Abstract
The Earth has experienced 5 notable mass extinction events to date; these extinctions have impacted coral reef systems significantly. Every occurrence of mass extinction has left the Earth without living reefs for millions of years. These intervals of absence are often termed ‘reef gaps’ (geological intervals where there are no traces of what might have been existing reefs). The sources of these ‘events’ will be discussed further. The primary causes of mass extinctions are linked to the carbon cycle and make-up of the oceans. The acidification of our oceans is argued to be the most serious of all the predicted consequences of C02 increase, due to anthropogenic behaviors. This article will be inferring that acidification has the potential
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1998). We are left with some form of disruption to the carbon cycle for viable explanations, through methods of elimination. None of the five mass extinctions should necessarily be considered events; rather they have occurred due to the increasing effects of many causes acting in combination over long periods of time – up to millions of years. In all cases, however, some form of agitation of the carbon cycle is …show more content…
There were many minor or background extinction events at other times that left clear marks in the fossil record. Although not global, some background extinctions were just as catastrophic as mass extinctions for certain environments, and many had major impacts on coral reefs. Reefs, more than any other major type of ecosystem, leave a geological record that tracks such events. On an Earth history scale, this record does not show a process of gradual evolutionary development or improvement, but rather a stop-start response to a succession of environmental upheavals. This vulnerability of reefs to these upheavals is demonstrated many times in the fossil record, although the paleoclimatic record provides only uncertain glimpses of it - narrow windows separated by immense intervals of
Chapter Seven details ocean acidification and the extinction of coral reefs, which is entirely possible by the end of the
I am Coral and I live about 5000 feet below sea level in the Coral Sea. During the week of May 4-8, 1942, the first air- sea battle in history took place as I watched from below. Japan was looking to control the Coral Sea by taking all of New Guinea and the Solomon Islands to remove all of the Allied bases between Japan and Australia. They also wished to take over and destroy the American navy’s aircraft carriers since they were not able to do so in the Battle at Pearl Harbor. On the 3rd of May, the Japanese occupied Tulagi island and set up a seaplane base. The next day, the Allied forces, led by Rear Admiral Frank J. Fletcher, launched strikes against Tulagi. The attack eliminated the Japanese use of the base which sparked the beginning of this battle. The Yorktown sunk a Japanese destroyer and five merchant ships and join the Lexington later that day. May 6th, Australia spotted the Japanese but failed to shoot it down. They both continued to search for each other unsuccessfully due to partial visibility in the area of operations. Admiral Fletcher decided to separate his forces so that one was more susceptible to Japanese air attack without being under any coverage. Although, neither American force was successful in finding the Japanese forces, the Japanese aircraft was able to find and sink several U.S. ships and aircrafts. On May 8th, the Japanese and the Allies found each other and launched all accessible aircrafts. The Japanese shot down the Yorktown and the Lexington with bombs and torpedoes. At the same time, the Allied forces attacked a Japanese carrier but was unable to
The coastal environment I have decided to talk about today is Ningaloo Reef. The reef is on the remote western coast of Australia, it includes one of the longest nearshore reefs in the world. Temperate and tropical currents converge in the Ningaloo region resulting in highly diverse marine life including spectacular coral reefs, abundant fishes and species with special conservation significance such as turtles, whale sharks, dugongs, whales and dolphins.
There are many unfair aspects of life, but everyone is guaranteed a few of the same things. Everyone is promised access to oxygen, promised life, and assured death. At some point everyone must die. People will spend more time dead than alive, so it is important to make a wise decision for bodily disposal after death. In spite of the fact that there are many traditional and ‘proper’ forms of afterlife arrangements, Eternal Reefs are considerate of the environment, of space, and of costs to the family; Ergo the method of Eternal Reefs is the superlative choice of body disposal after death.
