Coral Bleaching
As a kid I was always fascinated with coral’s, seeing them on disney movies and other cartoons made me really want to see one in person. Coral reefs are some of the most beautiful living things that the ocean has to offer. Its array of vibrant colors are so attractive they make you want to go in the ocean yourself and look at them up close. Though coral reefs are less than one percent of the earth 's surface, 25 percent of marine fish species live in the coral reefs. The animals that live there are broken up into different categories of animals. Among the vertebrate animals which are animals with backbones and spinal columns, only a view groups contain species that certain to be found within the coral reef …show more content…
When corals are stressed from changes in their conditions such as temperature, or light, they expel the symbiotic algae living in their tissues, causing them to change color and turn white, hence the word “bleaching”. Coral bleaching is actually bad for the coral itself because the coral will never gain its original pigmentation back. When the coral is healthy it is bright with its natural color, the algae are living on it and they help the coral just as much as the coral helps the algae. If the coral is stressed the algae branches off and leaves the coral vulnerable. Without the algae the coral loses its main source of food and nutrients, and turns pale white, this leaves the coral susceptible to disease. It all starts with algae, algae is the main reason to this major problem. Without the algae leaving on the coral it won 't last very long. The number one reason why Coral bleaching occurs is from the temperature in the ocean changing. It actually wasn’t until the 1980 's when the first and only coral bleaching event was recorded. It was because of the flooding from Hurricane Flora that resulted in a large drop in salinity that bleached and killed many corals in Jamaica. Mass coral bleaching was first recognized on the Pacific coast of Panama following the El Nino event in 1982 and …show more content…
Corals help humans because they also act like sponges or filter feeders because the absorb particulate matter which is all solid and liquid particles suspended in air, many of which are hazardous. This complex mixture contains for instance dust, pollen, soot, smoke, and liquid droplets. Without the corals all of these particles would be in on our shore’s which means we would be swimming in it. We also fail to understand that sometimes we as humans cause coral bleaching by polluting the water with chemicals, trash, oil, etc. I’m pretty sure most folks enjoy lobsters, crabs, tuna, and other fishes. Little do we know that these animals actually like to live in or near corals, which sometimes protect them from larger predators. They also get there food from corals other creatures that live in the coral. With the coral bleached and unalive, there is no source of food for the lobsters, crabs, and tuna, they have to find another place to eat and they most likely get eaten by biggers predators before they get a chance to find new
As a kid I was always fascinated with coral’s, seeing them on disney movies and other cartoons made me really want to see one in person. Coral reefs are some of the most beautiful living things that the ocean has to offer. Its array of vibrant colors are so attractive they make you want to go in the ocean yourself and look at them up close. Though coral reefs are less than one percent of the earth 's surface, 25 percent of marine fish species live in the coral reefs. The animals that live there are broken up into different categories of animals. Among the vertebrate animals which are animals with backbones and spinal columns, only a view groups contain species that certain to be found within the coral reef …show more content…
When corals are stressed from changes in their conditions such as temperature, or light, they expel the symbiotic algae living in their tissues, causing them to change color and turn white, hence the word “bleaching”. Coral bleaching is actually bad for the coral itself because the coral will never gain its original pigmentation back. When the coral is healthy it is bright with its natural color, the algae are living on it and they help the coral just as much as the coral helps the algae. If the coral is stressed the algae branches off and leaves the coral vulnerable. Without the algae the coral loses its main source of food and nutrients, and turns pale white, this leaves the coral susceptible to disease. It all starts with algae, algae is the main reason to this major problem. Without the algae leaving on the coral it won 't last very long. The number one reason why Coral bleaching occurs is from the temperature in the ocean changing. It actually wasn’t until the 1980 's when the first and only coral bleaching event was recorded. It was because of the flooding from Hurricane Flora that resulted in a large drop in salinity that bleached and killed many corals in Jamaica. Mass coral bleaching was first recognized on the Pacific coast of Panama following the El Nino event in 1982 and …show more content…
Corals help humans because they also act like sponges or filter feeders because the absorb particulate matter which is all solid and liquid particles suspended in air, many of which are hazardous. This complex mixture contains for instance dust, pollen, soot, smoke, and liquid droplets. Without the corals all of these particles would be in on our shore’s which means we would be swimming in it. We also fail to understand that sometimes we as humans cause coral bleaching by polluting the water with chemicals, trash, oil, etc. I’m pretty sure most folks enjoy lobsters, crabs, tuna, and other fishes. Little do we know that these animals actually like to live in or near corals, which sometimes protect them from larger predators. They also get there food from corals other creatures that live in the coral. With the coral bleached and unalive, there is no source of food for the lobsters, crabs, and tuna, they have to find another place to eat and they most likely get eaten by biggers predators before they get a chance to find new