Im a huge nerd this is something i had to write for marine bio and i think it wouldnt hurt to read
Global warming is an issue that the world has been dealing with since the first anthropogenic influences that occurred with the industrial revolution of the 1860s. Simply stated, global warming is occurring due to the changing atmosphere from that which was established to sustain life approximately 3.8 billion years ago. Conditions for the atmosphere to sustain life is comprised mostly of nitrogen and oxygen gases. In much less concentrations of less than one percent are several other gasses including carbon dioxide.
The contribution of higher levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide to the atmosphere is believed to have a large impact on the theory of global warming. The basic concept to grasp with global warming is that the earth’s temperature is rising over time, thus accelerating temperature driven processes on earth. Some of these processes include the melting of polar ice caps contributing to sea level rise, stronger storms and hurricanes, and the displacement of organisms in their habitat to higher latitudes. Carbon dioxide plays a large role in trapping heat that can be attributed to this global temperature rise. Just as a greenhouse allows sunlight to enter and then traps its heat, carbon dioxide traps heat in the atmosphere by allowing the short ultraviolet radiation rays to pass through into the atmosphere but does not let the longer waves that have been reflected from the earth back out of the atmosphere. This has always been a characteristic of atmospheric carbon dioxide, so why be concerned all of the sudden?
As previously mentioned, humans began to change the atmosphere with the start of the industrial revolution. Since this turning point, there have been numerous inventions to satisfy demands of the human race that aid in the input of higher levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The use of fossil fuels for home heating, automobiles and other gasoline based products all free carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as a by product. Other demands around the world include wood and the need for agricultural fields. Both of these demands require deforestation. By cutting down the forests, humans are decreasing photosynthesis world wide. This process removes carbon dioxide and releases oxygen back into the atmosphere as a byproduct. By limiting the amount of photosynthesis, the carbon dioxide concentration is higher and again, the stage is set for global warming.
After reading many different studies that have been conducted on global warming, I firmly believe that this trend is occurring at a disturbing rate. Coral bleaching is a phenomenon that occurs when the symbiotic zooxanthellae that live inside the corals leave and no longer supply the coral with nutrients, and in turn the coral dies. On a visit to a fringing reef off of Roatan, Honduras, I witnessed coral bleaching first hand. This sparked my interest to further investigate possible causes and if there was anything to prevent the trend from continuing. One of the ocean’s most productive ecosystems is contained in the coral reef environment. The Union of Concerned Scientists say that in research conducted by Nurse et. al. in 1998 that coral reefs are one of “the most sensitive ecosystems to long term climate change.” In 1998 a world-wide bleaching episode occurred, affecting coral reef systems in more than sixty countries world wide (www.ucsusa.org). Corals are sensitive to temperature change. The 1998 bleaching event occurred when surface water temperatures were higher then previous years. While bleaching is not fully understood, it is known that abnormally high water temperatures can cause the expulsion of the zooxanthellae. In 1999, The U.S. Department of State released a statement reading: “The geographic extent, regional severity, and increasing frequency of recent mass bleaching events point to an underlying global cause namely a trend of increasing sea surface temperatures in some of the tropical oceans, driven by global warming” (www.uscusa.org).
This is just one example of many that show what is in store for the Earth if the climate follows projected trends. The coral reef ecosystem is equivalent to the rainforests in terms of primary production, which is the highest in the world. They play a large role world wide in the uptake of carbon dioxide and the release of oxygen into the atmosphere. If we loose these ecosystems, the uptake of carbon dioxide is even further lessened, adding more to the atmospheric concentration, resulting in an increase of global warming. Such an event as the bleaching in 1998 should be an alarming warning for what is to come. As both a country and a world, we must take heed to such warning signs to see what we can do to add to the longevity of our existence on Earth.
http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/science/early-warning-signs-of-global-warming-coral-reef-bleaching.html
http://www.coastal.edu/science/marine/msci302/warming.htm
http://www.coastal.edu/science/marine/msci302/slr.htm
The contribution of higher levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide to the atmosphere is believed to have a large impact on the theory of global warming. The basic concept to grasp with global warming is that the earth’s temperature is rising over time, thus accelerating temperature driven processes on earth. Some of these processes include the melting of polar ice caps contributing to sea level rise, stronger storms and hurricanes, and the displacement of organisms in their habitat to higher latitudes. Carbon dioxide plays a large role in trapping heat that can be attributed to this global temperature rise. Just as a greenhouse allows sunlight to enter and then traps its heat, carbon dioxide traps heat in the atmosphere by allowing the short ultraviolet radiation rays to pass through into the atmosphere but does not let the longer waves that have been reflected from the earth back out of the atmosphere. This has always been a characteristic of atmospheric carbon dioxide, so why be concerned all of the sudden?
As previously mentioned, humans began to change the atmosphere with the start of the industrial revolution. Since this turning point, there have been numerous inventions to satisfy demands of the human race that aid in the input of higher levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The use of fossil fuels for home heating, automobiles and other gasoline based products all free carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as a by product. Other demands around the world include wood and the need for agricultural fields. Both of these demands require deforestation. By cutting down the forests, humans are decreasing photosynthesis world wide. This process removes carbon dioxide and releases oxygen back into the atmosphere as a byproduct. By limiting the amount of photosynthesis, the carbon dioxide concentration is higher and again, the stage is set for global warming.
After reading many different studies that have been conducted on global warming, I firmly believe that this trend is occurring at a disturbing rate. Coral bleaching is a phenomenon that occurs when the symbiotic zooxanthellae that live inside the corals leave and no longer supply the coral with nutrients, and in turn the coral dies. On a visit to a fringing reef off of Roatan, Honduras, I witnessed coral bleaching first hand. This sparked my interest to further investigate possible causes and if there was anything to prevent the trend from continuing. One of the ocean’s most productive ecosystems is contained in the coral reef environment. The Union of Concerned Scientists say that in research conducted by Nurse et. al. in 1998 that coral reefs are one of “the most sensitive ecosystems to long term climate change.” In 1998 a world-wide bleaching episode occurred, affecting coral reef systems in more than sixty countries world wide (www.ucsusa.org). Corals are sensitive to temperature change. The 1998 bleaching event occurred when surface water temperatures were higher then previous years. While bleaching is not fully understood, it is known that abnormally high water temperatures can cause the expulsion of the zooxanthellae. In 1999, The U.S. Department of State released a statement reading: “The geographic extent, regional severity, and increasing frequency of recent mass bleaching events point to an underlying global cause namely a trend of increasing sea surface temperatures in some of the tropical oceans, driven by global warming” (www.uscusa.org).
This is just one example of many that show what is in store for the Earth if the climate follows projected trends. The coral reef ecosystem is equivalent to the rainforests in terms of primary production, which is the highest in the world. They play a large role world wide in the uptake of carbon dioxide and the release of oxygen into the atmosphere. If we loose these ecosystems, the uptake of carbon dioxide is even further lessened, adding more to the atmospheric concentration, resulting in an increase of global warming. Such an event as the bleaching in 1998 should be an alarming warning for what is to come. As both a country and a world, we must take heed to such warning signs to see what we can do to add to the longevity of our existence on Earth.
http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/science/early-warning-signs-of-global-warming-coral-reef-bleaching.html
http://www.coastal.edu/science/marine/msci302/warming.htm
http://www.coastal.edu/science/marine/msci302/slr.htm