Coral Reef

Due to rising rates in human population and consumption over the past centuries, there has been a significant amount of biodiversity loss and species extinction. In Walter Dodds‘ Humanitys Footprint, he estimated that since 1950, about 300,000 species have gone extinct. Cutting and burning of rainforests and the destruction of coral reefs are, among others, major causes of species extinction, Deforestation contributes to species extinction as well as carbon dioxide, C0,), emissions. The ocean absorbs CO; emissions, which is of the causes of the deterioration of coral reefs. The problem of species extinction is not completely solvable, though the causes can be reduced and the affects can be slowed down. A method to reducing the destruction of rainforests and consequently C02 emissions would be to remove meat from the diet.

A vegetarian diet can be attributed with a significantly smaller carbon footprint. Vegetarianism does not jeopardize the poorer quarter of the world’s chance to attain a higher quality of life; all sufficient nutrients can be obtained through a vegetarian diet, Rainforests are known to be the most diverse ecosystems; however, estimating the amount of species within a rainforest is difficult. The amount of undetermined species must be estimated in order to more accurately assess the amount of species. To do so, biologists visit various areas in a rainforest and count the unique species, which gives them an estimate of undetermined species per type of area. Similarly, extinction rates can be estimated by assessing the rate of rainforest destruction; the rate of habitat loss is multiplied by the average of undetermined species per area (Dodds).

Rainforest destruction accounts for the largest amount of species extinctionr “Current estimates are that 14,000 to 40,000 tropical forest species become extinct each year” (Dodds 76). In Stuart Pimm’s The World According to Pimm, he estimated that “humid tropical forests have shrunk by 7 million km!” in addition to the destruction of other types of rainforests (Pimm 73) Pimm estimated that about 2 million km2 are used for cropland and the remaining 5 million km2 are used for raising cattle and goats. In addition to the destruction of habitats for rainforest species, “9 billion tons of production go into the atmosphere each year as a consequence of forest clearing and burning” (Pimm 103). It is estimated that 1.5 billion tons of that pollution is carbon dioxide, The pollution that enters the atmosphere as a result of deforestation also affects other ecosystems and their biodiversity.

Similar to rainforests, coral reefs are considered one of the most diverse ecosystems in terms of species, For example, “an Australian researcher once broke apart a volleyball-sized chunk of coral and found, living inside of it, more than fourteen hundred polychaete worms belonging to 103 different species” (Kolbert 139), Coral reefs are part animal, vegetable, and mineral, and are both living and dead It is estimated that thousands, possibly even millions, of species have come to rely on coral reefs for protection or a resource for food. A study published in Science in 2008 found about one third of coral reefs to be in danger of extinction (Kolbert). The destruction of coral reefs is due to affects of climate change and carbon dioxide emissions. Coral reefs need tropical temperatures; however, when the temperature increases past homeostasis, equilibrium is lost and species are affected.

As the result of an increase in the water‘s temperature, algae leave the reef causing the coral to lose color, “bleaching“ the coral, and eventually malnutrition and death Coral reef destruction is also largely due to the increase of carbon dioxide emissions, which cause the ocean to acidify, first discovered in an experiment in Arizona called Biosphere 2 (Kolbert) A high amount of CO: content in the air directly correlates to a low pH of the ocean. Another manner for measuring the affects of ocean acidification is the saturation state of the water, which is essentially a measure of the concentration of calcium and carbonate ions within the ocean. “when C02 dissolves in water, it forms carbonic acid –H2CO;– which effectively ‘eats’ carbonate ions, thus lowering the saturation state”.

The Biosphere 2 experiment confirmed the hypothesis that the growth rate of corals and the saturation state of water are directly correlated; the higher the saturation state, the higher the growth rate of corals. An increase in carbon dioxide emissions lowers the saturation state of water, resulting in a lower rate of growth for coral reefs. National Geographic estimated that “around half of all carbon dioxide produced by humans since the industrial revolution has been dissolved into the world’s oceans” (Pickrell) Before the industrial revolution, the world’s major reefs held a saturation state between four and five; however, currently most reefs hold a saturation state below four and it is projected that by 2060, no region will be above 35 (Kolbert). Therefore, it is clear that the saturation state of oceans is a direct result of industrialization and consumption.

