The current path that humanity is taking is causing great destruction to the whole earth. One of the hugely affected areas is the oceans. Imagine a time when the ocean will be polluted thus nothing can grow in it and therefore no marine life will thrive. Subsequently, if the current unsustainable practices and the destructive path continues, an inevitable fate will befall the oceans of the earth. Oxygen levels are going down as wastes cover the water surface. As a result, the sun rays no longer penetrate the water as before. The effects of this put the oceans in jeopardy. Ocean desertification is the process of the marine ecosystem becoming a desert. In case biodiversity dwindles and the food chain starts falling apart, fish will become extinct. Since fish is a source of food for humanity, the human health will be at risk. According to professionals from the General Department of Sea and Islands, there are six causes of ocean desertification: pollution of air transportation, coastal urban areas development, ocean currents, marine ecosystems destruction, acidification due to pollution of oceans through hazardous wastes, and climate change (Lewis, 2016). All these factors together lead to enhanced and synergized effects to the environment.
Through humans living unconsciously, they have significantly affected the planet. We eat processed food that is created from resources which dry the planet. The processed foods are also transported miles and miles using several petroleum gallons. Fossil fuels that we burn in factories release Sulphur dioxide and nitric oxide to the atmosphere. When the compounds reach the atmosphere, they combine with atmospheric moisture to form sulfuric acid and nitric acid respectively. The acids are toxic and come down to the earth through rainfall or dry deposition. The effects of these acids on earth are that they disrupt the biogeochemical cycles which regulate pH balance of the oceans and the mineral uptake in plants. For instance, acid rain alters how Masson pine seedlings operate. It affects the uptake of amino acids by the plants. One might think this is just a slight change, but it has a significant effect on the plant’s ability to photosynthesize and convert inorganic minerals to organic minerals that can be absorbed. Several systems on the earth work together, just like systems in our body (Lewis, 2016). Failure or disruption of one system disrupts the others. Therefore ocean desertification is a broad topic that has several branches. However, I will not focus on all these aspects. I will only consider changes on coral reefs due to climate change.
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Coral reefs are a representation of some of the most diverse biological ecosystem in the world. In fact, they account for 25 percent of the critical habitat of marine species (Lewis, 2016). Coral reefs also have economic benefits through fisheries and tourism. A recent estimate states that the annual net monetary gain from the coral reefs around the world is $30 billion. Despite the fact that we recognize the importance of these economic benefit derived from valuable ecosystems, we still destroy them through human activities like pollution, over-fishing, and development of coasts. Human activities contribute to over 10 percent loss of valuable ecosystems globally. Warming of the ocean’s surface has also contributed to 15 percent loss of ecosystems (Lewis, 2016). Further climate change will continually degrade the coral reefs in the coming decades.
Burning of fossil fuels in industries assists in running machines and production of electricity, which is crucial in modern convenience. On the other hand, burning fossil fuels reduces carbon dioxide, hence increases the level of atmospheric carbon dioxide. For over a century now, carbon dioxide levels have been on the rise. In fact, it is estimated that by 2100, the atmospheric temperature will have increased by between 1.4 and 6.4 degrees Celsius (Lewis, 2016). We should also note that this estimate is based on the rise in carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere lately. As the carbon dioxide level rises, it affects the acid-alkaline balance, or let’s say the pH, of the ocean. Although most of the carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere, almost 25 percent is absorbed into the world’s oceans (Mónaco, Haiek, Narciso, and Galindo, 2012). According to Lewis (2016), when this carbon dioxide enters the oceans, it reacts with the water, resulting to carbonic acid. Carbonic acid releases hydrogen ions. Hydrogen ions increase the water’s acidity. Altering the acidity of the water alters the natural habitat of species which live in the water. Subsequently, species begin to die due to alteration of the conditions in which they have been living for several generations. Death of both plant and animal species in the water leads to an enormous cascade of adverse effects on the ecosystem. For example, the death of fish species means that people who live around the fish lose a source of food. Subsequently, these people lose part of their mental health as they become deficient of the omega-3 fatty acids, obtained from fish, which makes up to 20 percent of their brain content.
