A) What is a coral reef?
Coral reefs are underwater ecosystems that are formed by many small animals called polyps, which through their ability to excrete calcium form the limestone skeleton that they live on. As coral reefs grow they can take on three structures fringing, barrier or atoll. The Reef located along the Queensland coastline is called the Great Barrier Reef as it is separated from the shoreline by a section of deep open water. Over many years hard coral polyps form reef structures that support a variety of marine life, these corals also known as reef-building corals found within the Great Barrier Reef include brain coral, staghorn coral and branching coral. In the tissues of these corals algae called Zooxanthellae live and provide the coral with important nutrients, while the coral provides the algae with a protected environment (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2017).
B) What is ocean acidification, and how does it affect coral reefs? Ocean acidification refers to the chemical reaction that occurs when the ocean absorbs carbon dioxide (CO2), making the seawater more acidic. …show more content…
Between 1800 and 1994, the oceans had absorbed around 48 percent of the total amount of carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels (IPCC, 2014). Therefore, the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by the ocean would have increased considerably since then, and with the increased production of carbonic acid which releases bicarbonate and hydrogen ions, the amount of carbonate ions which are necessary in the creation of coral shells and skeletons decrease significantly. (Australian Government, n.d.) Therefore, more acidic seawater impacts coral significantly, dissolving their shells and skeletons, and hindering their ability to absorb calcium carbonate. Ocean acidification not only impacts coral and the animals that rely on coral as their main food source, but the animals that make calcium carbonate shells such as snails and clams (How does climate change affect the reefs?, n.d). C) What affect do rising sea levels have on coral reefs? Rising sea levels can cause an increase in sedimentary processes that can interfere with important reef processes such as photosynthesis and feeding .This includes shoreline erosion which can reduce sunlight needed for photosynthesis and smother reefs (Reef Resilience Network, 2018). It is projected that as sea levels increase around two to three millimetres each year, the growth rate of coral will be able to keep pace with the rising sea levels. However, low-lying areas such as the Great Barrier Reef may be impacted by rising sea levels in the future as other factors such as increasing sea temperatures and ocean acidification will reduce the growth rate of coral. D) What affect do global increasing temperatures have on coral reefs? With global temperatures increasing due to climate change, sea temperatures will increase significantly affecting coral polyps and promoting coral bleaching, which destroys coral and impacts other marine life. E) What are the causes and effects of coral bleaching? As corals have evolved over thousands of years within a limited temperature range, heat stress as a result of high sea temperatures is the main cause of coral bleaching. When this limited temperature range is exceeded, corals are put under heat stress which causes the tiny algae called Zooxanthellae that lives within their tissues to be
Coral reefs are underwater ecosystems that are formed by many small animals called polyps, which through their ability to excrete calcium form the limestone skeleton that they live on. As coral reefs grow they can take on three structures fringing, barrier or atoll. The Reef located along the Queensland coastline is called the Great Barrier Reef as it is separated from the shoreline by a section of deep open water. Over many years hard coral polyps form reef structures that support a variety of marine life, these corals also known as reef-building corals found within the Great Barrier Reef include brain coral, staghorn coral and branching coral. In the tissues of these corals algae called Zooxanthellae live and provide the coral with important nutrients, while the coral provides the algae with a protected environment (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2017).
B) What is ocean acidification, and how does it affect coral reefs? Ocean acidification refers to the chemical reaction that occurs when the ocean absorbs carbon dioxide (CO2), making the seawater more acidic. …show more content…
Between 1800 and 1994, the oceans had absorbed around 48 percent of the total amount of carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels (IPCC, 2014). Therefore, the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by the ocean would have increased considerably since then, and with the increased production of carbonic acid which releases bicarbonate and hydrogen ions, the amount of carbonate ions which are necessary in the creation of coral shells and skeletons decrease significantly. (Australian Government, n.d.) Therefore, more acidic seawater impacts coral significantly, dissolving their shells and skeletons, and hindering their ability to absorb calcium carbonate. Ocean acidification not only impacts coral and the animals that rely on coral as their main food source, but the animals that make calcium carbonate shells such as snails and clams (How does climate change affect the reefs?, n.d). C) What affect do rising sea levels have on coral reefs? Rising sea levels can cause an increase in sedimentary processes that can interfere with important reef processes such as photosynthesis and feeding .This includes shoreline erosion which can reduce sunlight needed for photosynthesis and smother reefs (Reef Resilience Network, 2018). It is projected that as sea levels increase around two to three millimetres each year, the growth rate of coral will be able to keep pace with the rising sea levels. However, low-lying areas such as the Great Barrier Reef may be impacted by rising sea levels in the future as other factors such as increasing sea temperatures and ocean acidification will reduce the growth rate of coral. D) What affect do global increasing temperatures have on coral reefs? With global temperatures increasing due to climate change, sea temperatures will increase significantly affecting coral polyps and promoting coral bleaching, which destroys coral and impacts other marine life. E) What are the causes and effects of coral bleaching? As corals have evolved over thousands of years within a limited temperature range, heat stress as a result of high sea temperatures is the main cause of coral bleaching. When this limited temperature range is exceeded, corals are put under heat stress which causes the tiny algae called Zooxanthellae that lives within their tissues to be