Furthermore, the affects of deforestation and the destruction of coral reefs on biodiversity are nearly irreversible; the only solution is to slow destruction down. Dodds estimated that it would take millions of years for new species to evolve to replace the species humans have caused to go extinct. Only with changes in consumption driven by environmental values can destruction of rainforests and coral reefs be hindered, A change in consumption that would not inhibit the poorest in the world from attaining a higher quality of living would be to adopt a vegetarian diet. Much of the destruction of rainforests is done to create farms for raising animals for slaughter. Forest destruction and cattle grazing contribute to C01 emissions, which lower the saturation state of coral reefs and cause the ecosystem to die. In Brazil, it was estimated that 80% of forest destruction was due to an increase in raising cattle for consumption (Felsinger).

The emissions as a result of various livestock (and their byproducts) account for at least 32,000 million tons of C02 per year (Anhang). After much research Lindsay Wilson found that a vegetarian diet has a carbon footprint of 1.7 t C028, significantly smaller than the average diet with meat, which had a carbon footprint of 2.5 t COle. It is worth noting that simply removing beef from the diet reduces the carbon footprint to 1,9 t C029 (Wilson) It is clear that incorporating vegetarianism into one‘s lifestyle would benefit the ecosystem; fewer cattle would be raised, resulting in less carbon dioxide emissions, less deforestation for cattle grazing land, and consequently less carbon dioxide absorbed by the ocean and coral reefs.

I chose to talk about habitat engineering. This review will be directed toward the scientific community regarding the Great Barrier Reef. For a long time, there have been discussions regarding climate change and its effects on coral reefs. A small fraction of corals can be found in the deep sea, but the majority are found in tropical environments that are subject to rain, intense heat, and humidity. In coastal areas, reefs protect the coast by forming a barrier between the land and ocean and provide a large food source for communities. Individuals can harvest a variety of seafood that can be sold to markets or direct to consumers. And, they can make profits by being part of the food trade industry. This also benefits the job market because local fishermen can take this as an opportunity to provide for their families and contribute to economic growth. Globally, coral reefs contribute around $375 billion per year to the economy.

I chose to talk about habitat engineering. This review will be directed toward the scientific community regarding the Great Barrier Reef. For a long time, there have been discussions regarding climate change and its effects on coral reefs. A small fraction of corals can be found in the deep sea, but the majority are found in tropical environments that are subject to rain, intense heat, and humidity. In coastal areas, reefs protect the coast by forming a barrier between the land and ocean, and provide a large food source for communities.. The reasons are because it is very expensive and will cost between $100,000-1,000,00 per hectare. And, because making a physical change to the environment is something that only experienced professionals should be doing (ex: engineers collaborating with scientists). If individuals are unfamiliar with the biology or physical consequences, we would cause a significant setback.

Some solutions that we recommend are increasing public knowledge, creating artificial reef environments that tourists can enjoy, and reducing the amount of diving traffic so reefs can recover. In my opinion, I think it’s best to do interventions that will benefit the corals while also considering the pros and cons. The biggest thing to note is that many of the proposed interventions cannot keep up with the fast pace of habitat loss, and often fail to tackle the cause of ocean acidification and global carbon emissions (Albright 2019). If we can come up with approaches that will address both problems, then we may be able to find success, as long as we are consistent.

Coral reefs are some of the most beautiful places on earth They have often been called the “rainforests of the ocean,” due to their extreme biodiversity, Coral is the keystone species of the coral reef biome, and it is one of the most sensitive organisms in the ocean “Corals live in very nutrient poor waters and have certain zones of tolerance to water temperature, salinity, UV radiation, opacity, and nutrient quantities” (Buchheim). Due to the fact that these organisms are so sensitive to the factors around them, any sort of human disturbance can often lead to degradation of said ecosystems, These disturbances take form of three different problems; coral bleaching (ocean acidification), pollution, and overfishing. According to Roger Bradbury, “Overfishing, ocean acidification and pollution are pushing coral reefs into oblivion. Each of those forces alone is fully capable of causing the global collapse of coral reefs; together, they assure it”

Furthermore the degradation of coral reefs is starting to majorly affect humans in many areas, including increased pollution, economic failures, and increased mortality rates with lower health quality. Pollution is an issue that all humans will face, if coral reefs keep degrading the way they are. Animals and coral reefs work in unison with the ocean as a natural carbon sink. Unfortunately, due to high amounts of acidification and rising emissions, the ocean is unable to keep up on demands. “Acidification is a concern for sea life—for the atmosphere, it’s a good thing our oceans are absorbing so much carbon, but as the oceans acidify, it’ll affect [coral reefs and shellfish], and work its way up the food chain” (Koebler, pan 9) If said acidification works its way up the food chain, humans end up with health problems, and increased pollution, on top of what they already have, because there will be nothing to protect them from their own waste.

