Save The Reefs!!

Importance Of Coral Reefs

2008-09-06T23:05:00.002+08:00

Coral reefs are important for many different reasons. Apart from protecting the shoreline from the damaging effects of the ocean, they provide habitats and shelter for many organisms and are the source of nitrogen and other nutrients essential for the food chain. This is why hundreds of thousands of marine species live in reefs. For example, algae called zooxanthellae live within each coral. In return for a safe sunny home, the zooxanthellae eat the nitrogen waste that the coral produces (nitrogen is very good for algal growth) and, like all plants, algae turn sunlight into sugars by the process of photosynthesis. The sugars produced by the zooxanthellae make up 98 per cent of the coral's food. So, without having to do any work at all, the coral is kept clean and well fed, and the zooxanthellae with their brilliant reds, oranges and browns give corals their colour. Many fisheries depend on the fish that spend the first part of their life in coral reefs, before making their way out to the open ocean. The Great Barrier Reef is especially important to the Australian economy and generates 1.5 billion dollars every year from fishing and tourism. In addition, the study of coral reefs can provide a history of past climates.
Benjamin

Why are coral reefs so important?

2008-09-06T22:52:00.003+08:00

Question:

What is the importance of coral reefs?

Answer:
Coral reefs are important for many different reasons:
The coral reef is  "biologically diverse"  that means there
 are many different kinds of animals and plants that live theree
 This is important, because just like the tropical rainforests,  resources that haven't even been discovered yet, and unless we
 Coral reefs may be the source of medicines, chemicals or other 
 these resources that we need.
     Coral reefs are "biological
 save these environments, we'll never get the chance to discove
rly productive" , which means there are  lots of each thing that grows here.  Many of the creatures that l orld!
Coral reefs are beautiful places, and provide income from
 live here, like lobsters and fish, we depend on for food, even  here in the Midwest , and all around the
w  tourists to many otherwise poor countries around the world. Reefs are very stable, and provide a protective barrier around ct the reefs we have today, because they
 can't be replaced.
 many islands and coasts. Without the reefs these islands and  coasts will erode away into the ocean. It is important to prot
e Reefs are formed very slowly by tiny animals  called "coral". Each animal is tinier than your pinky nail, and  grows very slowly, only about 1 centimeter a year. The reefs we have are big problems.
 today were formed over 100s of thousands of years, and  it would take just as long to grow back, if they grow back at all Oil drilling and erosion from developing coasts near reefs

Source :http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/bio99/bio99276.htm

Enjoy the reefs while you still can

2008-09-06T22:27:00.003+08:00

Hi, I would like you to watch the next few videos and just think about how beautiful these corals are. Just think if we continue polluting the sea and destroying the coral reefs.

There are many more other videos that show how beautiful these corals are. I hope that you will make a change and start helping to save the coral reefs. Everyone of us play a part in helping to save them.

What are Corals?

2008-09-06T22:19:00.005+08:00

Sorry for putting this post up so late. We should have placed this post on corals way earlier. So, just read on and you can find out more about those magnificent 'rainforest' of the sea.

Coral is a general term used to describe a group of cnidarians, which indicates the presence of skeletal material that is embedded in the living tissue or encloses the animal altogether. -National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Dept. of Commerce. "Glossary of Coral Reef Terminology."

Corals themselves are tiny animals which belong to the group cnidaria (the "c" is silent). Other cnidarians include hydras, jellyfish, and sea anemones. Corals are sessile animals, meaning they are not mobile but stay fixed in one place.They feed by reaching out with tentacles to catch prey such as small fish and planktonic animals.

Corals are anthozoans, the largest class of organisms within the phylum Cnidaria. Comprising over 6,000 known species, anthozoans also include sea fans, sea pansies and anemones. Stony corals (scleractinians) make up the largest order of anthozoans, and are the group primarily responsible for laying the foundations of, and building up, reef structures. For the most part, scleractinians are colonial organisms composed of hundreds to hundreds of thousands of individuals, called polyps.

