Global warming is having the largest effect on coral reefs. The rising levels of CO2 and other greenhouse gases are causing the climate to heat up. This rise in air temperature is causing a rise in temperature of the water. Coral reefs cannot handle a huge change in water temperature because they are so delicate and sensitive.
1n 1998, most coral reefs along the Indian Ocean suffered from the increase in surface temperature of the water. In 2002, this same thing happened in the Pacific Ocean. The coral that have been greatly affected by the increase in temperature suffer from coral bleaching. Bleached corals are starving. It is possible for these corals to recover, only if the climate changes stops immediately. However, they will take hundreds of years to fully recover. If the climate change does not stop, we will lose these beautiful and exotic ecosystems forever.
Resources used...
globalissues.org
opendemocracy.net
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7 comments:
What is the ideal temperature range for coral reefs?
So if we don't stop immediately, which is obviously, at this point, impossible; what will happen to the reefs? At this point, is there really no chance of recovery at all?
It is surprising how the coral reefs have such an intricate dependence on the climate of their habitats. If these bleached reefs are starving, what is it that they have a deficiency of that cannot survive in these warmer waters?
What does a "bleached coral" mean? What happens to them?
Does the increase in water temperature mean that less food is available to the coral? You said the biggest effect of the higher temperature was that the coral was starving. What do coral eat? Small marine animals or plants? And then, of course, whatever is living in the coral is affected too...
I second Katy's question about recovery. Is there any way for the reefs to recover if steps were taken to reduce global warming?
I as well was wondering how corals starve from being bleached? Also how do they get bleached?
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