Climate change killing the Coral!!

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What is coral? 

 Coral is an animal that is most related to the jellyfish but is made up from a bunch of small, soft organisms called polyps. (as seen on figure 1) The polyps make a ruff almost chalk-like exterior around itself and the coral for protection. And over time (over LOTS of time) they began to grow becoming crazy huge coral reefs.

Coral and Coral reefs provide the habitat for almost all life underwater, you can fide thousands of teeny tiny fish hanging out in a coral reef, so it’s really important we keep them clean and safe. 

What is the main issue? 

A big problem coral faces is called coral bleaching. The process of coral bleaching takes place when water in oceans, lakes, or rivers, begins to heat up from climate change. From the change in water temperature the coral becomes stressed and starts to drive out the algae living inside of it.

The issue is, that algae (zooxanthellae) “Produces carbohydrates that the coral uses for food and oxygen.” according to (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.) So, if the coral gets rid of the algae it gets rid of its food and oxygen supply causing them to slowly turn white and die. (shown in figure 2)

Figure 1- This is a photo of coral with a close up of the polyps.
Figure 2- This is a photo of bleached coral from the grate barrier reef.

Citations

What is coral? What is coral, and why are coral reefs important? | Ocean Science. (n.d.). Retrieved March 2, 2023, from https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/what-coral

Why are coral reefs important? nhm.ac.uk. (n.d.). Retrieved March 2, 2023, from https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/quick-questions/why-are-coral-reefs-important.html#:~:text=Coral%20reefs%20provide%20an%20important,found%20living%20on%20one%20reef.

World Wildlife Fund. (n.d.). Everything you need to know about coral bleaching-and how we can stop it. WWF. Retrieved March 2, 2023, from https://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/everything-you-need-to-know-about-coral-bleaching-and-how-we-can-stop-it#:~:text=The%20leading%20cause%20of%20coral,pollution%2C%20or%20too%20much%20sunlight.