Corals live in colonies consisting of many individuals, each of which is called polyp. They secrete a hard calcium carbonate skeleton, which serves as a uniform base or substrate for the colony. The skeleton also provides protection, as the polyps can contract into the structure if predators approach. It is these hard skeletal structures that build up coral reefs over time. The calcium carbonate is secreted at the base of the polyps, so the living coral colony occurs at the surface of the skeletal structure, completely covering it. Calcium carbonate is continuously deposited by the living colony, adding to the size of the structure. Growth of these structures varies greatly, depending on the species of coral and environmental conditions-- ranging from 0.3 to 10 centimeters per year. Different species of coral build structures of various sizes and shapes ("brain corals," "fan corals," etc.), creating amazing diversity and complexity in the coral reef ecosystem. Various coral species tend to be segregated into characteristic zones on a reef, separated out by competition with other species and by environmental conditions.

Most corals are made up of hundreds of thousands individual polyps like this one. Many stony coral polyps range in size from one to three millimeters in diameter. Anatomically simple organisms, much of the polyp’s body is taken up by a stomach filled with digestive filaments. Open at only one end, the polyp takes in food and expels waste through its mouth. A ring of tentacles surrounding the mouth aids in capturing food, expelling waste and clearing away debris. Most food is captured with the help of special stinging cells called nematocysts which are inside the polyp' outer tissues, which is called the epidermis. Calcium carbonate is secreted by reef-building polyps and forms a protective cup called a calyx within which the polyps sits. The base of the calyx upon which the polyp sits is called the basal plate. The walls surrounding the calyx are called the theca. The coenosarc is a thin band of living tissue that connect individual polyps to one another and help make it a colonial organism.

As members of the phylum Cnidaria, corals have only a limited degree of organ development. Each polyp consists of three basic tissue layers: an outer epidermis, an inner layer of cells lining the gastrovascular cavity which acts as an internal space for digestion, and a layer called the mesoglea in between .

The diagram above shows the anatomy of a nematocyst cell and its “firing” sequence, from left to right. On the far left is a nematocyst inside its cellular capsule. The cell’s thread is coiled under pressure and wrapped around a stinging barb. When potential prey makes contact with the tentacles of a polyp, the nematocyst cell is stimulated. This causes a flap of tissue covering the nematocyst—the operculum—to fly open. The middle image shows the open operculum, the rapidly uncoiling thread and the emerging barb. On the far right is the fully extended cell. The barbs at the end of the nematocyst are designed to stick into the polyp’s victim and inject a poisonous liquid. When subdued, the polyp’s tentacles move the prey toward its mouth and the nematocysts recoil back into their capsules.

All coral polyps share two basic structural features with other members of their phylum. The first is a gastrovascular cavity that opens at only one end. At the opening to this cavity, commonly called the mouth, food is consumed and some waste products are expelled. A second feature all corals possess is a circle of tentacles, extensions of the body wall that surround the mouth. Tentacles help the coral to capture and ingest plankton for food, clear away debris from the mouth, and act as the animal’s primary means of defense.

While coral polyps have structurally simple body plans, they possess several distinctive cellular structures. One of these is called a cnidocyte—a type of cell unique to, and characteristic of, all cnidarians. Found throughout the tentacles and epidermis, cnidocytes contain organelles called cnidae, which include nematocysts, a type of stinging cell. Because nematocytes are capable of delivering powerful, often lethal toxins, they are essential to capturing prey, and facilitate coralline agonistic interactions.

Most corals, like other cnidarians, contain a symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae, within their gastrodermal cells. The coral provides the algae with a protected environment and the compounds necessary for photosynthesis. These include carbon dioxide, produced by coral respiration, and inorganic nutrients such as nitrates, and phosphates, which are metabolic waste products of the coral. In return, the algae produce oxygen and help the coral to remove wastes. Most importantly, they supply the coral with organic products of photosynthesis. These compounds, including glucose, glycerol, and amino acids, are utilized by the coral as building blocks in the manufacture of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, as well as the synthesis of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). The mutual exchange of algal photosynthates and cnidarian metabolites is the key to the prodigious biological productivity and limestone-secreting capacity of reef building corals.

Zooxanthellae often are critical elements in the continuing health of reef-building corals. As much as 90% of the organic material they manufacture photosynthetically is transferred to the host coral tissue . If these algal cells are expelled by the polyps, which can occur if the colony undergoes prolonged physiological stress, the host may die shortly afterwards. The symbiotic zooxanthellae also confers its color to the polyp. If the zooxanthellae are expelled, the colony takes on a stark white appearance, which is commonly described as “coral bleaching”

How to save the Coral Reefs

2008-09-06T22:09:00.001+08:00

Ocean scientists from around the world have agreed to a framework to save the oceans from one of the great sleeper environmental issues of our day: Ocean acidification.

Like global warming, ocean acidification is caused primarily by human emissions of carbon dioxide. In the atmosphere, that carbon helps to trap heat near the Earth's surface. In the oceans, it makes the water more acidic.

That increasingly acidic water threatens the viability of plankton, at the base of the food chain, as well as coral, because the acidic conditions prevent the formation of calcium carbonate shells. Some studies suggest many coral reefs will have died due to acidification by the end of this century. Coral reefs are the nurseries of the oceans, producing abundant fish of diverse species -- making them hotspots for tourism, and important areas for the fishing industry. Scientists at the International Coral Reef Symposium this July declared ocean acidification the largest and most significant threat to oceans, a significant statement, considering the vast body of evidence that overfishing and other forms of pollution are taking a massive toll on ocean life.

“Coral reefs are at the heart of our tropics, and millions of people around the world depend on these systems for their livelihoods. Without urgent action to limit carbon dioxide emissions and improve management of marine protected areas, even vast treasured reefs like the Great Barrier Reef and Northwestern Hawaiian Islands will become wastelands of dead coral,” said Lynne Hale, director of The Nature Conservancy’s Marine Initiative.

The scientists, convened by The Nature Conservancy in August, have agreed to the "Honolulu Declaration on Ocean Acidification and Reef Management." Here are some of its key elements:

Limit fossil fuel emissions
Build the resilience of tropical marine ecosystems and communities to maximize their ability to resist and recover from climate change impacts, including ocean acidification
Create new marine reserves that include those reefs less vulnerable to acidification, and consider climate change as a factor in managing existing reserves
Increase money spent on science and develop an international network to monitor and study acidification
Decrease other stresses to coral reefs, such as agricultural runoff and overfishing

Types Of Coral Diseases

2008-09-06T21:51:00.013+08:00

I did some research on hard coral diseases and their appearances. Heres what I found.

Black Band Disease: This disease is characterized by a "black mat", a few millimeters to centimeters (about 1/4 inch to 2 inches) wide, on the surface of coral tissue, moving across the surface of the skeleton, leaving behind bare white skeleton. The remaining coral tissue appears normal in color, morphology, and behavior.

Bleaching: The loss of the microalgae or pigments from corals results in the white skeleton showing through the translucent tissue, thus it looks whitened or "bleached." (Note: The tissues of western tropical Atlantic massive starlet coral, Siderastrea siderea, can appear pinkish or bluish when bleaching occurs. Similarly, the finger coral, Porites porites, can appear bluish when bleached.) Bleaching can take several forms. The entire coral colony can become progressively lighter brown in color. Partial bleaching can occur, where some patches of tissue still retain the microalgae and photosynthetic pigments. At its most extreme, bleaching can result in all of the tissue appearing translucent white.

Patterns of bleaching on a colony can vary, with only the upper surface or lower surface of the colony being affected, or bleached tissue can appear as a circular patch or in the shape of a ring or a wedge. The pattern of bleaching may give important clues as to the cause of bleaching. The nature and extent of bleaching varies between individuals within a species and among species at the same location.

Dark Spots Disease: Dark purple to gray or brown patches of discolored tissue, often circular in shape but also occurring in irregular shapes and patterns, are scattered on the surface of the colony (bright purple patches have also been seen on a bleaching colony) or appear adjacent to the sediment/algal margin of a colony. Sediment can accumulate in the centers of these patches, with bare skeleton occasionally seen when the sediment is brushed off.

Rapid Wasting: Irregularly shaped, often large, patches of bare white skeleton appear on the surface of colonies of star coral (most commonly the columnar Montastraea annularis) and the brain coral Colpophyllia natans. The exposed skeletal surfaces are crumbly, often with the free edges of septa and pali missing or appearing to have eroded, with the result that the skeleton is depressed several millimeters to centimeters below the rest of the colony surface. The tissue margin can appear pale. The boundary between the skeleton and normal-appearing tissue is fairly sharp.

In early intermittent observations, it appeared that tissue loss advanced across the surface of the colony at the rate of several centimeters (2-3 inches) per day; usually stopping when the patch was from 5 to 50 centimeters (2 to 20 inches) across on star coral, or continuing until the tissue was completely lost from the colony on brain coral.

Red-Band Disease: As the name indicates, the "band" is a soft microbial mat that is brick red or dark brown, not black, in color and easily dislodged from the surface of the coral tissue. This disease affects hard star and brain corals (Diploria strigosa,Montastraea annularis, Montastraea cavernosa, Porites astreoides, Siderastrea radians, Colpophyllia natans) and sea fans in the Caribbean, and star, brain, and staghorn corals on the Great Barrier Reef.

White-Band Disease: Tissue peels or sloughs off the skeleton at a fairly uniform rate around the branch of the coral and progressing from the base of the branch towards the tip. On the staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis), tissue loss may also occur in the middle of a branch. No consistent population of microorganisms has been found at the margin of the tissue loss.

All that can be seen with the naked eye is the tissue peeling off the bare white skeleton with occasional small bits of tissue remaining on the exposed skeleton. The rate of tissue loss is several millimeters (1/8 to 1/4 inch) per day. The bare skeleton is eventually colonized by filamentous algae, but the band of bare white skeleton that remains visible can be 5 to 10 centimeters (2 to 3 inches) wide. The tissue remaining on the branch shows no signs of pronounced bleaching, although affected colonies might appear slightly lighter in color overall. However, a variant of WBD, termed WBD Type II, has been found on staghorn colonies in the Bahamas. In this disease, a margin of bleached tissue appears before the tissue is lost.

White Plague: Tissue disappears from massive, encrusting, and branching species of corals at the rate of one or more centimeters (about 3/8 inch to 4 inches) per day (Florida Keys 1995), leaving behind bare white skeleton. The receding tissue appears as a sharp line at the skeletal interface. This rate is much faster than that previously reported for white plague, a few mm per day (Florida Keys 1977 and elsewhere). Many species have been affected by this kind of tissue loss.

White Pox: This disease is characterized by the appearance of irregularly-shaped patches of bare white skeleton. The patches can occur on the surface or undersides of branches. The tissue appears to peel off unevenly, but an even margin has also been found. The rate of tissue disappearance is unknown, but appears to be rapid, since the skeleton usually begins to be fouled by filamentous algae within a few days and the freshest patches can be several square inches (tens of square centimeters) in area but still have bare white skeleton. Gastropod predators have not been seen on most affected colonies of elkhorn, Acropora palmata.

Yellow-Blotch/Yellow-Band Disease: Yellow-blotch disease begins as an irregularly-shaped blotch of lightened yellow-colored tissue on the surface of the coral. As the disease progresses, the tissue in the center of the patch dies and the area fills with sediment and algae, resulting in a band of yellow tissue around the enlarging sediment patch (thus, it was first called yellow-band disease). The disease has been found most commonly on Montastraea faveolata, the massive keeled species, and less frequently on the columnar lobed star coral, Montastraea annularis.
In the disease affecting corals in the Arabian Gulf at Jebel Ali in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the tissue is discolored yellowish and moves in a broad band with tissue loss and fouling of the skeleton with filamentous algae. Species affected are in the genera Acropora, Porites, Turbinaria, and Cyphastrea.

Well, that's all for now.
Sources:http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/mccarty_and_peters/coral/dis-list.htm

Benjamin

SAVE THE CORAL REEFS!!!

2008-09-06T20:47:00.001+08:00

Cut greenhouse gases to save coral reefs: scientists

2008-09-06T20:17:00.000+08:00

To keep coral reefs from being eaten away by increasingly acidic oceans, humans need to limit the amount of climate-warming greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, a panel of marine scientists said on Wednesday.

"The most logical and critical action to address the impacts of ocean acidification on coral reefs is to stabilize atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration," the scientists said in a document called the Honolulu Declaration, for release at a U.S. conference on coral reefs in Hawaii.

Ocean acidification is another threat to corals caused by global warming, along with rising sea levels, higher sea surface temperatures and coral bleaching, the scientists said.

