Ocean Acidification and Its Effects on the Great Barrier Reefs
How would the marine animals feel if their home was being destroyed little by little every day because of ocean acidification? Because the amount of carbon dioxide that is in the ocean is rising at a rapid speed level, the marine ecosystem is endangered. The animals that live in the ocean depend on their habitat to live and because of ocean acidification, these animals are losing their home. The main reason that these marine species are losing their home bit by bit is because of the humans. Humans can be the ones responsible for destroying the oceans because we are the ones creating the carbon dioxide emissions every day and those emissions end up going into the ocean. Because the
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When carbon dioxide is absorbed by seawater, chemical reactions occur that reduce the pH, carbonate ion concentration, and saturation of biologically important calcium carbonate minerals (PMEL). The Great Barrier Reefs is one of the world’s largest living structures in the world located in Australia. As it is home to about 5000 marine life, the reef is rich and diverse (GBRMPA). Currently, the Great Barrier Reefs and all its habitants are at harm because of ocean acidification. As carbon emissions rise day by day, the reefs are being destroyed day by day as well. Today, research is being done every day, as researchers are presuming methods to preserve these enormous living structures for the benefit of the …show more content…
“Coral reefs use a process termed calcification to create their skeletons with a mineral named aragonite. When carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is absorbed into the ocean, it forms carbonic acid, which makes the ocean more acidic and it decreases its pH. This makes it more difficult for many marine organisms to grow their shells and skeletons, and threatens the coral around the globe” (Science Daily). In other words, it is the same thing as us, the humans, trying to prevent these meager marine species from growing their shells and skeletons. Subsequently, when carbon dioxide is dissolved into the ocean, carbonic acid is formed, leading to higher acidity near the surface, preventing shell growth in marine animals, and there has also been suspicion of causing reproductive disorders in some fish (National Geographic). In recent studies, individual coral reef growth has reduced in the Great Barrier Reef. This shows that there has been many carbon emissions going into the oceans in the past decade that the growth of coral reefs has decayed. In a fairly recent source, the Carnegie Institute provides that, “coral reefs are getting hammered. Ocean acidification, global warming, coastal pollution, and overfishing are all damaging coral reefs. Coral reefs have been around for millions of years, but are likely to become a thing of the past unless we start running our
...oceans. Anthropogenic systems such as the combustion of fossil fuels since the industrial revolution have greatly increased the rate of acidification to levels where negative impacts ensue. Negative impacts occur both to marine organisms that rely on certain water conditions to maintain vital functions and the environment which is damaged by highly acidic waters. There is great variation in the acidity of each of the oceans, differences caused by the chemical composition of the ocean and biogeography. Understanding of the potential impacts of ocean acidification is relatively new to the scientific community and therefore little is known on how to counteract anthropogenic influences. Although reducing the amount of carbon dioxide produced will in turn reduce the lowering of the oceans acidity levels and reduce negative impacts on the environment and marine organisms.
Earth, an endless source of wonder and beauty, produced the Great Barrier Reef. Hustling and bustling, the Reef thrives like a busy city, teeming with life. Sheltering thousands, corals, maintain the well-being of the Reef; however, the world threatens its nature and delicacy. Populations growing and technological advances increasing, the world becomes more and more disconnected with the natural world, posing an alarming risk for the planet we live on. Although many organizations try to keep the oceans clean, because of human interference and unnatural occurrences, the Great Barrier Reef needs scientific help to adapt corals to new conditions for means of survival, putting pressure on the Australian government to save their ocean environment.
The increase in ocean temperatures are causing the reef to die out; reefs structures don’t have the ability to keep up pace with the ever so changing climate 4. Rigel suggests that coral reefs will eventually die out from the erosion of the warm ocean4. The increase in climate change is leading to ocean acidification. Much of the gases that enter our air from pollution also dissolves into the ocean. With this occurring, corals cannot absorb the calcium they need to maintain their skeletons. The stony skeletons that support coral reefs will dissolve. If nothing is done to stop so much carbon dioxide from going into the atmosphere, this will increase and more and more coral reefs will be destroyed and die
Given how important coral reefs are, the increasingly disappearance of our coral reef ecosystems will continue to have a detrimental impact on marine biodiversity with in these ecosystems. In addition to the decline of the animal species, job opportunities for many staff members that keep our parks open and healthy for everyone to enjoy, revenue be lost due to the decline in coral reefs. To help ensure this downward spiral in eliminated before it is too late, park officials and scientist conduct continuous research on the effects of ocean acidification and global warming on marine organisms and overall health and longevity of these ecosystems. Ultimately, the goal is to develop ways to intervene before it is to late in hopes that we can reverse the damage already inflicted on our coral reefs and allow these ecosystems to re grow once
With carbon dioxide levels continuing to rise over the past few decades (fig. 1) and now into the future, concern has been brought to what is happening to the carbonate chemistry of the oceans. Because of these changes in chemistry, the ocean is becoming more acidic. Along with climate change, ocean acidification may be one of the greatest threats to our planet. The higher the ocean’s acidity level goes, the lower the calcium carbonate levels will drop. Even though this is a big scale issue, my goal is to focus on and underline what these changes will mean for the marine life that depend on the calcium carbonate in seawater. I will go in depth with specific regards to a study regarding pteropods or sea butterflies.
