The Impact of Climate Change on the Oceans Coral Bleaching Rates Research Paper

The Impact of Climate Change on the Oceans Coral B take Rates - look into Paper ExampleThe presence of zooxanthellae at bottom chromatic polyps is able to entrust protection from ultraviolet illumination rays from the sun, as well as a stable carbohydrate supply to the corals during the day (Brown, 1997). At the same time, the corals provide CO2 for the photosynthetic activities, as well as providing a shelter from other predators (Graham, et al., 2006). Most corals female genital organ be found in sunny seas in tropical waters, which foster photosynthetic activity of the symbiotic algae during the day.Coral reefs argon found throughout tropical areas across the globe, and are mostly golden near coastal areas (Figure 1). Often called flowers of the sea, these creatures are not only aesthetically pleasing for galore(postnominal) tourists such(prenominal) as divers and underwater photographers, these are also ecologically-important members of ocean ecosystems by being a habita t for fish and other aquatic animals, as well as protecting the shorelines social structure by serving as breakwater for the oceans waves (Cesar, 2000). Such a feat is possible due to the hard exoskeletons of corals, which are durable to the kinetic effects of ocean waves. The process in which coral skeletons grow and develop takes a very long time due to the gradual calcification process in building up the coral skeleton by very small animals. However, recent climate changes causes a degeneration of this coral exoskeleton, which not only poses a threat to the corals themselves but also to the creatures that dwell within them, which in turn could affect livelihoods such as tourism and fishing industries of people living aboard coral reefs. Figure 1. The distribution of coral reef systems are limited to the tropics, seen here as glowering brown markings around coastlines and islands (ReefBase, n.d.). Figure 2. Various species of common coral after undergoing bleaching lose their color. Scale parallel bars=5cm (Anthony, et al., 2008). The steady rise in global temperatures have been causing various abnormalities in nature such as drastic weather changes, the growth and proliferation of invasive pests, and the destruction of marine ecological systems such as coral reefs. Several disasters within coral reefs have been recorded in the past decades, and most are attributed to the effects of rising atmospheric and ocean temperatures (Brown, 1997 Cao & Caldeira, 2008 Doney, et al., 2009 Glynn, 1993 Hoegh-Guldberg, et al., 2007 McNeil, et al., 2004). However, these are not the only factors that could contribute to the declining populations of corals and reefs, since other synthetic factors also come into play. The acidification of sea water due to increasing dissolved CO2, saturation of nutrients due to leaching of fertilizer runoffs, and the increase of disease-causing pathogens and other agents due to the warmer waters causes the disruption of the symbiotic rela tionship of the zooxanthellae and the coral polyps (Bruno, et al., 2003 Death et al., 2009 Grandcourt & Cesar, 2003 Obura, 2004 Silverman, et al., 2009). Corals become bleached when the number of symbionts decreases in the polyps bodies, leaving them colorless and much more exposed to the ultraviolet rays of the sun (Figure 2). The lack of zooxanthellae decreases carbohydrate production which translates to a lesser food supply for the corals. This causes the death of the coral polyps,