A decrease in the ocean pH makes the water more acidic, a process called ocean acidification. Where ocean acidification has occurred, the coral reefs can no longer absorb calcium carbonate, which they require to maintain their skeleton. Lack of calcium carbonate within the coral reefs makes the stony skeletons which support the reefs and corals dissolve. At this time, the acidification has already lowered the ocean pH by at least 0.11 units, hence moving the ocean pH to 8.069 from 8.179. Besides, acidification makes the ocean become 30 percent more acidic (Darling & Côté, 2018). With nothing done to increase the water pH, more coral reefs will be destroyed and hence more destruction caused to coral reefs.
Another cause of leaching coral reefs is an increase in the temperature of the atmosphere, which is sometimes called global warming. Currently, the earth’s temperature is rising at a rate that is twice the rate of rising temperatures fifty years ago. Scientists have established that the leading cause of global warming is the increase of human activities that lead to an expansion of the greenhouse effect (Lewis, 2016). There are certain gases in the atmosphere that block escape of heat. The gases act by a blanket over the earth, trapping heat from the sun and preventing it from leaking back into space. Production of these gases can either occur naturally or can be initiated through human activities. Some gases remain semi-permanently in the atmosphere. Besides, they do not react to chemical or physical changes in the atmospheric temperature. Such gases are referred to as ‘forcing’ climate change. On the other hand, other gases respond either chemically or physically as temperature changes.
Gases which play a part when it comes to the greenhouse effect include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Water vapor is the most common greenhouse gas, and it acts as a feedback to the climate. As the atmosphere warms, water vapor increases. Carbon dioxide contributes a small percentage of the atmospheric air. Natural processes, such as respiration, and human activities emit carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Since the industrial revolution began, humanity has contributed up to a third of the increased atmospheric carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide accounts for 64 percent of global warming that is initiated by human activities (Mónaco et al ., 2012). Methane is a hydrocarbon gas that is produced by human activities and natural sources, mostly waste decomposition in agriculture and landfills. Management of domestic livestock manure, ruminant digestion, and rice cultivation are some of the natural sources of methane. From a molecular standpoint, methane is even more active than carbon dioxide when it comes to the greenhouse effect. Methane accounts for 17 percent of human-made global warming. However, it is less abundant in the atmosphere. Lastly, nitrous oxide is an active greenhouse gas that is produced from the cultivation of soil practices, mostly nitric acid production, burning of biomass, burning fossil fuel, and use of both organic and commercial fertilizers. Nitrous oxide accounts for 6 percent of human-made global warming. Increase in these gases in the atmosphere traps heat and therefore lead to a warmer climate.
The higher temperatures of the ocean surface and atmospheric air that come about through changes in the climate alter coral reefs. The climate change causes corals to bleach. Climate change leads to increasing the temperature of the water. Since coral reefs are sensitive to even slight temperature changes, warmer temperatures in the water cause them stress. As water temperatures remain higher than usual for many weeks, the zooxanthellae leave coral reefs' tissues. Coral reefs depend on zooxanthellae for some of their food. In the absence of zooxanthellae, coral reefs turn white as this compound is responsible for their color (Darling & Côté, 2018). Coral reefs without zooxanthellae become white and unhealthy (bleached). Bleached corals are white and have a weaker ability to resist diseases.
In other words, bleaching of coral reefs is related to the colorful algae within the coral reefs. When these colorful algae are expelled, the coral reef is said to be bleached. Conditions that can lead to this is either too warm or too cold water temperature or extremely low tides in the water. Bleaching is dangerous to coral reefs as the colorful algae are responsible for 90 percent of the reef’s energy (Darling & Côté, 2018). With no algae, corals become white because of starvation.
