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Coral Reefs Speech

Coral reefs provide important habitats for marine life but are threatened by human activities and climate change. They contain both biotic factors like corals, fish, seaweed, and plankton as well as abiotic factors such as sunlight, temperature, and salinity. However, exploitation through overfishing, pollution from sediments and nutrients, and climate change have led to declines in coral health through bleaching and disease. For example, the Great Barrier Reef has suffered from bleaching events and tropical cyclones since 2005. Individuals can help protect coral reefs by avoiding touching them, minimizing plastic use, reducing fertilizer runoff, and choosing more sustainable transportation and energy practices.

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Olivia Ngo
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59 views1 page

Coral Reefs Speech

Coral reefs provide important habitats for marine life but are threatened by human activities and climate change. They contain both biotic factors like corals, fish, seaweed, and plankton as well as abiotic factors such as sunlight, temperature, and salinity. However, exploitation through overfishing, pollution from sediments and nutrients, and climate change have led to declines in coral health through bleaching and disease. For example, the Great Barrier Reef has suffered from bleaching events and tropical cyclones since 2005. Individuals can help protect coral reefs by avoiding touching them, minimizing plastic use, reducing fertilizer runoff, and choosing more sustainable transportation and energy practices.

Uploaded by

Olivia Ngo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Coral Reefs speech

In coral reefs, the biophysical characteristics can be split in abiotic and biotic factors. Some
of the biotic factors include corals, animals such as sea turtles, fish & sharks, plants such as
seaweed & plankton and bacteria. The abiotic factors include sunlight, temperature, salt,
light penetration, buoyancy, gases, water density and viscosity. All the biotic factors are
underwater. Coral reefs are important as they protect coastlines from the damaging effects
of wave action and tropical storms, provide habitats and shelter for many marine organisms,
are the source of nitrogen and other essential nutrients for marine food chains, assist in
carbon and nitrogen fixing and help with nutrient recycling.

Coral reefs have changed overtime due to exploitation of natural resources, pollution,
habitat loss and climate change. Exploitation of coral reefs include overfishing and
destructive fishing methods, coral bleaching, too many tourists, coral mining and pollution.
When sediments and other pollutants enter the water, the coral reefs get smothered,
speeds up the growth of damaging algae and lowers the water quality. Pollution also makes
coral more prone to disease, prevent coral growth and reproduction, and causes changes in
food structures in the reef. As corals die, they lose their outer tissue and may be overgrown
by turf or encrusting algae. With time a once healthy coral reef habitat can be transformed
into a desolate, rubble-dominated habitat. Climate change has a big impact on coral reefs.
Rising ocean temperatures and carbon dioxide levels leads to coral bleaching. This often
leads to the death of large amounts of corals. An example of a climate change that has
affected coral reefs is The Great Barrier Reef in Queensland. The impacts of coral bleaching
events and many severe tropical cyclones since 2005 have caused an decline in the health of
the Reef.

There are ways we can help coral reefs to give them a sustainable future. When visiting
coral reefs you should try to avoid touching coral reefs as contact with the reef will damage
it and to avoid anchoring your boat on the reef as it can kill corals. In your everyday life,
remember to recycle and dispose of trash properly as it can be harmful to coral reefs, cut
back on your plastic consumption, minimize use of fertilizers as the nutrients pollute the
water and can harm coral reefs, use environmentally-friendly modes of transportation and
save energy at home and at work.

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