Effects Of Global Warming On Coral Reefs

Improved Essays
Global warming has many effects on the world, but it especially has an impact on the ocean. Global temperature rise can affect many ecosystems, and the species within them.
Coral Reefs

Coral reefs are valuable resources for ocean life. Coral and algae have a symbiotic relationship, with the algae living in the coral and being the primary food source for the coral. As a consequence, this symbiotic relationship provides habitats for small fish and plants due to the abundance of food found in the coral. Many species rely on the coral in order to have a home and food to survive. Not only do coral reefs provide invaluable service to ocean life, but also to humans. Coral reefs provide protection to the mainland from storm surges by breaking waves off the coast. Global warming can cause a number of effects on coral reefs.
…show more content…
Corals thrive in waters that are not too warm and not too cold (preferably about 70-90 degrees), clear, clean, and salty. Corals are extremely sensitive to ocean changes. As we put CO2 into the atmosphere, the ocean is absorbing that. More CO2 causes the ocean to change it’s PH level and become more acidic. Due to the change in PH, corals are not able to create their skeletons properly.
Nutrient Runoff and

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    When the corals' health are in jeopardy, the health and overall well being of all the organisms that rely on them are at risk as well. Many organisms, along with their babies and eggs, will be exposed to predators if they do not have healthy coral reefs to depend on for shelter. Predators will have easier access to their prey if they are ever without a home, and this will result in a decline in population of the consumers lower in the trophic levels (little fish are wiped out, and predators overpopulate). If there were ever a decline in the prey population, all of the organisms higher up in the food chain would be killed off as well, since there wouldn't be enough food to keep the higher trophic levels healthy and…

    • 1875 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Ocean acidification may cause corals to die out, and there are many other species that depend on corals as well, making ocean acidification yet another cause of…

    • 457 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Heart Reef The Heart Reef, in the Great Barrier Reef, is a beautiful organisation of coral and rocks naturally formed into the shape of a heart. The reef was created by hundreds of years of dead coral building up in a massive, underwater stone wall, which has then grown algae and new coral, which reproduces, dies and grows year by year. The Heart Reef is a beautiful array of stunning coral formations, naturally shaped into a heart.…

    • 996 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Scientific Validity of “Study links altered brain chemistry, behavioral impairments in fish exposed to elevated CO2” Coral reefs are having a problem with pH levels and they are dying some places around the world right now, because of it. This is not only affecting the coral reefs, but the animals that live in them and survive with them. There is a Scientific Study called “Study links altered brain chemistry, behavioral impairments in fish exposed to elevated CO2” which discusses the behavior and neurological impairments of coral reef fish due to more CO2 and acidic levels of pH. More CO2 causes lower levels of pH and makes it more acidic and very dangerous for fish. Overall this is a poor scientific article, because it has only one good source…

    • 1738 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    With warming of the water, however, there are further consequences. This raise in temperature not only puts coral into stress, but it compromises their immune system, making them more likely to get an infection. Furthermore, bacterial and fungal pathogens thrive in warmer…

    • 971 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “Runoff carries nutrients sediments, and pollution from land-based sources and deposits them directly onto our reefs.(http://wwf.panda.org/).” Too many nutrients create algal growth creating a decrease in oxygen levels leading to the condition, Eutrophication. Erosion by construction, inland or along coasts, mining, logging and farming increases sediment in rivers. This then ends up in the ocean where it smothers corals by trapping them from the light which is needed to survive. Sedimentation limits the light ability to the corals inhibiting their ability to feed and reproduce.…

    • 1378 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Communities that thrive on fish and seafood would also be affected. Even though it is not a visible aspect of climate change, such as melting of polar ice caps or coral bleaching, but it is an important one that will affect every human…

    • 781 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    1. Introduction 1.1 Coral Decline Coral reef is a highly diverse ecosystem that provides many environmental, economical and social benefits to humans (Barker & Roberts 2004; Hughes et al. 2010). Approximately 20% of coral has been lost worldwide (Wilkinson 2006) with an 80% loss in the Caribbean basin (Jackson et al. 2014).…

    • 889 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Our impacts, starting with pollution, which leads to the emission of greenhouse gases, which leads to irregular climate change and increased temperatures. This has already been the cause of mass coral bleaching and it is only predicted to worsen. Coastal building increases the occurrence of nutrient run-off from construction and chemicals and other toxins. The increased interest in the exotic pet trade damages the coral reefs when trappers usually are careless and will trample or bang on the coral with sticks to get the fish to come out. Over fishing disrupts the balance of this ecosystem and the food chain can be impaired as well.…

    • 951 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Back in 2016 an article from Outside Online titled “Obituary: Great Barrier Reef (25 Million BC-2016)” went viral. In it they wrote as if The Great Barrier Reef was dead citing climate change as the cause of death. While The Great Barrier Reef is not yet dead, if thing progress as they are now, it sure will be soon. Coral Reefs are the oceans’ cities with more than 25 percent of all aquatic organisms living within them. Not only are they good for the species that live within them, they are also fantastic for humans providing 172 billion dollars worth of economic revenue through tourism and fisheries.…

    • 659 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Ocean Acidification Essay

    • 1116 Words
    • 5 Pages
    • 5 Works Cited

    When coral reefs disappear it will cause a chain reaction affecting people all over the world. "We are seeing an overall negative impact from ocean acidification directly on organisms and on some key ecosystems that help provide food for billions. We need to start thinking about the risk to food security" (CNN World). People don’t understand the severity of what we are doing to the ocean and the world. If no action is taken and we continue on with our daily lives not caring about the long term effects of our actions then it could wipe out entire ecosystems or entire populations of sea…

    • 1116 Words
    • 5 Pages
    • 5 Works Cited
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    Coral Bleaching Essay

    • 1472 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Pollution, physical destruction, and rising global temperatures are all ways that humans are contributing to the worldwide destruction of coral reefs. One major way that humans are indirectly causing coral reef change is through global warming. As humans continue to contribute to this…

    • 1472 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Co2 Lab Report

    • 943 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Reactions similar to this one tend to buffer changes in atmospheric CO2. The right side of the equation indicated that the reaction produces an acidic compound. If adding CO2 to the left side, would decrease the pH of water in ocean. This process is often been described as ocean acidification, where pH of the ocean becomes less and force the pH of water to be acidic.…

    • 943 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    (Gain attention) President Barack Obama once said “There’s one issue that will define the contours of this century more dramatically than any other, and that is the urgent threat of a changing climate.” (Reveal Topic) This statement by President Obama on climate change conveys how important the fight against climate change is. (Establish Credibility) I became interested in this topic after getting into a disagreement regarding climate change with my grandfather and how he doesn’t “buy into that liberal bullshit,” so I set out on a mission to prove him wrong by conducting research with the goal of fully understanding the climate change debate. (Preview the Body)…

    • 1384 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    From the title “Coral reefs: the beauteous home to marine life “, we can know that how beautiful coral reefs form to our marine life. The coral itself contain many colourful colour that make people amaze and want to discovery more about those coral reefs. Coral reefs are home to 25% of all marine life on the planet. It can be found generally in clear, tropical oceans. In this study case our group choose Perhentian Island to do this research.…

    • 1095 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays