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Coral Bleaching

Coral Bleaching. Created By: Melissa Brown. Background Info on Coral Reefs. Where do you find coral reefs? Coral reefs are found in shallow tropical waters along the shores of islands and continents. Corals live in very nutrient poor waters

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Coral Bleaching

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  1. Coral Bleaching Created By: Melissa Brown

  2. Background Info on Coral Reefs • Where do you find coral reefs? • Coral reefs are found in shallow tropical waters along the shores of islands and continents. • Corals live in very nutrient poor waters • Sensitive to water temperature, salinity, UV radiation, and nutrient quantities

  3. Coral Reefs and Zooxanthellae • Corals and Zooxanthellae (algae) have a symbiotic relationship • Most coral depend on these algae to stay healthy • The algae give the coral food • The Corals give the algae a place to live. • When the corals catch prey, the prey provide nitrogen for the corals and then the corals pass some to the algae. • What is this relationship called? • Mutualism!!!!!!

  4. What is Coral Bleaching? • When coral expel the algae that live symbiotically with them • Weakens the coral – could lead to die offs

  5. *When the algae leave, they cause the coral to loose its color* • Anything that affects the coral's ability to supply the zooxanthellae with nutrients for photosynthesis will cause the algae to be expelled.

  6. Causes of bleaching • Sedimentation • High particle levels in rivers float into the ocean and cloud the water • NOT allowing photosynthesis to happen.

  7. Carbon Dioxide Carbon Dioxide- Corals in waters with large amounts of carbon dioxide form weaker skeletons Why is there carbon dioxide in the atmosphere? Burning fossil fuels This makes them more vulnerable to damage from waves, careless tourists, and destructive fishers.

  8. Ocean Warming As the ocean warms up, it causes the algae to leave the coral

  9. Effects on other organisms • Coral reefs are the base for most food chains in the ocean. • The fish populations that used the coral as a habitat would be vulnerable to predators.

  10. The Great Barrier Reef • Where is it? • Coral Sea, off the coast of Australia • Main cause of bleaching? • Ocean warming • Chemical runoff • runoff of nitrogen-based pesticides from local farming areas 

  11. 4 Steps to prevent bleaching •  Recycle. • Slow climate change • Don't use chemically enhanced pesticides and fertilizers • Conserve water. The less water you use, the less runoff and waste water that eventually finds its way back into the ocean. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEdoizgeNJk&feature=player_detailpage

  12. Works Cited… • www.marinebiology.org/coralbleaching • oceanservice.noaa.gov • www.blue-oceans.com

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