Coral reefs are a "sentinel ecosystem," a sign that the environment is changing, said one of the experts, Billy Causey of the U.S. National Marine Sanctuary Program.

"Although ocean acidification is affecting the health of our oceans, the same thing -- increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere -- is going to in fact be affecting terrestrial environments also," Causey said by telephone from Hawaii.

Coral reefs offer economic and environmental benefits to millions of people, including coastal protection from waves and storms and as sources of food, pharmaceuticals, jobs and revenue, the declaration said.

But corals are increasingly threatened by warming sea surface temperatures as well as ocean acidification.

Oceans are getting more acidic because they have been absorbing some 525 billion tons of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide over the last two centuries, about one-third of all human-generated carbon dioxide for that period.The carbon dioxide combines with sea water to form carbonic acid.

Marine researchers have long recognized acidification in deep ocean water far from land, but a study published this year in the journal Science found this same damaging phenomenon on the Pacific North American continental shelf from Mexico to Canada, and quite likely elsewhere around the globe.

The water became so corrosive that it started dissolving the shells and skeletons of starfish, clams and corals.

Stabilizing carbon dioxide emissions was the Honolulu Declaration's top long-term recommendation. The key short-term recommendation was to nurture coral reefs that seem to have natural resilience against acidification.

This could be adopted immediately by managers of protected marine areas, Causey said.

The Honolulu Declaration will be presented to the United Nations and to other global, regional and national forums.

video on how to save coral reefs

2008-09-06T20:14:00.003+08:00

10 Easy Steps to Help Protect Coral Reefs

2008-09-06T20:01:00.000+08:00

Do you want to make a difference every day? Want to learn about simple, effective actions you can take to help save coral reefs and the fish, animals, and plants that depend on them? You've come to the right place!
Conserve water: The less water you use, the less runoff and wastewater will pollute our oceans.
Help reduce pollution: Walk, bike or ride the bus. Fossil fuel emissions from cars and industry raise lead to ocean warming which causes mass-bleaching of corals and can lead to widespread destruction of reefs.
Use only ecological or organic fertilizers: Although you may live thousands of miles from a coral reef ecosystem, these products flow into the water system, pollute the ocean, and can harm coral reefs and marine life.
Dispose of your trash properly: Don't leave unwanted fishing lines or nets in the water or on the beach. Any kind of litter pollutes the water and can harm the reef and the fish.
Support reef-friendly businesses: Ask the fishing, boating, hotel, aquarium, dive or snorkeling operators how they protect the reef. Be sure they care for the living reef ecosystem and ask if the organization responsible is part of a coral reef ecosystem management effort.
Plant a tree: Trees reduce runoff into the oceans. You will also contribute to reversing the warming of our planet and the rising temperatures of our oceans.
Practice safe and responsible diving and snorkeling: Do not touch the reef or anchor your boat on the reef. Contact with the coral will damage the delicate coral animals, and anchoring on the reef can kill it, so look for sandy bottom or use moorings if available.
Volunteer for a coral reef cleanup: You don't live near a coral reef? Then do what many people do with their vacation: visit a coral reef. Spend an afternoon enjoying the beauty of one of the most diverse ecosystems on the Earth.
Contact your government representatives: Demand they take action to protect coral reefs, stop sewage pollution of our oceans, expand marine protected areas and take steps to reverse global warming.
Spread the word: Remember your own excitement at learning how important the planet's coral reefs are to us and the intricate global ecosystem. Share this excitement and encourage others to get involved.

2008-09-04T18:35:00.008+08:00

More About The Coral Reefs

Coral Reefs

Coral Reefs are the "Rainforests" of the ocean. Reefs are ecologically important ecosystems and have a high biodiversity that serves as a storage bank of rich genetic resources. They are a source of food and medicine, and they protect the coast from wave erosion.

