By Sydney Hollis, Collegiate correspondent.
An Earth without coral reefs — what does that statement mean to the human race? To many people around the world, this statement means close to nothing to them.
A large majority of people believe that climate change — the main cause of coral bleaching and death — is not proven by science, therefore humans cannot be responsible for anything that may be caused by this phenomena.
Along with this, since coral reefs only cover about 1% of the ocean floor, this means numerous people have never had the experience of seeing them up close. 1% of the ocean floor seems like an extremely minuscule number, which causes many to believe that coral reefs have a minuscule effect on the earth.
As the reefs of the world deteriorate via bleaching due to climate change, the benefits to humans and the earth reaped from coral reefs deteriorate as well. It has long been proven that climate change is a direct result of increasing carbon emissions from human consumption, meaning humans are ultimately to blame for the deterioration and possible extinction of coral reefs.
To the opposers of the idea of humans being responsible for climate change and the deterioration of reefs, I would tell them to simply look at the hard facts that prove that global warming is real, caused by humans and is causing a negative domino effect on the ecosystems of the earth.
According to Aldeth Lewin, journalist at the Virgin Islands Daily News: “When colorful, living, coral polyps become stressed by high water temperatures, they expel the symbiotic algae that live within them and provide needed food to the coral. Because the algae is the source of the coral’s color, when it leaves, the coral becomes stark white or bleached.”
The process of coral bleaching is more frequently reported from elevated ocean water temperatures. According to Jason Buchheim, director of Odyssey Expeditions, a small positive anomaly of 1-2 degrees Celsius for five to 10 weeks during the summer season will usually induce bleaching in coral polyps. The number one cause of coral bleaching is rising ocean temperatures, which is directly linked to climate change and global warming.
According to Trevor Day, author of the book “Oceans,” coral organisms require an extremely specific temperature to survive: “Rises in water temperature of only 1.8 degrees [Fahrenheit], for prolonged periods, can be sufficient to cause hard-coral die off.”
A revealing case to look at when supporting this concept is the deterioration of the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia. According to a new study from the United Nations Environment Programme, between 2014 and 2016 “the world witnessed the longest global bleaching event recorded.” More than 90% of the world’s largest reef, the Great Barrier Reef, has been bleached; 20% of this fraction was completely killed as a result.
These facts alone support that coral bleaching and death is a direct result of climate change. This should prove to climate change deniers that global warming does exist and is having a negative effect on the earth.
So what can we as humans do to save coral reefs? As college students, saving the coral reefs may seem like an enormously difficult task, but there are actually some simple – and free – steps we can all take to combat coral extinction.
Since the main cause of coral death is ultimately linked to climate change, reducing carbon emissions is the most helpful way to support the reefs. Each and every one of us can do our part in reducing this harmful carbon by using public transportation, reducing water usage, using energy-saving appliances, turning lights and devices off and keeping our tires properly inflated.
These actions may seem minuscule, but just imagine if everyone did them. I challenge all of the students and faculty of Delta to take these small steps to save the reefs, and ultimately, save the world!
Works Cited
Buchheim, Jason. “Coral Reef Bleaching.” Coral Reef Bleaching, 2013,
www.marinebiology.org/coralbleaching.htm.
“CARIBBEAN-ENVIRONMENT-New Study Predicts Climate Change Will Lead to Annual
Coral Bleaching in the Caribbean.” CANA News, 6 Jan. 2017. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.delta.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=b7h&AN=FCSJCAN20170106.00015&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
Lewin, Aldeth. “UVI Researchers Find Viruses May Be Cause of Coral Disease.” Virgin
Islands Daily News, The (St. Thomas), 2 Jan. 2014. EBSCOhost
ezproxy.delta.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=tru
e&db=b7h&AN=2W62145076695&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
