the fate of the coral reefs global warming’s effect on ocean ecosystem by: pat wise
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TRANSCRIPT
The Fate of the Coral
ReefsGlobal Warming’s Effect on Ocean
EcosystemBy: Pat Wise
www.divegallery.com
http://liveandletdive.googlepages.com/dreamstimeweb_7417461_reef.JPG/dreamstimeweb_7417461_reef-full.jpg
http://spy-spider.com/skull_and_crossbones.png
http://www.australiaone.com.au/images/public/Great-Barrier-Reef-QLD.jpg
What is Coral Mate?
Phylum - Cnidaria
Class - Anthozoa
Reef building secrete CaCO3 skeletons
Neritic Zone of Ocean (Shallow)
Sunlight and warm water!
Cnidocytes
http://www.seaworld.org/infobooks/Coral/sciclasscr.html
Sweet Place to Live
Home to 9 million Species
Maximum Production!
One of Four
Sick Hiding Spots
www.apple.com
Symbiosis WOAH! Awesome!
Photosynthetic Dinoflagellates
Zooxantheallae – Nitrogenous waste, CO2, and a Home
Coral – Photosynthetic capability and increased CaCO3 production
Pigmented algae produce colorful coral
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/photos/corals.html
http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/students/coral/coral3.htm
Coral Bleaching… Not Cool
Increased Water Temperature
Zooxantheallae don’t pull their weight
Algae expelled from Coral
Leaves white coral behind
www.abc.net.au/reslib/ 200704/r135574_457949.jpg
Coral Bleaching… is Ugly
Coral Death leads to algae and soft coral overgrowth
Marine “Weeds”
http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/image_full/international/photosvideos/photos/bleached-coral-great-barrier
www.gbrmpa.gov.au
Damage Done – Great Barrier Reef
42% of Great Barrier Reef bleached in 1998
18% suffered permanent damage
El Niño in 2002 warmed water temperatures affecting 60% of GBR
Killed 90% of reef forming corals on some inshore reefs
Hoegh-Guldberg, O. (1999). Climate Change, Coral Bleaching and the Future of the World's Coral Reefs. Mar. Freshw. Res.
The Future
CO2 increases will lead to further water temp. increases
Dr. Terry Done – “1° increase in global temperature = 82% reef bleaching, 2° increase = 97%, 3° = Total devastation”
Graph – Temp increase/bleaching threshold vs. Time
Increasing CO2 levels in ocean (acidification) hurts coral’s ability to generate CaC)3 reef structures.
http://www.sciencemag.org/
Hoegh-Guldberg, O. (1999). Climate Change, Coral Bleaching and the Future of the World's Coral Reefs. Mar. Freshw. Res.
Effects on Fish
Lose Habitat
Massive Extinctions
Gobiodon Species C
Biodiversity Loss
Food Productionwww.mahonia.org
Red Tides
1998 El Niño results in massive burning of Indonesian Rainforests
Iron rich smog develops
Toxin producing Dinoflagellates (red in color) produce red tide
Devastating effect – carcinogens (Karenia brevis) wildcoast.blog.co
m
Red Tides… Even Worse
2002 – El Niño produces smog over Southeast Asia
Size of the United States
Cut sunlight by 10%
Heated lower atmosphere and Ocean
Hundreds of Millions of dollars worth of aquaculture damaged
Southeastern Coral Reefs may be permanently damaged
What to Do???
Lower CO2 Emissions
Stop Overfishing
Protect Reefs from non-water warming harm (Tourism, Boating, Overfishing)
Stop El Niño!
More Simple Solutions
Turn off the Lights!
Eat less meat
Turn down your thermostat
Use electricity over natural gas
Use the fireplace!
Ride your bike
Make daily sacrifices to Gukumatz (Very Important)
http://www.yovendomicasa.es/images/dibujoserpientecols2.jpg
Hughes, T.P. et al. 2003. Climate Change, Human Impacts, and the Resilience of Coral Reefs. Science 301, pp. 929-33
Freeman, Scott. Biological Science. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2004.
Flannery, Tim. The Weather Makers, Our Changing Climate and What it Means for Life on Earth. New York, NY: Penguin Group, 2005. 104-13.
Hoegh-Guldberg, O. (1999). Climate Change, Coral Bleaching and the Future of the World's Coral Reefs. Mar. Freshw. Res.
Donner, S., Skirving, W. J., Little, C. M., Oppenheimer, M. and Hoegh-Guldberg, O. (2005). Global assessment of coral bleaching and required rates of adaptation under climate change. Glob. Chan. Biol.
"Garden Sprinklers May Save Reef from Bleaching." ABC News. 15 June 2007. ABC. 10 Nov. 2008 <http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/06/15/1951896.htm>.