Trends in the ocean

Introduction

541

The coral reef ecosystem was first formed during the Cambrian period about 541 million years ago. They have several factors, biotic and abiotic, that make them up. Some biotic factors include: fish, algae, coral, sea anemone, and other aquatic life. Coral reefs also have abiotic factors including rocks, sand, temperature, pH level, and light levels.

Burning of Fossil Fuels

1800

Jumping way ahead in time brings us the industrial revolution. The U.S. had an abundance of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas and other occurrences that caused Americans to heavily focus on manufacturing goods.

Global Warming

1830

Carbon emissions skyrocketed due to burning fossil fuels and has since gone up 260%. The atmosphere traps in the carbon dioxide, as well as other gases such as sulfur dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. This causes many problems for our environment.

Ocean Acidification

2003

Not only is our air quality damaged by carbon emissions, but our oceans as well. The ocean absorbs 26% of all carbon emissions. This is affecting many ecosystems such as the coral reef in negative ways.

The Effect on Coral Reefs

2015

Climate change is the biggest threat to Coral Reefs and many ecosystems. As the carbon dioxide levels increase, the temperature of the ocean rises. Algae cannot live in the warm water, so it leaves the coral. As coral and algae have a mutualistic relationship, this causes coral bleaching because the algae no longer provides nutrients for the coral.

Summary

2016

Many ecosystems, such as the desert coyotes and coral reefs, are negatively affected by the actions of humans. We are killing our earth, and causing entire ecosystems to collapse. We are on the verge of mass extinction, and humans are responsible for this and must take action to preserve our only home.