Just Released! Order “Waking Up to Climate Change” by George Ropes, and receive 25% Discount. Learn More

HOME          CATEGORIES          OUR TAKE

Changing Coral Reefs by City Tech blogger Isaac Montiel

 

Recently I accompanied my friend to the pet store because he wanted to buy new corals for his reef tank. Once in the store there was a special section where corals were breed and grown in the store. It was interesting to learn about the process of how to grow corals and how to take care of them. I was curious and I kept asking questions. It turns out that temperature change plays a huge role in the coloration of corals. If the temperature is not adequate bleaching occurs meaning that the corals lose their color and turn white. That got me thinking about what happens on a bigger scale; how the coral in the ocean is affected by rising temperatures due to climate change.

After some quick research I found an article in teachoceanscience.net, about how warmer air and ocean surface temperatures caused by climate change, impacts coral reefs. Warmer water temperatures affects corals, causing them stress due to their sensitivity to temperature change. If the water temperatures stay warmer than usual for a long period of time the plant-like microorganisms called zooxanthellae that corals depend on for some of their food, leave their tissue. Zooxanthellae also give corals their color, therefore without them corals become weak and turn white. ‘White, unhealthy corals are called bleached’. Unfortunately, coral bleaching on a large scale alters the ocean chemistry. Not only affecting coral communities but also the many organisms that use coral reefs as habitat. The article also mentions that climate change alters ocean chemistry and that leads to ocean acidification affecting more than just corals. Ocean acidification makes it harder for many organisms like Snails, clams, and a diverse population of fish.

Comment on this article

ClimateYou moderates comments to facilitate an informed, substantive, civil conversation. Abusive, profane, self-promotional, misleading, incoherent or off-topic comments will be rejected. Moderators are staffed during regular business hours (New York time) and can only accept comments written in English.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE


More Posts Like This

CITY TECH BLOG

The Dominican Republic Takes Part in the Paris Climate Change Agreement

The Dominican Republic, located in the Caribbean, is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change due to its geographic location and heavy dependence on agriculture, fisheries, and tourism. The country is also prone to natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods, which are becoming more frequent and

CITY TECH BLOG

The Effects of Climate Change on Disease & Property Damage

Climate change is affecting people all over the world. I live in the United States of America and today, I’ll let you know how climate change is affecting us. One of the ways climate change is affecting us is the warmer temperatures. Rising temperatures increase the frequency, intensity,

CITY TECH BLOG

Rescue Our Community, Rescue Our Planet

Our water cycle, which refers to how water circulates on our globe, is being impacted by climate change. Dry areas are becoming drier while wet areas are becoming more wet. However, the amount of rain we receive now tends to come in more heavy downpours, increasing the risk