Mechanisms by Which Change in Climate Affect Coral Reefs

Mechanisms by Which Change in Climate Affect Coral Reefs

Abstract

The literature below demonstrates the impact of climate change on coral reefs and the mechanisms by which variation in climate affect the community of coral reefs. The research also discusses factors such as ocean temperature, competition, and growth performance. These factors have effects on the growth and reproduction of the coral reefs.  A particular range of temperatures supports its growth.  Therefore, when it is exceeded, the growth of coral reefs is affected significantly. The favorable range of temperature promotes sufficient circulation of oxygen.  The literature also discusses the effects of warmth in the marine life ecosystem.

            Key Words: Coral Reefs, Climate Change, Marine Life Ecosystem, Temperature, Acidity

Introduction

Coral reefs involve biodiversity that is found in the ocean ecosystem and the source of the diverse and productive organic marine life. The biodiversity forms a small fraction of the surface of the earth. They are found at the shores and floor of the ocean. Studies demonstrate that coral reefs impact both marine life and other organisms that live in the ocean ecosystem and the land that borders the sea. The coral reefs existing for millions of years and have been essential in preserving and supporting the existence and continuity of human beings.

Importance of Coral Reefs

The existence of the corals is essential for our ecosystem and marine biodiversity. The importance of biodiversity is explained below

Support A Complex Ecosystem  

The coral reefs enable the sea to support a complex ecosystem that is made up of thousands of plants and animals. This is evident that the coral reefs are essential in helping marine wildlife.

Physical barrier

The other importance of coral reefs is that it acts as a physical barrier to the coastline hence increase the erosive activities that occur at the shore due to wave action. As a result, coral reefs can protect beaches and build against wave action. The coral reefs also protect beaches from erosion and sea storms

Source of nitrogen and other supplements

Coral reefs supply nitrogen and other supplements that are essential for the marine life ecosystem. These supplements are needed to advance aquatic lifestyles.

Source of food

Coral reefs are food for human beings. It forms a source of food for fish, which a rich source of protein for humans.  Fish are exported for mist countries to sustain the economy.  The fishing industry is a significant venture that benefits society, as it forms a source of food, and generate income for many people.

Climate Change and its Impact on Coral Reefs

About 16 percent of the coral reefs are damaged in the ocean and seas.  This is caused by an increase in the temperature of ocean water that resulted from climate change. Coral reefs are wiped out through coral bleaching. Coral bleaching alters the community of coral reefs and the chemistry of the entire ocean. Coral bleaching can impact the entire community of the coral and the organisms that consume corals. Climate change has affected the growth and reproduction of corals throughout the world. This is because the constant rise in temperature increases the intensity of oceans storm and acid, which increases levels of carbon dioxide, causing bleaching and death of coral reefs.

The growth of coral reefs is affected by the slightest temperature.  Climatic changes increase the warmth that stresses the coral reefs. The constant warmer temperature compels the zooxanthellae to leave the tissue of the coral reefs. The coral reefs need the zooxanthellae for food. The elimination of the zooxanthellae changes the color of the coral reefs to white, making it unhealthy. Hence the coral is said to be bleached.  Bleached corals are unhealthy, therefore, are unable to combat disease. In 1998, massive bleaching of coral was identified in some pacific islands. Extensive bleaching of coral reefs is detected during the summer in these localities.  In 2002 and y2003, massive bleaching of coral reefs was identified American Samoa, National Park. Constant changes in temperature result in declining of the coral reefs in the ocean ecosystem (Pratchett, Morgan, Wilson, Shaun, and Munday, Philip, 2015).

Climatic change is caused by rising levels of CO2, which dissolves in the ocean leading to an increase in acidity level in the sea. Human activities lead to the production of carbon dioxide, which is later dissolved in the sea, leading to a rise in the level of the acidity. The combustion of the fossils produces carbon dioxide, and the sea absorbs almost half of the amount. An increase in the level of dissolved carbon dioxide in the ocean lowers the pH ocean resulting in the acidity of the water. When the carbon dioxide dissolves in water, a weak carbonic acid is formed. This results in to decrease in the amount of the coral reefs in the ocean because the assimilation of the calcium carbonate, which is essential for biodiversity, is difficult in acidic conditions. If the amount of the carbon dioxide produced is not going to be reduced, there will be a decrease in the pH of ocean water that will result in the decline of coral reefs (Brown et al., 2016).

Climate changes have profound effects on an ecosystem like coral reefs, increasing the chances of its disappearance. The coral reefs have three traits that can be affected by the change in climate (Munday, Jeffrey, Janice, Clair, Michael, Michael, & Jonathan, 2009). The shift traits of the coral reefs include heat tolerance, competitiveness, and growth performance. The study tests the adaptation that is required by coral reefs to survive and maintain its diversity under different climatic conditions. The study demonstrates that the trait of the coral reef will shift to temperature tolerance and fast-growing species even under favorable IPCC scenario conditions.  The species of the coral community is determined by heat tolerance and competition (Kubicek, Breckling, Hoegh-Guldberg, & Reuter, 2019).

Global warming causes an increase in temperature. Hence, there is a melting of the polar ice cap that increases the level of water in the ocean (Munday, Mccormick, & Nilsson, 2012). Sedimentation in the sea will increase, resulting in the smothering of corals. The storms have changed their patterns in the ocean. They are frequently becoming and more reliable, leading to coral reefs destruction. On the other hand, a rise in the amount of precipitation that results in the surface runoff. Surface runoff increases the number of pollutants in the ocean, favoring the growth of algae. The massive growth of algae in the sea reduces the amount of light penetrating the sea. Climatic change can result from changes in ocean currents hence altering the temperature of the ocean water. The murky condition in the ocean causes corals to lack of food and light.