Corals are marine animals related to jellyfish and anemones. Both colonial and solitary corals catch plankton (microscopic plants and animals) and other suspended food particles with arm-like tentacles, which feed a centrally located mouth. Most hard corals also host symbiotic algae, a long-standing and successful partnership. These algae provide them with an additional food source through photosynthesis. Coral reefs are formed by corals that secrete hard calcareous (aragonite) exoskeletons, giving them structural rigidity. These colonial “hard corals” form elaborate finger-shaped, branching, or moundshaped structures and can create masses of limestone that stretch for tens or even hundreds of miles.
Although corals have a wide distribution in the world’s oceans, the varieties that form reefs are typically restricted to relatively shallow, warm tropical waters between latitudes 30° north and 30° south. Clean, clear water is essential to their health. Once coral larvae settle on a hard substrate and become established, colonies can arise if conditions are suitable for growth. Given enough time, coral colonies become thickets. As coral thickets build upward on the skeletal remains of older colonies, a reef is established. Today, richly diverse coral reefs are found in the tropics along coastlines, on the margins of volcanic islands, and as isolated coral atolls.

There are two distinct regions in which coral reefs are primarily distributed: the Wider Caribbean (Atlantic Ocean) and the Indo-Pacific (from East Africa and the Red Sea to the Central Pacific Ocean).

The diversity of coral is far greater in the Indo-Pacific, particularly around Indonesia, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea. Many other groups of marine fauna show similar patterns, with a much greater diversity in the Indo-Pacific region.
Although they possess a smaller number of species the corals of the Atlantic are still unique, with few common species between the two regions .

The majority of reef building corals are found within tropical and subtropical waters. These typically occur between 300 north and 300 south latitudes. The red dots on this map show the location of major stony coral reefs of the world.

Facts About Corals

Fact: Coral reefs are among the oldest ecosystems on Earth.
Fact: Coral reefs are the largest living structure on the planet.
Fact: Although coral reefs cover less than 1% of the Earth’s surface, they are home to 25% of all marine fish species.
Fact: 500 million people rely on coral reefs for their food and livelihoods.
Fact: Coral reefs form natural barriers that protect nearby shorelines from the eroding forces of the sea, thereby protecting coastal dwellings, agricultural land and beaches.
Fact: Without the existence of coral reefs, parts of Florida would be under water.
Fact: Coral reefs have been used in the treatment of cancer, HIV, cardiovascular diseases and ulcers.
Fact: Corals' porous limestone skeletons have been used for human bone grafts.
Fact: It is estimated that coral reefs provide $375 billion per year around the world in goods and services.
Fact: If the present rate of destruction continues, 70% of the world's coral reefs will be destroyed by the year 2050.
Types of Coral Reefs-Click Here
Coral Reef Threats-Click Here
Coral Reefs in The Florida Keys-Click Here
U.S. Coral Reefs-Click Here
Great Barrier Reef-Click Here

Sources : http://www.solcomhouse.com/coralreef.htm

Joseph

2008-09-04T16:31:00.003+08:00

What We Can Do To Save The Reefs

Our generation holds the future of coral reefs in its hands. If we fail to act now, coral reefs and the communities and cultures that depend on them may be lost forever. If you care about coral reefs and want to make a difference, there are lots of ways you can help.

Here is 8 ways in which we can help( the 8th was added by me):
1. Conserve water: The less water you use, the less runoff and waste water will pollute our oceans.
2. Help reduce pollution: Walk, bike or ride the bus. Fossil fuel emissions from cars and industry raise lead to ocean warming which causes mass-bleaching of corals and can lead to widespread destruction of reefs.
3. Use only ecological or organic fertilizers: Although you may live thousands of miles from a coral reef ecosystem, these products flow into the water system, pollute the ocean, and can harm coral reefs and marine life.
4. Dispose of your trash properly: Don't leave unwanted fishing lines or nets in the water or on the beach. Any kind of litter pollutes the water and can harm the reef and the fish.
5. Support reef-friendly businesses: Ask the fishing, boating, hotel, aquarium, dive or snorkeling operators how they protect the reef. Be sure they care for the living reef ecosystem and ask if the organization responsible is part of a coral reef ecosystem management effort.
6. Plant a tree: Trees reduce runoff into the oceans. You will also contribute to reversing the warming of our planet and the rising temperatures of our oceans.
7. Spread the word: Remember your own excitement at learning how important the planet's coral reefs are to us and the intricate global ecosystem. Share this excitement and encourage others to get involved.Now go save the coral reef!!! You can make a difference!
8. Turn off the conputer now if you are reading this and start doing those things mentioned above. :)