Bleaching events on coral reefs were first observed in the 1980s and 1990s. At this time, bleaching of coral reefs only occurred during El Nino when the temperature of the waters in the Pacific increased above average. As years went by, bleaching started occurring more frequently, even during summer, regardless of the El Nino-Sothern Oscillation cycle phase (Darling & Côté, 2018). Researchers have established that since 1980, a total of 42 percent of severe coral reef bleaching has occurred in non-El Nino years. El Niños do not occur every year. However, bleaching can just happen any summertime. Subsequently, there is an increased annual bleaching likelihood on coral reefs. For example, a little bleaching is frequent in the Pacific islands during summer. However, there are times when bleaching becomes intense in this region. As years go by, climate continues to change, and therefore bleaching is more common, and the overall coral reef health in the islands is declining. If bleaching events occur every year, coral reefs will become extinct.
Coral reefs are not killed outright by bleaching events. Bleaching events set corals on a trajectory towards death. There is a symbiotic relationship between zooxanthellae and the corals. Corals obtain energy and nutrients from this algae and in turn, provide shelter to the algae. When coral reefs are subjected to heat stress, they tend to kick these algae out and are left with a white skeleton. At this time, the coral is still alive, and it can recover and take up these algae again if water temperatures go back to normal. Therefore, coral reefs can bounce back from bleaching events. However, recent studies show that within the last four decades, bleaching events have been more frequent hence diminishing the ability of the corals to recover. In the early 1980s, severe events of bleaching on coral reefs (in which over 30 percent of coral reefs are affected) were expected to occur at least after every 30 years. From the 19th century up to date, the global atmospheric temperature has risen by about one degree Celsius. The reason for this increase is due to increased heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the environment. Subsequently, the warming ocean waters are increasingly causing more bleaching events of coral reefs. For instance, the most recent bleaching event occurred in 2014, a time when El Nino had not yet formed fully (Mónaco et al ., 2012). The event continued for three years and ended in 2017. The period between severe bleaching events nowadays has fallen to six years. On comparing this to the growth of coral reefs, it was found that the fastest growing corals take between 10 and 15 years to recover from a bleaching event entirely. Therefore, a risk of extinction of coral reefs has remained a worry in the society.
Extinction of coral reefs is terrible for both our environment and people. Averagely, 25 percent of marine species are dependent on coral reefs for survival. Coral reefs also provide food for people living in the Philippines and Indonesia and protect the shoreline from storms. Also, The Great Barrier Reef contributes up to $6 billion in revenue (fishing and tourism) for Australia. The country has also employed around 70, 000 people in the reef (Darling & Côté, 2018).Therefore, it is vital that we protect our reefs from extinction by dealing with climate change. We have to try and meet the Paris agreement goals that include ensuring that global warming is kept below 2.7-3.6 degrees Fahrenheit by limiting emissions of greenhouse gases. Through reducing overfishing, pollution of water, and destruction of marine habitats, we will be able to achieve this goal. Scientists are also looking for ways to breed super corals which can survive warming waters (Mónaco et al ., 2012). Research in Australia has taken a path of finding ways to cool ocean waters found around reefs when bleaching is severe to help contain the damage.
In conclusion, the future of humanity depends on our ability to come up with solutions to this urgent crisis that we are facing. Solutions can be providing conscientious aquaculture and health insurance to our brain in the form of alternative supplements of seafood. Moreover, scientists should conduct further research that will help in educating the public on the delinquency level that we commit in attempting to maximize profits at the earth’s expense. Desertification of oceans and the harmful effects to humanity can be eliminated, slowed, or mitigated through nutritional supplementation, sustainable aquaculture, and education. We can sidestep the slow progress of altering oceans or introduce laws which protect the ocean.
References
Darling, E. S., & Côté, I. M. (2018). Seeking resilience in marine ecosystems. Science , 359 (6379), 986-987.
Lewis, I. D. (2016). Desertification. Geodat a, 29 (3), 3-10.
Mónaco, C. d., Haiek, G., Narciso, S., & Galindo, M. (2012). Massive bleaching of coral reefs induced by the 2010 ENSO, Puerto Cabello, Venezuela. Revista De Biología Tropical , 60 (2), 527-538.
