Reefs

Darwin once stated that coral reefs “rank high amongst the wonderful objects in the world”. Reefs are amazing, they are animal, they are plant, they sometimes appear dead, and they sometimes are brimming with precious life. Reefs are rainforests, filled with so much life and beauty. “It is estimated that at least half a million and possibly as many as nine million species spend part of their lives on coral reefs” (“The Sixth Extinction”, Kolbert). This chapter sadly tells us that these…

Dear Senator/Representative, My name is Shae Bauchens, and I am writing regarding my deep concern about how the destruction of coral reefs is eventually going to affect our every day lives as human beings, and how creating laws to stop overfishing will eliminate this issue all together. I did not grow up on a beach town, but my family and I love spending time in the sea. I love the ocean, and could not imagine what my life would be without it. It has played a huge role in my life since I was…

years. Because of tourism playing a huge role in the Florida keys, our beaches and oceans are left polluted and leaving our reefs to extinction. Not only in the Keys, but throughout Florida our waters are heavily polluted by the great amount of tourism in our state. In the Florida Keys and the Caribbean, there has been a vast decline in staghorn and elkhorn corals leaving the reefs scattered since the 70’s. As I continued to observe and research this topic, I noticed that humans overlook the…

precious treasures could cease to exist as a sacrifice to find that balance. Corals reefs are living creatures and ecosystems that are located in shallow warm tropical oceans, which house hundreds of tropical species of fish. Unfortunately, tourism and human related climate change is killing reef’s around the world causing loss of habitat and pressuring species survival. Tourism has a number of factors that destroy the reefs such as chemical pollutants and seaweed infestation inflicting coral…

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 could…

Coral reefs and how chemical substances can affect these living organisms is what I decided to base my investigation on. We tend to have a genuine love for coral reefs whenever we view someone’s scuba diving photos. You see the fishes swimming around those coral reefs, but many do not know their purpose. However, it comes down to learning the importance of coral reefs and how to protect these species that are very much a part of our ocean. A coral reef is very important, coral reefs have many…

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 are to our society. For…

The Great Barrier Reef is a coastal habitat off the coast of Queensland, Australia. The system is the largest coral reef and living structure in the world, reaching around 2,575 in length. It’s made up of approximately 2,900 individual reefs with 900 islands. The Great Barrier Reef is the perfect habitat for many species of marine life such as coral and over one thousand five hundred species of fish. The reef contains many different life forms such as: fish, sea turtles, giant clams, sea snakes,…

with what he may of hit. Little did he know that he would later discover this amazing coral reef that is the largest reef in the entire world. The reef itself is enormous, nearly 1,500 miles long off the coast of Australia. The irony here is that he did not even mean to make one of the world’s most famous discoveries: the largest structure in the world made of living organisms. “Today, the Great Barrier Reef is recognized as a site of such environmental importance that it is protected as a…

CORAL REEF DIVING IS AN ALL-TIME FAVORITE TO MOST SCUBA DIVERS. BUT LIKE IT OR NOT, SCUBA DIVERS ARE CAUSING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE WORLD’S CORAL REEFS. Scientific evidence shows that divers are directly and/or indirectly responsible for damaging the reef life with some of their thoughtless behaviors. Not to say that all divers are harming reef life intentionally. But due to some divers’ lack of proper training, it is done unknowingly at times. Coral reef diving possesses some unique…