Caribbean's Coral Reefs Approach Tipping Point -- Sarah Miner Hr 1
It's no secret that coral reefs are in trouble. But a new study over 16 months and on 19 different reefs made the showed just how severe the problem of shrinkage really is. According to a recent study, which was published in Nature Communications, many Caribbean reefs are approaching a "tipping point". A tipping point is when less that 10 % of the coral is actually alive, and the rate of coral death is beginning to exceed the rate at which new coral is being created. Rates of growth are at only 30-40% of their historical averages, and it's becoming a cause for worry among many in the marine biology community.
One possible cause that the article sites is a deficiency of calcium carbonate, a key chemical in expanding the reefs. Many are also lacking the acropora species, which help with the structure of the new life. Getting the reefs back on track has proven to be a very difficult task, which won't be helped by increasing ocean acidity, warmer waters, and unusual concentration of seaweed. One can only hope that people will take notice of this impending ecological crisis before it's too late.
Also, I don't know what's wrong with my computer, but I have been trying for literally hours to get pictures on and I can't do it. I have found pictures, and I promise I would put them on if I could, but I can't. I attached them to a word document, along with my summary, link, and Themes of Nature of Science, which I'm bringing to school on Friday the 15th. I also don't really want this to be counted as late, so I'm going to post it without pictures just to be on the safe side. I have also included the links.
Themes in Science
-- Science is collaborative: Many scientists worked on the study in order to minimize the effect of human error and biases on the results
-- Science is based on evidence: Over the 16 months that those involved were taking data, substantial amounts of evidence was collected, and that was obviously what they based their conclusions on
Picture Links
http://denglerimages.photoshelter.com/image/I0000BhvloIGf3O0
http://www.ourbreathingplanet.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Coral-Reef.jpg
Article Link
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/347913/description/Caribbeans_coral_reefs_approach_tipping_point
Adding onto the idea about needing to conserve the coral reefs, I would like to point out the Coral Reef Alliance. They are a group aimed to protect coral reefs. They currently have 2 active Coral Reef Sustainable Destinations (CRSD)in the Caribbean. They are looking to add three more sites in the future. Their main goals are to collaboratively work to sustain the environments, preserve the area from future harm, and stop the causes of the destruction. What they do is relatively small, but it is a start on protecting out coral reefs.
ReplyDeleteIf you would like to read more about the Coral Reef Alliance of see what you can do to help, visit: WWW.Coral.org/
Rachel Nelson, Hour 1, Gabel