MustoNS201
Less Than One Percent
Over winter break my family and I visited one of the most amazing states in the country, Hawaii. As we toured around the island of O’ahu we came across a crater known as Hanauma Bay. The tour guide, “Cousin Paul”, explained to us that this beautiful place was covered in coral reefs, thus making it one of the most popular tourist destinations on the island. With three million tourists visiting the bay per year and the use of dynamite in 1956 to clear portions of the reef for telephone poles, it is beginning to deteriorate. Due to suffering from much overuse and abuse, tourists looking to snorkel around the reef are given rules and regulations that they must follow in order to help preserve it. “Cousin Paul” told us that many tourists don’t follow the rules and pointed to snorkelers who were standing on the reef and trying to touch different organisms.
In the movie “Home” it is mentioned that, “corals are born from the marriage of algae and shells. Coral reefs cover less than one percent of the ocean floor but they provide a habitat for thousands of species of fish, mollusks, and algae. The equilibrium of every ocean depends on it.” Coral reefs are also mentioned in chapter 12 of the textbook Essential Environment not only for showing biodiversity but also as a shoreline protector and a photosynthesis performer. It goes into detail about how important coral reefs are for the environment and how they are experiencing an alarming decline worldwide mainly through “coral bleaching”, partially due to ultraviolet radiation, and “ocean acidification”. Delicate reefs require lots of light and oxygen along with clear water, low nutrients, and a stable salt content. Unfortunately, due to all these needs, human activities such as deforestation, fishing, pollution, careless recreation and nutrient runoff.
With deforestation, rainwater runs off into the ocean carrying various natural elements and different kinds of toxins that adds to the sediment forming in the ocean. Fertilizer runs off into the water bringing more nutrients into the ocean. The fertilizer increases the growth of certain plants due to high levels of nitrogen. The plants that grow with the high levels of nitrogen cause a reduction of diversity. This can lead to algal blooms that can smother parts of coral reefs. Algae block the sunlight required for the coral to complete photosynthesis. This problem is occurring in the Caribbean, Florida Keys, Thailand, and Australia. The coral reefs of Hawaii have not seen this problem yet, but if they aren’t in human’s minds during particular activities the reefs will bare more destruction.
Less Than One Percent
Over winter break my family and I visited one of the most amazing states in the country, Hawaii. As we toured around the island of O’ahu we came across a crater known as Hanauma Bay. The tour guide, “Cousin Paul”, explained to us that this beautiful place was covered in coral reefs, thus making it one of the most popular tourist destinations on the island. With three million tourists visiting the bay per year and the use of dynamite in 1956 to clear portions of the reef for telephone poles, it is beginning to deteriorate. Due to suffering from much overuse and abuse, tourists looking to snorkel around the reef are given rules and regulations that they must follow in order to help preserve it. “Cousin Paul” told us that many tourists don’t follow the rules and pointed to snorkelers who were standing on the reef and trying to touch different organisms.
In the movie “Home” it is mentioned that, “corals are born from the marriage of algae and shells. Coral reefs cover less than one percent of the ocean floor but they provide a habitat for thousands of species of fish, mollusks, and algae. The equilibrium of every ocean depends on it.” Coral reefs are also mentioned in chapter 12 of the textbook Essential Environment not only for showing biodiversity but also as a shoreline protector and a photosynthesis performer. It goes into detail about how important coral reefs are for the environment and how they are experiencing an alarming decline worldwide mainly through “coral bleaching”, partially due to ultraviolet radiation, and “ocean acidification”. Delicate reefs require lots of light and oxygen along with clear water, low nutrients, and a stable salt content. Unfortunately, due to all these needs, human activities such as deforestation, fishing, pollution, careless recreation and nutrient runoff.
With deforestation, rainwater runs off into the ocean carrying various natural elements and different kinds of toxins that adds to the sediment forming in the ocean. Fertilizer runs off into the water bringing more nutrients into the ocean. The fertilizer increases the growth of certain plants due to high levels of nitrogen. The plants that grow with the high levels of nitrogen cause a reduction of diversity. This can lead to algal blooms that can smother parts of coral reefs. Algae block the sunlight required for the coral to complete photosynthesis. This problem is occurring in the Caribbean, Florida Keys, Thailand, and Australia. The coral reefs of Hawaii have not seen this problem yet, but if they aren’t in human’s minds during particular activities the reefs will bare more destruction.