Summary- According to the article, "the measured warming of the planet is not hypothetical." But what does that mean?
- There has been an "ecological catastrophe" that it has been unfolding off Australia's coast. - The problem presented is that us, humans, are killing the Great Barrier Reef. - The Great Barrier Reef is known as one of the "greatest natural wonders." - Unfortunately, there is nothing that Australians can do about it, since we, those that do not live over there, are responsible for such catastrophe. - The article explains how many corals turned "antiseptic, sickly white," when the water temperature of an ocean spike and causes a "bleaching event." - When there is a high temperature, it means that more spikes are likely to occur. - The "National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration" are responsible for monitoring Earth's seas and skies. - Donald Trump will begin "what will no doubt be a broad rollback of Obama administration climate rules," which will create more difficulties. |
Is it too late?Facts- "Corals are polyp creatures."
- The chances of the northern Great Barrier Reef returning to its pre-bleaching assemblage structure are slim given the scale of damage that occurred in 2016." - The bleaching event continues to rises over decades. - Corals build their "iconic limestone structures" in algae that are photosynthesized." - "When ocean temperatures increase, the algae emit poisons." - Corals decades of years old may be replaced by "weedier." - Weedier means "faster-growing species." - "The Trump administration proposed deep cuts for the Environmental Protection Agency, singling out climate programs." |
Key Terms- Great Barrier Reef: The largest living thing on Earth, and even visible from outer space.
- Antiseptic: Relating to or denoting substances that prevent the growth of disease-causing microorganisms. - Polyp: A solitary or colonial sedentary form of a coelenterate such as a sea anemone, typically having a columnar body with the mouth uppermost surrounded by a ring of tentacles. In some species, polyps are a phase in the life cycle that alternates with a medusoid phase. - Weedier: Containing or covered with many weeds. |
Opinion
The death of multiple Great Barrier Reef has been occurring because the ocean has been warmer than ever. There has been up to two degrees warmer than what it was before. But, how does it affect the corals? It has an impact on them because the coral organism, algae, that provides them sustenance gets a negative impact when the water is hotter. A possibility as to why this might happen is because of El Niño, which is when the Pacific Ocean gets hotter. Meaning that the temperature rises so it affects the corals. Another way as for how the corals get killed is carbon dioxide since if there is more in the atmosphere, it transformed oceans into more acidic oceans, which destroy corals. Unfortunately, scientists are still researching to find an effective way to stop this catastrophe. But, we, humans, can start by reducing gas emission (ex. use less heat/air conditioning, replacing light bulbs, driving less, buying energy-efficient products, using less hot water, using the "off" switch, and others). As the article explains, if we do not start to do something, the planet will change and it will hurt a lot of people, and nobody is going to be able to stop it. Individuals should start asking themselves, "what price the nation and the world will pay, in dollars, lives and ecological catastrophe" just because our leaders were "negligent" when everything was occurring.