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CORAL BLEACHING

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Barrier reef. Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Separated from land by a lagoon ... Formed when an island sinks below the surface, and the reef continues to grow ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: CORAL BLEACHING


1
CORAL BLEACHING
  • Dawn Burger
  • Sara Lamonte
  • Sandy Shepard
  • Janette Vergara

2
What is a coral reef?
  • One of the most diverse and biologically
    productive ecosystems
  • Formed by exoskeletons of tiny animals
  • Found in tropical waters, and mostly shallow
    waters

3
Types of coral reef
4
Fringing reef
  • Close to land
  • Can stretch out over long distances
  • Mainly found off-shore of islands

5
Barrier reef
  • Great Barrier Reef in Australia
  • Separated from land by a lagoon
  • Further off-shore than fringing reef

6
Atoll reef
  • Ring-like formation of reef, with a lagoon inside
    of it
  • Formed when an island sinks below the surface,
    and the reef continues to grow

7
Where does it form?
  • Nutrient poor water
  • Water has to have specific levels of
  • Temperature
  • Salinity
  • UV radiation

8
What is coral bleaching?
  • Removal of the algae, zooxanthellae, from corals.
    This causes the coral to whiten as well as lose
    its food supply
  • Coral bleaching can occur through natural or
    human causes

9
Zooxanthellae
  • Live within the coral
  • Food source for a coral
  • Helps coral access energy
  • Enhances coral growth

10
Where are the impacted areas?
YELLOW - not very rich in marine species ORANGE-
rich RED- very rich DARK RED- regions with a
lot of endemic species
11
Group Discussion
  • What are some natural causes of coral bleaching?
  • What are some human causes of coral bleaching?

12
What causes coral bleaching?
  • Natural causes
  • Temperature/climate change
  • Solar Irradiance
  • Sub-aerial exposure
  • Human causes
  • Military/nuclear testing
  • Industrial pollution
  • Agriculture

13
Prevention
  • What can be done to stop coral bleaching?
  • Stricter regulations on industrial dumping
  • Restriction of nuclear testing on endangered reef
    areas
  • Restrict pesticide spraying near coastlines

14
What can YOU do?
  • Support a reef-friendly organization
  • Volunteer for reef clean-up
  • When buying coral, make sure it does not come
    from an endangered reef area
  • Respect diving guidelines (look, dont touch)

15
Why Does It Matter?
  • Who does it affect?
  • What will a coral reef look like in the future?
  • Does it really matter?

16
Who is affected?
  • Sea creatures
  • Countries- those that depend on tourism and fish
    living in coral for a food source
  • Medical world

17
Does it really impact us?
  • Tourism
  • Financial gain from the coral reefs beauty
  • Protection
  • Provides natural buffer zone against storms
  • Healing Power
  • Broken bones, arthritis
  • Eases childbirth
  • Can extend the life of AIDS patients

18
Is there a future for bleached coral?
  • A coral may live after bleaching, however, the
    chance of survival is minimal
  • If a coral does not regain its zooxanthellae,
    most species will leave the coral, and not return
  • Bleached coral can take decades to grow back, if
    it can grow back
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