Coral

food from coral reefs, and reefs as a whole might be worth around $172 billion for every year they continue to provide essential services to humans, like food.” Humans get these food sources from coral reefs through fishing. Another physical thing that we can get from coral reefs is medicine. Because coral reefs contain lots of good chemicals and fungi that can be turned into medicine, they are a great source for many diseases. Examples also “Coral Reef Alliance” that medicine from coral reefs…

down. As they to survey the coral reefs around them, something catches their eye. The coral has turned white, and no longer moves with life. This whiteness seems to have spread over a big area of the reef. One can no longer see the colorful branches swaying in the current, or the schools of tropical fish swimming through. It’s a vast, white, death-like reef. This phenomenon is known as coral reef bleaching. This makes corals unattractive and a breath away from death. Coral reef bleaching…

anyone care about coral ecosystems? Not only do coral reefs provide humans with billions of dollars in environmental services such as tourism, food, but they are extremely beneficial to the economy. So what is a coral reef? According to the NOAA, a coral reef is a “A mound or ridge of living coral, coral skeletons, and calcium carbonate deposits from other organisms such as calcareous algae, mollusks, and protozoans.” (Noaa.gov) Many people don’t realize how important the health of coral reefs…

has had multiple effects on coral reefs. (Lesser, 2010) Terrestrial, aquatic and marine ecosystems are all affected by climate change. Coral is a vital part of the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem, without it there would be cascading effects. Coral bleaching is primarily caused by ocean temperature increase, but can also be caused by increased sunlight exposure and pollution from runoff. In order to prevent coral bleaching, there are many actions individuals can take. Coral plays a crucial role in…

Coral reefs are one of the most diverse and valuable ecosystems on earth. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, coral reefs support more species per unit area than any other marine environment, making them the equivalent of an aquatic rain forest (Kitch and Edwards). Occupying a mere one percent of the seafaring environment, coral reefs are home to more than one quarter of all known marine species. This translates to approximately four thousand species of fish,…

restore marine tropical coral reef system. Pertaining to the article, the coral reef system is complex and hard to reconstruct without altering the physical conditions and species that rely on it. As this study states, many of the causes for the loss of the coral reefs may be due to natural environmental factors such as the temperature changes but other causes are human influenced, such as tourisms near coral reefs. This article focuses on the reconstruction of tropical coral reefs with natural…

Coral Canyons Coral canyons are an important part of the ocean ecosystem and need to be protected. First, there are many issues that are posed to the canyons. Some of the issues are oil drilling, commercial fishing, and deep sea mining. The fishing destroys corals because of the nets that hit them. Also drilling and mining harm not only the coral but also some of the organisms that live there. Secondly, there are a lot of organisms that live in the coral canyons. In one of the articles I read…

Mr. DeRoss NOAA Headquarters. "NOAA declares third ever global coral bleaching event: Bleaching intensifies in Hawaii, high ocean temperatures threaten Caribbean corals." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 8 October 2015. . Dramatic changes in the ocean’s temperatures in Hawaii are quickly spreading to the Caribbean and is hurting coral reefs. This climate change is estimated to last into the upcoming year, 2016, and is the third global coral bleaching on record. Climate changes, such as El Niño, and…

Coral reefs provide nearly $30 billion each year in net benefits in goods and services to world economies, including, tourism, fisheries and coastal protection, but that number could diminish greatly very soon (Cesar et al. 2003). In fact, 30% of coral reefs are at risk of being lost in about the next thirty years. Millions depend on coral reefs for nutrition and income, and if the coral reefs suffer, it is very likely that people who rely on coral reef ecosystems will suffer as well.…

hard and soft corals, shelters one hundred and thirty-three varieties of rays and sharks, and is home to 1,625 species of fish (Pressey, Grech, Brodie, Day). There is only one problem however, the Great Barrier Reef is dying. The…