The intensity of hurricanes has increased in some parts of the world. This is noted in North Atlantic, where there is constant warm fuel hurricanes and storms. An increase in temperature of the sea has increased the activity of hurricane by 40 percent in the Atlantic Ocean between 1996 and 2005. Tornado and hurricane can directly damage coral reefs and cause deposition of sediments that prevent penetration of lights into the water. Unfortunately, coral reefs that have been destroyed by storms and hurricanes cannot recover until eight years are over (Hughes, 2003).

There have been events on mass-bleaching, which, consequently, have demeaned

coral reefs, specifically Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. For that reason, mitigation of climate

change has been said to be the only sure means of saving coral reefs all over the world. However,

other factors are leading to the distraction of coral reefs apart from climate change. Local

stressors have been a cause for the threat of the world’s coral reefs such as destructive fishing,

overfishing, agriculture effluents such as pesticides and nutrients, untreated sewage, and siltation

caused by deforestation. Therefore, waiting for the mitigation of climate change to occur will not

be possible because the coral reefs will be severely affected by these stressors. To safeguard

the coral reefs, the adoption of diverse methods of increasing the chance of coral reefs survival.

Some of the ways include restoring damaged and degraded reefs, reducing the significant local

stressors, encouraging reef adaption, and resilience to the conditions which are changing as well

as improving networks of marine protected areas and the reef’s local protection. Therefore,

instead of focusing on the goal to mitigate climate change to enhance the survival of coral reefs,

the focus should be on creating adaptation and resilience of coral reef’s social-ecological

systems (Abelson, 2019)

Some of the factors that have led to a deterioration in the health of coral reefs

include local anthropogenic stressors and climate change globally. Experiments such as the in

vitro have been significant in giving information on reef organisms responding to future

climates. None the less, the tests cannot provide the interactions guide the reef systems.

The analysis should be

done on the extent of abiotic scenarios where corals can continue and whether the correspondence in coral taxa can survive in suchlike extremes in the future. Also, finding out techniques needed to aid the

survival under the environmental condition, which is sub-optimal (Camp, Schoepf, Mumby, & Suggett, 2019).

In recent decades, there have been episodes of coral bleaching, which have contributed to non-typically, warm ocean temperatures. Irregular change in temperature of the sea in North Atlantic, in 2005, promoted coral bleaching in the Eastern Caribbean. The anthropogenic warming contributed to the occurrence of events of thermal stress for coral reefs in the region. In the Eastern Caribbean, due to greenhouse gas emissions in the future, coral bleaching may be a

biannual event in the next two to three decades. However, if the coral reefs can adapt up to 1-1.5

degrees, mass coral breaching events will not occur at harmful intervals. Therefore, the delay

provides more time to change the greenhouse gas emissions’ path (Freeman, Kleypas, & Miller, 2013).

Direct anthropogenic stress and climate change are significant threats to coral reef ecosystems. The physio-chemical environment, where the coral reefs occupy currently, have been altered by climate change, leaving few regions conducive to the habitation of the reefs. Conservation efforts would be aided by identifying, as early as possible, the areas and deciding to transplant specific coral species. The Indian Ocean basin’s shallow tropical sites currently experience conditions that are similar to the worldwide future projection conditions.

Coral reefs are found in different environments, and they offer habitat and food to various organisms and give more ecological services and goods. For instance, warm-water coral reefs occupy warm, show sunlight, and alkaline waters to calcify at increased rates needed to build their calcium carbonate structures. Coral reefs face significant challenges such as over-harvesting, pollution, and climate change.  Alternatively, cold-water corals are affected by ocean acidification and warming temperatures.

An increase in temperature and carbon dioxide over the coming years exceed the coral reef’s condition under which they have flourished in the past years. The coral reefs change, however, rather than entirely disappearing, with other species showing more tolerance to climate change than others. Management strategies that reinforce reef resilience should be implemented, as well as complemented by firm policies to decrease global warming rates.

Strategies to Protect Coral Reefs

Several strategies can be adopted to save the coral reefs and the marine life ecosystem from elements that risk their existence. Firstly, the legalization of strict policies that deter individuals and industries that involve in activities that endanger the survival of coral reefs is better to protect the marine life ecosystem. The local authorities should ensure that any individual or industry that breaks the law to be persecuted. These laws can be used to control activities such as pollution, overfishing, and emission of carbon dioxide, which endanger marine life. For example, the government should allow the harvesting of mature coral reefs without destroying the entire population (Mcclanahan, & Cinner, 2011).

The second strategy includes educating the public on the importance of the marine life ecosystem in existence and the continuity of human life. Creating awareness among the coastal communities will promote conservation efforts. The community should be educated periodically on the importance of protecting the marine life ecosystem to achieve better results. Civic education can be done, as well as the use of media and public gatherings.

Conclusion

Climate changes have a significant impact on the survival of the coral reefs. The coral reefs enable the ocean to support a complex ecosystem that is made up of thousands of plants and animals. Climatic changes increase the temperature that stresses the coral reefs. The constant warmer temperature compels the zooxanthellae to leave the tissue of the coral reefs. The coral reefs need the zooxanthellae for food. The elimination of the zooxanthellae changes the color of the coral reefs to white, making it unhealthy. The existence of the coral reefs requires preventive measures to reduce adverse climate change.

References

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Donner, S. D., Knutson, T. R., & Oppenheimer, M. (2007). Model-based assessment of the role of human-induced climate change in the 2005 Caribbean coral bleaching event. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 104(13), 5483–5488. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0610122104

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