Global Warming And Its Effects On The Great Barrier Reef

How has Carbon Dioxide (CO2) levels frequently increased global warming and the massive increase of global ocean temperature which have risen from 0.74oC during the 19th century to 4oC in modern day society (NOAA, 2016), and how does CO2 contribute to one of the biggest tragedies seen on the Great Barrier Reef today, known as coral bleaching and what can be done to slow the increasing rate of this terrible tragedy? â€Å"Coral reefs are extremely important for biodiversity, providing a home to over 25% of all marine life. They are also vital for people and business. They provide nurseries for many species of commercially important fish, protection of coastal areas from storm waves, and are a significant attraction for the tourism industry†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦show more content†¦Most of the CO2 that enters the atmosphere dissolves into the ocean, as close to a third of the CO2 produced from human activities since 1800 and approximately half produced by burning fossil fuels are consumed into the ocean (Sabine et al. 2004). Increased CO2 in the atmosphere is one of the main causes of our changing climate change (NOAA, 2011). Global ocean temperatures have risen by 0.74oC (1.3oF) since the late 19th century. With the increasing rate of CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions have been predicted to rise to approximately 4.0oC (7.2oF) this century (NOAA, 2016). Just the tropical upper oceans alone have warmed more than 0.01oC per year over the past 50 years and the warming rate is still increasing (NOAA, 2010). Figure 1: The Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide (CO2) growth rate between the years of 1959-2014 https://www.co2.earth/co2-acceleration (NOAA, 2013) This table shows the atmospheric growth rate of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) starting from the year 1959 and ending at 2014 therefore showing 6 years of data. Many types of coral have a special symbiotic relationship with a ting marine algae called zooxanthellae that lives inside corals’ tissues and are very efficient food producers that provide up to 90% of energy that corals require to grow and reproduce (GBRMPA, 2016). Bleaching occurs when the relationship between the zooxanthellae and their coral host breaks down. This can be caused by a number of environmental stresses,