Gaskill, M. (2022, November 23.) Coral reefs near Texas may not escape greater damage from climate change retrieved from https://texasclimatenews.org/2022/11/23/coral-reefs-near-texas-

may-not-escape-greater-damage-from-climate-change/

According to this source it states that the coral reefs in Texas to be noted to remain healthy regardless of the issues they face with climate change. The problem in the gulf of mexico, which is the warming water, is spreading into texas. No longer making Texas a safe place for these coral. 2015 was the year when scientists started their research on how they could start to maintain climate change and simulate a warning. They would call it to contain and reduce the  high emissions, it is estimated to last to 2100 and to help the years coming. Estimated to be during the next 10 to 20 years that have created a huge difference for the reefs. Another contributor to the reef’s survival was the algae to help “feed” the coral organisms. Although this helps the corals there are still other Climate-change-related problems such as increased acidification. The coral lead to dying due to starvation from the bleaching. 

A way that this could impact the environment positively could be stated by the article, “through benefits of investing in reducing carbon emissions cannot be understated.” One solution that they have tried and considered was trying to mitigate and relocate the coral reefs onto another place, like “putting a band-aid on it”. But it really isn’t that easy. Coral reefs are being heavily affected but also have an impact on the rest of the sea wildlife and the diversity of the ocean as well. Adding on they also help the shorelines from tropical storms ( also helping us in that) and erosion. With their population decreasing it causes significant economic impacts on coastal communities. 

( 2022, December 17.) Using Data to Identify Hot Spots and Predict Bleaching Events. The Florida Keys Reef retraced from https://serc.carleton.edu/eslabs/corals/6d.html 

Another common place in which the coral reefs are located is in Florida. The area they are most known to be located is the Florida Keys Reef Tract, which is known for being the third largest-living coral barrier reef system in the world,also started in 1960. Incredibly, the Florida Keys reef tract is a protector of the ocean. It protects about 9947 km of both the coast where most reefs are located but also the rest of the ocean it covers. The protector helps control pollution of all sorts like oil, mining, touching, and collecting coral. The parts of the ocean that aren’t being protected by the Florida Keys reef tract, are known as being the “Hot Spots” of the ocean. Due to the rising temperature of the ocean. The research of this barrier and protector has stated that it has come in handy in actually reducing the amount of bleaching that has happened to the coral. It was consistent in helping in the years 1980 and 2016. The studies were made for more than 50 countries. To use to help aid the coral reefs, in at least part of the ocean. 

This has impacted the environment in a more positive way. It helped the risk of bleaching several more coral reefs beds. The exact increase rates were “…increased at a rate of 4% per year–.” due to the fact that this method has impacted not only the coral but also the whole environment surrounded by them. Not only have they helped the temperature rise to calm down but they have also caused sea level, and human activities, including pollution to be saved and maintained. Fun fact: the most prominent mass bleaching, exactly 58%, of it was being affected heavily during the El Niño pandemic, due to the sea level rise and average tropical sea surface temperatures. 

Miller, S. (2022, September 2.) The Allen Coral Atlas is the First High-Res Map of All the World’s Coral Reefs, Asia & The Pacific, Conservation. Retrieved from https://www.nathab.com/blog/allen-coral-atlas/ 

With coral reefs, comes algae. In fact, algae actually helps coral in helping them get certain nutrients and also cleaning them. The algae has also come in to help the coral with the mass bleaching problem that nearly wiped out their whole population, that happened in 2016-2017. The way the algae helped, or tried to help before they’d leave the habitat in where the coral were, was by giving them their color, which was reversing the bleaching. They did this with the photosynthesis that was given to the other by the sun to help them grow, becoming stronger. But the bleaching got to the reefs brightness coral due to the absence in the algae, because the coral would no longer have those nutrients to help them grow and be protected, and also the vibrant colors like purple, blue, green, or red, which came from the protein pigments in the nutrients and the reflected light. From the algae they became a green-brown color. They have been able to survive na little longer due to their “…resilient…under the right conditions.”

The cause of the temperature rise and climate change not only affect the coral heavily but it affect the organisms around it. Like the algae, algae is found all throughout the ocean, fish tanks at home, and even aquaponics if not put in the right place. Algae is actually a short name for algae blooms, which is a bigger type of algae. Algae is known for forming many nutrients for the sea life and sea plants around them. They get built up by heavy amounts of water, fertilizers (waste), and any kind of nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen, and photosynthesis). The whole reason why they are not able to help the coral reefs anymore is because they too are leaving the environment due to the warmth of the water. Just like the coral then rise in temperature of the water causes the algae to become stressed by both helping themselves survive and the corals. The bleaching happens when the algae starts leaving the tissue of the coral, resulting in the bleaching, not death but very weak. 

NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program. (2023, January 23.) Puerto Rico. Retrieved from 

https://www.coris.noaa.gov/portals/puertorico.html 

Coral is found in the Caribbean, specifically the northern central area. In the most tropical areas, coral reefs are surrounded around the shoresides in formations of barriers. The common place where most coral reefs can be found is in Puerto Pico. Puerto Rico is surrounded by very deep bodies of waters which create most waters to come together and flow into the north and coast shores. That later ended in adding on to the problem of temperature rise and ocean acidification, as well as erosion. One common problem for coral reefs is the water condition. In Puerto Rico, due to the regular climate there, most of the cooler temperatures are much deeper in the water, called thermocline. The problem is that most coral reefs are located mostly along the coast of the ocean where the water is warmer due to the shallow water in the natural sea barrier near the shore. Which is when the coral reefs start experiencing coral bleaching due to the ocean acidification. 

The coral reefs are an essential aspect in the ocean. They affect the whole ocean when the population starts to decrease due to climate change and ocean eutrophication. The eutrophication in Puerto Rico is affecting the way these coral reefs live, which includes the environment around it as well. In the Puerto Ricos trench, which is known for having one of the largest trench. Along the coast, thay have a high population of coral to be about and a lot of diversity as well, which is a good thing and a bad thing for the coral reefs. Some include eutrophication, sea pollution(from litter or algal growth) and etc. 

Wakefield Adhya, S. (2023, January 23.) The Survival Secrets of “Super Reefs”. Retrieved from https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-insights/perspectives/survival-secrets-super-reefs/

Ongoing problems with reef bleaching and temperature rise in the ocean and sediment levels, have led to the coral reefs population to decrease. “Globally, we have already lost 50% of coral reefs.” In regards to Dr. Elizabeth McLeod, TNC’s global reefs lead. But early this year, we’ve come to a conclusion that a certain amount of coral reefs have been able to survive and withstand these circumstances. Coral reefs have swayed the human’s perspective, they’ve gotten the attention of tourists to help aid the economies costalline communities. Progressively the communities are supporting up to 25% of marine life. Which made it so that they’d have  a better chance at surviving, adding on to that some stronger coral reefs have worked on their own to fight. To help their survival time further a little longer, they use their own  internal energy stores also by consuming other organisms around their environment and ecosystem. In studies at Stanford University coral reefs have been renamed with “Super Coral Reefs” for withstanding these effects. 

An ongoing obstacle that coral reefs and their habitats face is climate change. If everyone as a whole could come together to try to reduce and aid Climate change, then it will impact and manage the ocean sea life positively. Leading to a lively seaworld. But if not it has come to the idea that by 2050 approximately 90-100% of the coral reefs population will be gone. Coral have provided sorts of blockages and barricades of huge, full waves from entering and passing over the shorelines, that would damage houses and other buildings. What over 1 billion people don’t realize is that we rely on them for food, livelihoods, and land. In helping coral reefs people will be given benefits back, a positive feedback loop. 

Admin, E. R. I. (2022, August 22). 10 Staggering Electronic Waste Facts in 2022. ERI. Retrieved January 29, 2023, from https://eridirect.com/blog/2022/08/10-staggering-electronic-waste-facts-in-2022/ 

Many people are not educated with issues of the world and specifically E-waste. Within a study of Gen Z and Millennials it was found that 60% had no clue what e-waste was. About 57% were not aware that their devices are contributing to pollution. Only 37% of the people aren’t contributing to the e-waste problem. Most of these adults said that they either threw away their devices in the trash or didn’t know that it could be recycled. The biggest part of e-waste is small devices, such as cellphones that now almost everyone has. About less than 20% of the e-waste is properly recycled. 

It’s shocking to see how many adults don’t know what e-waste is or that it requires recycling. I would’ve thought that people would at least know e-waste is contributing to climate change through pollution. It appears to be that small devices like cell phones are a big root of the problem. With all social media and easier access to information, a lot of people still are uneducated about topics like this. Apart from regulations, there should be more solutions to spread awareness to limit those contributing and increase those who help reduce it.