The warming of the Earth’s climate, the changes of waves in the oceans and the increased amount of carbon dioxide from volcanic activity and Siberian traps caused this mass extinction. Oxygen on Earth is essential for all living things to survive on Earth. Without oxygen all living things would parish. When the carbon dioxide levels rose, the oxygen levels dropped substantially. How do we
In the history of the earth there have been five known mass extinctions (9, 12). The destruction of the dinosaurs is called the Cretaceous Tertiary extinction, also known as the K-T extinction (12). The extinction of the K-T happened 65.5 million years ago (9), caused by a huge meteorite hitting the Earth (12) and causing dust to block the sun (9, 12). Without sunlight, it became cold and food was scarce. Approximately 200 million years ago, the Triassic-Jurassic extinction occurred (9, 12). Grand scale of volcanic activity was the cause (12), which resulted in lava burning the organisms, environmental destruction, and food scarce. The Permian-Triassic extinction occurred 205 million years ago; also affected by volcanic activity (12). The result
Over 98% of all organisms that have lived on Earth are now extinct. A mass extinction event occurs when a large number of species die out within a small time frame (relative to the age of Earth). Mass extinctions are intensively studied for both cause and effect, as there is usually room for debate regarding catalysts that precede the extinction and the massive influx of new biological species that follows. There have been five major mass extinctions, dubbed the “Big Five,” that have wiped out at least 50% of the species living at those times. The most well known mass extinction of the Big Five, with the decimation of every species of non-avian dinosaur, is the Cretaceous-Paleogene
“A minority disputes this theory, arguing that other events-such as volcanic eruptions, sea-level changes or a series of impacts-were to blame for the spectacular loss of species that occurred at the transition between the Cretaceous and Tertiary periods…”
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the greatest wonders of the world. From it’s breathtaking wildlife and its and beautiful coral the Great Barrier Reef has truly a alluring quality. Which is probably why over 2 million people visit it each year, but not only people visit this natural wonder near Queensland Australia. There are over 1500 species of fish that live in and visit this marvelous place in addition to 215 different species of birds. After all the animals know of some of the best places to visit.
I was a happy Tortoiseshell live in Barrier Reef,I use to swim in the none pollution water and having a Sumptuous lunch in the coral.I thought it would be last forever,but the nightmare had comes.
Mass extinction is defined as the global decrease in diversification during a period of time reasons due to any events that occurred in history of earth. Mass extinction occurs when a great number of species goes into extinction globally.
Within the past year a huge catastrophe has happened in the Maldivian reef. Due to increasing temperatures the colorful and beautiful reefs have turned gray and dead. This is not only happening here though, it is a world-wide problem. Coral reefs support a quarter of all marine species as well has a half a billion people. In the last thirty years the world has lost half of them. Losing our coral reefs is not a problem that we need to worry about one hundred years from now it is a problem the world is facing today.
Ever since the history of Earth has been studied using fossil records, extinctions have always been the object of fascination and interest, particularly the mass extinctions that occurred throughout Earth's history. A mass extinction can be caused by disruptive global environmental changes, where large numbers of species have become extinct (Urry et al. 2008). There have been five major extinctions documented based on fossil records over the past 500 million years, but the Cretaceous (KT boundary extinction – a name that meant it began the Tertiary era) extinction caught a lot of
Coral reef ecosystems around the globe are threatened by human interferences and climate change. This has led to many scientists conducting studies on global coral reef ecosystems to gain a better understanding of the cause and effects of coral reef damage. In both Hodgson’s (1999) and Carpenter et al.’s (2008) studies, they are aware of the continuous degradation of global coral reef ecosystems. Hodgson's study involved conducting a survey on global coral reef ecosystems to see whether human actions were affecting the health of supposed pristine Coral reefs. Carpenter et al. incorporated Hodgson’s study into a compiled study about the possible extinction of reef building corals due to climate change and anthropogenic effects. Carpenter’s
Consisting of less than 1% of the world oceans, the coral reefs are ancient animals comprising of thin calcium carbonate deposits within the photic layer. Aside from its biologically diverse ecosystems, coral reefs are major source of food for millions and provides habitats and nursery areas for many marine organisms. Coral reefs also act as a physical buffer to protect the coastlines from tropical storms and erosion. In addition, many local communities rely on coral reefs to generate an income through activities such as fishing and diving. However, 75% of the coral reefs are under threat from induced impacts of humans and climate change (Burke, et al., 2011). This essay looks at the human impacts constantly being inflicted on coral reefs.