How does climate change affect coral reefs?

Climate change is the world's biggest threat to coral reef ecosystems. Scientific evidence clearly shows that the Earth's atmosphere and the ocean are warming, and these changes are mainly due to greenhouse gases produced by human activities.

As the temperature rises, the occurrence of large-scale coral bleaching and infections is more frequent. Furthermore, carbon dioxide absorbed by the ocean from the atmosphere began to change the calcification rate of reef and coral reef-related organisms by lowering the pH. Ocean acidification

Climate change affects coral reef ecosystems through sea level rise, changes in frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones, and changes in ocean circulation patterns. In summary, all these effects dramatically change the function of the ecosystem and the products and services that coral reef ecosystems provide to people all over the world.

The increase in greenhouse gases caused by human activities leads to climate change and acidification of the ocean. Climate change = ocean change The ocean of the world is a big sink that absorbs carbon dioxide (CO2). This slows global warming, but it is also changing ocean chemistry.

Factors that increase greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere include burning fossil fuels to generate heat and energy, producing industrial products, raising livestock, fertilization and deforestation. Climate change leads to the following.

Sea level rise: There is a possibility that coral reef sediments increase near land sediment sources. Sediment runoff can cause corals asphyxiation

Storm pattern change: leading to more powerful and more frequent storms that can damage coral reefs

Changes in precipitation: As the amount of outflow of freshwater, sediment and terrestrial contaminants increases, large-scale algae breeding will cause water quality deterioration and light reduction

Changes in ocean current: Changes in connectivity and temperature conditions lead to coral that lacks food and prevent spread of coral larvae

Ocean acidification (as a result of increased carbon dioxide): causes coral growth and a decrease in pH which reduces the integrity of the structure

Climate change causes sea level rise and has a major impact on coral reef ecosystem. Coral reef ecosystems grow at specific temperatures and sea levels ("the impact of climate on ecosystems | impact of climate change | US EPA"). They coexist with photosynthetic brown worms algae. Zooxanthella requires sun to produce the necessary nutrients for corals. Sea level rise will reduce the amount of solar radiation on the sea surface, weaken the ability of photosynthetic poultry algae to synthesize coral nutrients and sudden exposure of coral reefs to the atmosphere may cause coral bleaching. US Environmental Protection Agency ")

Climate change is the world's greatest threat to coral reef ecosystems and scientific evidence clearly shows that the Earth's atmosphere and oceans are warming. Climate change affects coral reef ecosystems through sea level rise, changes in frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones, and changes in ocean circulation patterns. In summary, all these effects dramatically change the function of the ecosystem and the products and services that coral reef ecosystems provide to people all over the world. Our infographic describes the process from sea level rise to ocean acidification.

Today's coral reefs are threatened all over the world (ICRI, NOAA, Reefbase). This is not new, but the extent to which coral will die in the world is uneasy. The impact of sustainable climate change, which has a measurable rise in saltwater temperature, directly affects coral reefs as the third global whitening event in 2015/16. This incident led to coral mass deaths (NOAA announced the third global coral bleaching event, ElNiño extended the longest worldwide coral bleaching event)

Coral reefs are expected to experience more frequent whitening phenomena between 2012 and 40 years. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) considers this to be the biggest threat to the coral reef system in the world. Coral reefs around the world are losing 19% and the remaining 60% coral reefs are at risk of direct loss. There are several ways to explain the effect of coral bleaching on coral reefs. The first one is the coral covering, the more corals covering the ground, the less the effect of whitening. Second, coral abundance. This is the number of various creatures of coral reefs.