source:http://www.nature.org/joinanddonate/rescuereef/explore/help.html
Joe Say

2008-08-24T21:41:00.006+08:00

The Threats To Coral Reefs

Major threats to coral reefs and their habitats include:
Destructive Fishing Practices: These include cyanide fishing, blast or dynamite fishing, bottom trawling, and muro-ami (banging on the reef with sticks). Bottom-trawling is one of the greatest threats to cold-water coral reefs.
Overfishing: This affects the ecological balance of coral reef communities, warping the food chain and causing effects far beyond the directly overfished population.
Careless Tourism: Careless boating, diving, snorkeling, and fishing happens around the world, with people touching reefs, stirring up sediment, collecting coral, and dropping anchors on reefs. Some tourist resorts and infrastructure have been built directly on top of reefs, and some resorts empty their sewage or other wastes directly into water surrounding coral reefs.
Pollution: Urban and industrial waste, sewage, agrochemicals, and oil pollution are poisoning reefs. These toxins are dumped directly into the ocean or carried by river systems from sources upstream. Some pollutants, such as sewage and runoff from farming, increase the level of nitrogen in seawater, causing an overgrowth of algae, which 'smothers' reefs by cutting off their sunlight.
Sedimentation: Erosion caused by construction (both along coasts and inland), mining, logging, and farming is leading to increased sediment in rivers. This ends up in the ocean, where it can 'smother' corals by depriving them of the light needed to survive. The destruction of ,mangrove forests, which normally trap large amounts of sediment, is exacerbating the problem.
Coral mining: Live coral is removed from reefs for use as bricks, road-fill, or cement for new buildings. Corals are also sold as souvenirs to tourists and to exporters who don't know or don't care about the longer term damage done, and harvested for the live rock trade.
Climate Change: Corals cannot survive if the water temperature is too high. Global warming has already led to increased levels of coral bleaching, and this is predicted to increase in frequency and severity in the coming decades. Such bleaching events may be the final nail in the coffin for already stressed coral reefs and reef ecosystems.
Info from:http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/marine/blue_planet/coasts/coral_reefs/coral_threats/index.cfm
Thank You

More About Coral Reefs

2008-08-24T21:37:00.002+08:00

Coral reefs are warm, clear, shallow ocean habitats that are rich in life. The reef's massive structure is formed from coral polyps, tiny animals that live in colonies; when coral polyps die, they leave behind a hard, stony, branching structure made of limestone.
The coral provides shelter for many animals in this complex habitat, including sponges, nudibranchs, fish (like Blacktip Reef Sharks, groupers, clown fish, eels, parrotfish, snapper, and scorpion fish), jellyfish, anemones, sea stars (including the destructive Crown of Thorns), crustaceans (like crabs, shrimp, and lobsters), turtles, sea snakes, snails, and mollusks (like octopuses, nautilus, and clams). Birds also feast on coral reef animals.
Types of Corals: There are two types of coral, hard coral and soft coral. Hard corals (like brain coral and elkhorn coral) have hard, limestone skeletons which form the basis of coral reefs. Soft corals (like sea fingers and sea whips) do not build reefs.
Where are Coral Reefs?: Coral reefs develop in shallow, warm water, usually near land, and mostly in the tropics; coral prefer temperatures between 70 and 85 ° F (21 - 30 °C). There are coral reefs off the eastern coast of Africa, off the southern coast of India, in the Red Sea, and off the coasts of northeast and northwest Australia and on to Polynesia. There are also coral reefs off the coast of Florida, USA, to the Caribbean, and down to Brazil.
The Great Barrier Reef (off the coast of NE Australia) is the largest coral reef in the world. It is over 1,257 miles (2000 km) long.
Types of Reefs: The different types of reefs include:
Fringing reefs are reefs that form along a coastline. They grow on the continental shelf in shallow water.
Barrier reefs grow parallel to shorelines, but farther out, usually separated from the land by a deep lagoon. They are called barrier reefs because they form a barrier between the lagoon and the seas, impeding navigation.
Coral Atolls are rings of coral that grow on top of old, sunken volcanoes in the ocean. They begin as fringe reefs surrounding a volcanic island; then, as the volcano sinks, the reef continues to grow, and eventually only the reef remains.
Coral Reefs in Danger: Many coral reefs are dying. Major threats to coral reefs are water pollution (from sewage and agricultural runoff), dredging off the coast, careless collecting of coral specimens, and sedimentation (when silt or sand from construction or mining projects muddies the waters of a reef and kills coral, which needs light to live).