Delmore, E, 2022, Coral Reefs, National Parks Service, https://www.nps.gov/subjects/oceans/coral-reefs.htm  

Corals come in different, shapes, sizes, colors, etc. There’s so many types of species found in national parks, according to this document there are over 250 species of coral, some are named elkhorn coral, staghorn coral, boulder coral and brain corals. These corals support 25% of all marine animals stated in other articles aswell for food to many other species. Although some species don’t mean to cause harm some coral reef can damage from certain fishes that may be invasive in ecosystems, Causing some corals to break, scar, shatter, die or bleach. Obviously along with fish overfishing coral reefs systems can actually damage the entire ecosystem. 

Although coral reefs are so helpful to our environment coral reefs are also very fragile and sensitive to water temperature and chemical. The temperature in the water can change from pollution from boats cruises and other Aquatic tolerances, But some can be like products released into the ocean unintentionally like (creams, sunscreens, or piece clothing) or  intentionally (Litter, debris or food). And this all relates to litter in the world and the climate changing affecting the temperatures to change in both the inside of the water and out.

Lewbart, G.A. 2022, CORAL REEF AQUARIUM HUSBANDRY AND HEALTH, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9781119569831.ch6

The word husbandry is used a lot to describe the health of the coral reef aquarium. dFirst and foremost the word husbandry means to carefully manage something, som eone, or anything really. Therefore in this they show how they help habitats and ecosystems maintain stable. And since the coral reefs do a Good job to help people with food, materials and protection from strong weather formations from Ocean, like Turbines in the water,  Erosion They’re most likely depend It on by the society and the world. Like magnesium it is a chemical balance that is used by many living organisms including coral reefs to use for more enzymes, proteins basically. 

The way these these corals help us from upcoming natural disasters they blocked off the coastal sides of the ocean. Making it harder or the waves to form aggressively towards larger lands that have more civilians. They are alomst protecting us from natural disaters or master floods. They are our protection. With the water flow being a major factor for the living environment for the reefs and from the water flow sometimes it provides a filtration in a sense. There’s certain balance is that come into the coral reef systems in the waters.

Kiefer, J. 2022, University of Utah Health, https://healthcare.utah.edu/publicaffairs/news/2022/05/coral-anti-cancer-drug.php

Scientists find sea corals are source of sought-after ‘anti-cancer’ compound; Surprisingly to our benefit they are beginnings of the new medicines fir the sea life; Coral has created a new source of medicines. Listen to this scientists, have discovered after a long search deep into the ocean that these medicine created by corals tissue can use to privide help to curing cancer. Isnt that crazy. According to Eric Schmidt, professor of medicinal chemistry came to the conclusion that Clear that there was a possibility that the testing would have to be big and huge amounts to conclude and getting a result of a new tool to fight cancer. 

With our environment and now there are so many things that can be help and created into things that help us everyday like soil to help grow our plants, like the lead that is located in paint to repair houses and other furniture. But this is meaningful impact even more in our lives because it is growing and developing into medicine and cures for diseases that can lead to chnaging human lives forever. Of course it isnt something that ill happen right away but it could with some time in our hands, and if we continue to help our ocean and keep the coral reefs safe.

2022, National Geographic Society; https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/coral-reefs

Coral reefs are important to the ocean. They are not only a huge help to protecting the coasts of the oceans from erosion and damage. They are also food sources for other sealife and habitats for smaller animals like fish, sea snails, minos and etc. “Over half a billion people depend on reefs for food, income, and protection.”  this is including us as people not only the ocean, so they are to be depended on. Therefore if providing ecosystems and food for other animals the problem of climate change can affect the way the ocean works as a whole. And the end of it all the ocean is all one big family so if Coral is coming out of the picture then a bunch of other species will be affected aswell therefore affecting verything as a whole. This all good things and to be encouraged and cared for because they produce many economic belnefits or us. According to the article, Reefs provide a large fraction of Earth’s biodiversity, not only the ocean. Making the reefs a common for the ocean life and world. 

Going back to the climate change affecting the tempacture of the ocean, it would mean that the warm would would be more acidic to the coral causing the color of the coral, known as coral bleaching which coil lead to death at somepoint if they dont recover with cooler water. With the water being able to change back to a cooler temperature it could possibly help the coral gain strength again and reduce the acidic pisoining that it has gotten. It would still take a while for the coral to recover but it will definitely help the coral take steps back from death.