The large diversity of plants and animals in the coral reefs also allow for the ocean to absorb extra C02 via these organisms. Due to the fact that “…Lhe variety of species living on coral reefs is greater than almost anywhere else in the world” (Coral Reef Alliance, pan 3), degradation of this particular ecosystem spells disaster for the human race These variety of species are the barrier between us and the very emissions humans intoxicate them with. “Although molecular nitrogen (N2), a type of macronutrient, is abundant in the atmosphere and ocean, few marine organisms can utilise nitrogen in this form, Coral associated bacteria, such as the photosynthetic cyanobacteria, are one of the few marine organisms that are able to take molecular nitrogen (N2) from the water and convert or ‘fix’ it to produce more usable products such as ammonia (NI-I3), ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate (NOB-)…” (Endangered Species International pari 3)

As a result of organisms like these, humans can sit in their air conditioned gas guzzlers, but for how much longer? Economic Failure is another problem that would be created if the degradation of coral reefs continues in the direction that it is headed, Many small towns and businesses rely on the byproducts of coral reefs “By one estimate, coral reefs provide economic goods and ecosystem services worth about $375 billion each year to millions of people” (Coral Reef Alliance, par. 4). This is a number on par with many industrial businesses and other resource pools that humans use, such as oil and minerals Fish are also worth large amounts of money to places that rely on it. “A full—grown coral-reef fish is worth around $10 on a plate in a restaurant. Indeed, if delivered alive to the fancier sort of restaurant (one that allows its customers to pick their dinner from a selection swimming in a tank) it may be worth as much as $100.

Even allowing for generous markups by the middlemen, fisherfolk from developing countries can earn a great deal of money this way” (Vernon) Without coral reefs, the smaller towns would not contribute, and the common people make up the economy One particular town in the Philippines, a province of the USA, helps keep its economy afloat through the use of ecotourism, “The striking abundance and diversity of fish and other marine animals (eg, turtles and sea snakes) around the island have attracted coral reef tourism (Cadiz and Calumpong 2000) The island has two small hotels and a dive shop, which employ several dozen island residents, In addition, diving tour boats come daily from the nearby mainland. A few island households take tourists as boarders, and some of the women have tourist related jobs such as catering for the hotels or hawking Apo Island T-shirts. The island government collects a snorkeling/diving fee, which has been used to finance a diesel generator that supplies electricity to every house in the island’s main village during the evening.

The tourist fees have also financed substantial improvements for the island‘s elementary school, garbage collection for disposal at a landfill on the mainland, and improvements in water supply” (Marten, pan 14). Without coral reefs, due to the degradation rate as it currently is, people will lose the economy, and many small towns like these will perish. Increased health risks and mortality rates are also associated with the effects of a degrading coral reef biome. “Several important drugs have already been developed from chemicals found in coral reef organisms” (Coral Reef Alliance par. 2) One can easily tell that not only drugs, but other important ingredients to the medicinal field will be continuously developed. This cannot happen however, if there are no coral reefs for humans to get materials from, meaning that medicines will never be developed, and people whose deaths could have prevented won’t be.

Coral reefs also provide us with a large amount of protection from flooding and hurricanes “Coral reefs provide shoreline protection by buffering wave energy and reducing coastal erosion. When corals bleach, they are weakened and break up more easily when wave energy is higher, thus minimizing their buffering capacity” (The Nature Conservancy par. 2), Coral Reefs also have certain portions of the biome devoted to fish nurseries, in a part that is known as a mangrove. The mangrove buffers against waves and flooding due to its deeply rooted trees and thick above water density, keeping thousands of people from being killed by flooding or winds. Finally, “Coral reefs are also a significant source of protein for millions of people”. This means that without coral reefs, many people would be exposed to protein deficiency problems that they would otherwise not have to worry about.

Mortality rates go up, the number of sickly escalates, and the human race would have a large problem on their hands, Coral reefs are one of the most beautiful places on earth, and they provide the world with an abundant amount of resources> but they are fragile If the human race is to prevent the degradation and the effects of it, then they must realize their mistakes, Otherwise, they will start to majorly be affected by problems such as increased pollution, economies failing, and increased health risks/mortality ratesr Acidification, overfishing, and pollution must be stopped before it is too late, these effects are already taking hold over various things Who knows, maybe in thirty years, the cure to cancer will be discovered from a coral reef, or maybe a coastal town will catch a fish never seen before by the scientific community The world will never know, however, if the problem is not fixed.