Info from Enchanted Learning.

2008-08-11T17:43:00.004+08:00

Why is preventing pollution in our seas so important?

Although it covers more than 70 percent of the surface of the Earth, water is one of the most precious natural resources of our planet. The reason being that about 97 percent of it is salty, and therefore undrinkable, a further 2 percent is locked in glaciers and polar ice caps, thus leaving just about 1 percent of it useful for drinking and cooking. Apart from clean drinking water, we also need to keep the waters in the oceans, rivers, and lakes unpolluted because otherwise it harms the very planet we survive on. With human populations increasing rapidly it has resulted in us polluting all the water resources of our planet, so much so, precious and unique organisms and ecosystems are being harmed and are even dying at an alarming rate.
How is Water Pollution Caused?
Although certain natural processes may cause some of the water pollution, however, human activity is the largest cause of our seas, rivers and lakes getting polluted. We need to use water everyday both in our industries as well as our homes. We get this water from groundwater sources, rivers, and lakes, and after using it, and often contaminating it, most of this water gets back into the rivers, lakes, and oceans. The used water from agricultural and industrial practices, and household use create wastewater, also referred to as sewage. If this is allowed to flow back into water systems without being treated, it causes pollution, which results in harming both humans as well as animal life. Water also gets polluted when there is a runoff of rainwater from industrial, agricultural, and urban areas, which flow directly through stormwater drains into water systems without any treatment. The disposal of sewage is a major problem in developing countries where there isn’t adequate sanitation in large areas, thus carrying disease causing bacteria and viruses into sources of water. In countries that are developed, people often flush pharmaceutical and chemical products into their toilet. Some of the other causes of pollution are oil spillages and dumping in oceans, dumping litter into streams, rivers, and oceans such as cardboard, newspaper, foam, Styrofoam, plastic packaging, aluminum, glass, and so on. Some of these take a very long time to degrade, e.g., plastic packaging can take 400 years, Styrofoam takes 80 years, foam takes 50 years, and aluminum takes 200 years. Nuclear waste, atmospheric deposition, and underground storage leakages are some of the other causes of water pollution.
What are the Ways to Prevent Water Pollution?
While we need to see to it that the government is stringent about seeing to it that there are adequate treatment plants to treat sewage, and seeing to it that industries have treatment plants and nuclear plants have proper waste storage systems for radioactive material, and so on, there are many things that we can do individually to prevent water pollution. Given below are a few ways to prevent water pollution:
-Toxic products like paints, automobile oil, polishes, and cleaning products should be stored and disposed off properly. As a matter of fact, it is better to use non-toxic, products for the house as far as possible. Also, never dispose off such products by throwing them into your toilet or sink.
-Dispose off your trash in a proper manner and try and incorporate the recycling habit as far as possible.
-Non-degradable products like tampons, sanitary napkins, and diapers should not be flushed down the toilet, for these can end up damaging the process of sewage treatment, and usually end up as litter on beaches.
-Refrain from throwing litter into streams, lakes, rivers, or seas. If you do spot litter on beaches or in water systems, after ascertaining that it is safe, collect them and dispose off them in any nearby waste disposal system.
-Try using environmentally friendly household products like toiletries, soap-based household cleaning material, and washing powder as far as possible.
-Try using natural fertilizers and pesticides as far as possible, or if not, do not overuse them or over-water gardens and lawns. This will help in reducing the pollutants that get into water systems due to runoffs.
-Automobile oil should be re-used as far as possible. Also, it is important to keep your automobile well maintained in order to prevent leakages of toxic fluids like antifreeze and oil.
-Also, actively conserve water by turning the tap off when you do not need running water, such as while brushing teeth. Apart from preventing water shortages, it lessens the amount of water that needs to be treated.

Source:http://www.buzzle.com/articles/ways-to-prevent-water-pollution.html

Benjamin

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2008-08-11T00:57:00.000+08:00

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