THREATS TO THE CORAL OF THE MESOAMERICAN REEF
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Transcript of THREATS TO THE CORAL OF THE MESOAMERICAN REEF
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THREATS TO THE CORAL OF THE MESOAMERICAN REEF
NICOLE GRAINGER
The Mesoamerican Reef• 225 million years
• 1 000 kilometers
• 65 species of stony coral
• 500 species of fish
Coral Threats
Global Warming
Severe storms
High temperatures
Coral bleaching
Fishing
Overfishing
Cyanide Fishing
Global Warming
Global Warming: Storms
Increased intensity
Run-off
Global Warming: Coral Bleaching
Sudden drops or elevations in temperature
Stress-induced
Fishing
Over Fishing Caused by industry
expansions
Biodiversity support
Domino effect
Cyanide-Fishing
Spraying sodium cyanide
75% mortality of organisms in 48 hours
Slows photosynthesis in zooxanthellae
Solutions
Protected areas management
Addressing climate change
Safeguarding watersheds
Bibliography
Hurricanes and global warming devastate Caribbean coral reefs. (n.d.). the Guardian. Retrieved June 28, 2011, from http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jan/24/climatechange
Is Global Warming Making Hurricanes Worse?. (n.d.). Daily Nature and Science News. Retrieved June 28, 2011, from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/08/0804_050804_hurricanewarming.html
Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. (n.d.). Playa del Carmen Travel Guide. Retrieved June 28, 2011, from http://www.aboutplayadelcarmen.com/playadelcarmen/mesoamerican-barrier-reef.asp
Overfishing. (n.d.). See The Sea. Retrieved June 28, 2011, from http://see-the-sea.org/topics/commerce/overfishing.htm
WWF - Mesoamerican Reef. (n.d.). World Wildlife Fund - Wildlife Conservation, Endangered Species Conservation. Retrieved June 28, 2011, from http://www.worldwildlife.org/what/wherewework/mesoamericanreef/index.html