildlife, protect all remaining natural habitats, from rainforests to untrawled seafloors, and begin to restore watersheds by removing dams and protecting headwater and riverbank vegetation. Our Dying Oceans Overfishing has decimated most fisheries and the oceans are now devoid of over 95% of its larger predatory fish, such as sharks, Bluefin tuna, and billfish. Coral reefs are degrading almost everywhere they occur due to warming and acidifying (caused by more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere) seas, overfishing, and sediment- and toxin-laden runoff from the land. And the tons and tons of discarded plastic that ends up in the...
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...sponges, corals, and sea fans are home to schools of rainbow tropical fish, crabs, rays and shells. Florida is an excellent place to encounter dolphins and manatees. Florida coral reef begins from around Miami and runs South along the Florida Keys. The Best Places To Snorkel In Florida Panama City Beach welcomes visitors with silky white quartz sand and clear emerald green waters. This Gulf beach is an incredible place to combine family rest and snorkeling. The rocky jetty near St. Andrews State Park provides easy and comfortable snorkeling. The jetty may...
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...Northwestern University, Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium Abstract Coral samples were obtained from Shedd Aquarium to investigate the symbiotic relationship between the corals and their zooxanthellae under environmental stress. The zooxanthellae DNA were extracted, amplified, and sequenced. The sequences were then analyzed using Sequencher 5.0 and BioEdit where they were aligned individually and then against other sequences found in previous literature research. The aligned sequences were run in Genbank using the BLAST function to identify the zooxanthellae at the subclade level. Further research into current literature was done with the best matched subclades to our sequences to further investigate the thermal resilience of the zooxanthellae. It was found that thylakoid membrane lipid compositions as well as lipid energy reserves are correlated to bleaching susceptibility. Clade D symbionts have higher lipid energy reserves, allotting for more thermal resilience in comparison to clade C as well as increased abundances in D symbiont types among reefs after bleaching events. Bleaching susceptibility was also found to have variation within clades. More research is needed to fully understand the coral-zooxanthellae relationship and acclimatization under stress. Introduction Coral reefs harbor over a fourth of all marine species and therefore are one of the most biologically diverse systems of the oceans (Gills, 2010). The coral community is comprised of a collection of biological communities...
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...Location For this theme of geography I chose a map that labels all the cities in Australia. This is an appropriate choice because it shows not only the absolute location, but the relative location as well. It shows the absolute location (33.8650° south, 151.2094° east) because the map has latitude and longitude labeled. It shows relative location because the cities near Sydney are labeled. For example if someone was describing where Sydney was in relation to other Australian cities they might say “I live near Carberra” or “I live east of Adelaides”. Both these cities and others are labeled in the map of the cities of Australia. This is why this map is a good choice to represent the location of Sydney. B. Place To represent place I chose a picture of Sydney’s seaport, combined with two caucasian Australians saying “G’day mate”. I also added a famous church in Sydney, St. James, to the skyscrapers and other buildings. Sydney’s seaport represents how Sydney’s physical features include a lot of water (specifically seas). The two caucasian Australians saying “G’day mate” represent human characteristics in Australia. The majority of people living in Sydney are the race of Caucasian and this is why I chose these two people. They are saying “G’day mate” because in Australia they speak English, but they speak with different phrases than we would use in the United States. I also added a famous church in Sydney to the skyscrapers and other buildings near the seaport. This is because...
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...The Artificial Reef Program consists of petroleum platforms, as well as unusable freighters to offer aquatic life with a different habitat. Before the freighters are announced permanently inactive, the ships are put through a multiple-step prepping and cleaning process so that the ship is environmentally safe (“Ships-to-Reefs.”). The Gulf of Mexico currently has eleven reefing areas. These reefing sites include oil and gas infrastructures, vessels, and sunken ships (“Decommissioning and Rigs to Reefs…”). On September 26, 2014 in Port Aransas, Texas, the 155-foot Kinta Ship sank to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, off the Shore of Mustang Island. This 40-year-old freighter will thrive with marine life for years to come. As a part of Texas...
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... Sea Turtles Sea turtles are amazing creatures and have been around for a long time. They are large marine animals with a leathery shell and flippers that come on shore to lay eggs. A lot of times humans mistaken these sea turtles to be true animals. Including abilities and characteristics of sea turtles humans don’t think of sea turtles to be so close to us. Sea turtles are really old animals and are very important. Sea turtles have a major effect on the environment around them. In the first place, sea turtles’ senses and speed have adapted to help them survive in the turtles’ environment .In the book, Sea Turtles an Extraordinary Natural History of Some Uncommon Turtles it says; “Sea turtles are not like normal fish, they are always holding their breath” (Witherington 19). To explain this, a turtle has to come to the surface to breath for every twenty minutes. This can help turtles easily get away from predators, so they can survive. In the book Sea Turtles an Extraordinary Natural History of Some Uncommon Turtles it says; “Green turtles noses are used to smell both underwater and in the air” (Witherington 22). Sea Turtles’ are a very different species to be able to do things like fish and mammals. Some scientists believe that sea turtles have character traits that humans have. In the book Voyage of the Turtle in Pursuit of the Earth’s Last Dinosaur it says; “Baby sea turtles’ use textbook crawling when trying to get to the ocean. This is when turtles crawl but don’t dig”...
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...Administration, or NOAA, describes the definition of an artificial reef as “a manmade structure that may mimic some of the characteristics of a natural reef.” (NOAA) Humans have been creating these artificial reefs since the 1830s, when fishermen would strategically place logs in the water in order to form a habitat in which they could increase the amount of fish they could catch. These manmade structures could be constructed out of any object that can sink, including tires, decommissioned subway cars, old automobiles, oil drilling rigs, shopping carts, old refrigerators, and old vending machines to name a few. (NG) Bridges and lighthouses also provide artificial reefs in many areas. (NOAA) If the objects are smaller and not as heavy, the foundations must be created in order to hold these objects in place in...
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