In absence of calcium carbonate, coral and shellfish can’t survive. The ecosystem of ocean depends on these organisms because they offer a large source of food at the bottom of the food chain. They need to be abundant in order t...
Corals provide shelter for nearly one quarter of all known marine species. The reefs are home to over 4000 species of fish, 700 species of coral, and thousands of other forms of plant and animal life. Living coral reefs are the foundation of marine life, and this also means that they are essential for human life, but all over the world they are dead or dying because people are destroying them at a very fast rate. Already 10% have been lost, and there are predictions that 705 of all corals on the planet will be destroyed in 20 to 40 years unless people stop doing what they are doing now – i.e., pollution, sewage, erosion, cyanide fishing, bad tourism.
is the ongoing decrease in the pH of the Earth's oceans, caused by the uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere
Over the last century, [it is evident that] the current levels are beginning to impact organisms that make their shells out of the minerals aragonite and calcite…” (Bralower) “Coral reef[s] are highly vulnerable to ocean acidific...
Coral reefs around the world are in danger. One of the causes is global warming, which has been increasing the temperature of the ocean water resulting in coral bleaching. This essay will focus on damage occurring to the Great Barrier Reef.
Coral Reefs are said to be the “tropical rainforest” of the sea. They are home to over 25% of all marine life (http://coralreefalliance.org.stories/storyReader$77). Over the past few decades they have been subjected to destructive anthropogenic practices. Some of the major threats to coral reefs include sedimentation, water pollution, harmful recreational activities, and global warming. All of these things cause stress on corals and can potentially cause mortality. Corals are made up of two parts, a polyp and zooxanthellae. A polyp is a calcerous body that grows from a hard part of the ocean floor. Zooxanthellae is a photosynthetic algae which lives in the polyp and provide energy for themselves and the coral. In many cases, corals undergo “bleaching,” which is a process where corals lose the zooxantheallae or chlorophyll pigment, and turn white (Wilkinson et all). After bleaching corals can survive for several months. It is possible for corals to recover by hosting more zooxantheallae, but it can take between 5 and 50 years for them to recover completely (Wilkinson et all, 1999).
Now that corals have been briefly described we can see why the effects of climate change damage coral reef systems. Ocean acidification is one result of climate change. Acidification is caused by an increase of carbon dioxide in our oceans and leads to a decrease in the pH levels of seawaters. This pH decrease reduces the ability of corals to make their hard skeletons. Rates of coral calcification on the Great Barrier Reef and many other reef systems around the world have declined by 15-20% since 1990 due to increasing thermal stress (De’ath 2012). It has already been mentioned that the oceans are absorbing almost all of the excess heat from climate change. This effects coral reef systems in what is known as coral bleaching. The term bleaching refers to the loss of corals’ colors. A coral’s color is the result of the zooxanthellae present. When water becomes too warm the
Coral reefs are well known for their colorful array of marvelous sights including a parade of exotic flora and fauna. They are said to be the foundation for a quarter of marine species, and are a crucial support for human life as well. The coral reef ecosystem is a diverse collection of species (ranging from microscopic to larger-than-life in size) that interact with each other and their physical environment. If any piece of a coral reef is harmed or removed the entire community can be seriously affected, even to the point of collapse. Unfortunately, human impact has resulted in long-term stresses that, unlike the short-term stress of natural disasters, coral reefs are not as capable to recover from. “Approximately half of the world’s coral reef ecosystem resources are considered by scientists to be in 'poor' or 'fair' condition and have declined over time due to several anthropogenic threats” (“Status of Corals” par. 2). Through poorly administered commercial practices, carelessness and ignorance among the common people, and human aggravated natural processes coral reef destruction has become a serious issue afflicting the world’s biodiversity and it’s intricate biosphere mechanics (“Human Impact on the Great Barrier Reef” 1) (“What Are Coral Reefs?” 1).
Our oceans take a large beating every day by the extremely large amount of pollution humans produce. Our society easily dumps their waste into the oceans to dispose of the excessive amount of garbage, sewage, and chemicals, but this small and simple solution is creating an even bigger problem. The way humans dispose of their wastes is causing the death of our beloved marine life. Not only are we killing off our animals, our food source, and our resources, we are also minimizing our usable water. By having a better understanding of the problem on the severe dumping, it will be easier to find ways to help minimize the pollution that is going into the ocean.
Located in tropical ocean waters, coral reefs provide priceless resources to both human and marine life. The leading natural cause of destruction among the coral reefs is global warming. Other natural causes are earthquakes, hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons. The destruction to the coral reefs from these natural disasters is minimal compared to the dangers caused by man. Man-made destruction has a much wider impact on the health of the coral reefs. This destruction includes over-fishing, damage from anchors, aquarium industry, overgrowth of seaweed, and being smothered by sediments.