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ESG 1500 News Blitz

sharing environmental science through the news 

No Reef-unds

11/18/2019

5 Comments

 
By: ​Madalyn Wesner
Summary: Coral is currently under attack by plastic pollution. It is dying by the masses due to plastic bags, bottles, straws, and many other single-use every-day plastic items. Coral is a branch or mound that is made up of thousands of tiny polyps and is very much alive. They tend to form together and make some of the largest underwater structures in the world called Coral Reefs. The three biggest reefs in the world are the New Caledonia Barrier Reef, the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, and the Florida Reef. Each of which are taking serious damage. Pollutants such as plastic bags are a major source and carriers for harmful bacteria. The plastic bags get caught on the coral and damage it. The plastics create open wounds and then expose them to the harmful bacteria causing them to get “sick” and eventually die out. Another source of harmful plastic is fishing gear. Fishing gear tends to be more solid than the plastic bags, and can cause significantly more physical damage to the reefs.

Polluting the reefs not only negatively effects the coral but it also negatively impacts marine life and humans as well. The animals that feed off of and live on these coral reefs are ingesting the thousands of different plastics. When humans eventually eat these animals, they are also consuming the plastic that was inside the animals. 
​
How do we help? We help by cutting out single-use plastic items. Instead of using plastic grocery bags try to use a reusable one. Replace plastic straws with reusable metal ones. Replace plastic water bottles with refillable ones. If everyone in U.S. alone could make a conscious effort to try to make the switch to these three items, it could positively impact the reefs and the ocean as a whole. It is not too late to save them, but Reefs cannot be replaced once they are gone and to lose Coral Reefs would mean to lose a significant ecosystem.
Why we should care? I think we should care about the Coral Reefs because by damaging them we are damaging ourselves. Killing the reefs will kill a major human food source and a major contributor to marine life.
Picture
Credit: Adobe Stock/drew
Example News Article:
https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/12/world/global-coral-reef-conservation-study-scn-trnd/index.html

I found this article interesting because it talks not only about the effects plastic has on coral reefs, but also carbon dioxide emissions and rising temperatures. Global warming is the cause of coral bleaching. Coral bleaching is when corals release their algae due to a rise in temperature. Losing that algae causes them to die. Another point I found interesting is the fact that corals die under high stress. When temperatures change drastically in short periods of time the coral cannot handle the change and they die. The article also mentions the fact that most of the coral that thrives is out in the middle of the ocean away from humans. People have more of an impact than they know and creating awareness is the first step to fixing the problem.​
Science in Action.
Dr. Eric Hochberg is a Reef Ecologist with a focus on the interaction between light and the function of tropical and subtropical shallow water ecosystems, or coral reefs. He is currently working on a NASA- funded research project called Coral Reef Airborne Laboratory (CORAL).

​Dr. Eric Hochberg uses new technologies to study the habits of coral reefs. He uses these new technologies to understand the process by which coral reefs die. Finding the root cause is the way to fixing and or saving the reefs. I believe his research is relevant to my blog topic because he is researching what things have a negative effect on the coral reefs. My blog talks about the negative impacts plastics have on them, and his research is all about finding what kills coral. He has written many scholarly articles on his findings and how he found them. His use of technology could be the next big step in saving such a significant ecosystem.
5 Comments
Cami Emerson
11/18/2019 15:19:17

It is very sad to see the impacts humans have had on our environment, especially since the coral reefs are in the middle of the ocean and they play a major role in our ecosystem. Plastic and trash seem to be affecting a whole lot in our environment on land and off. Hopefully more people will take reusable devices into consideration like you mentioned.

Reply
Lauren Clegg
11/22/2019 10:55:59

It's so sad that all this damage is happening to the coral reefs because we use so much plastic. I'm surprised stores still give out plastic bags when they could just not give bags at all like IKEA does. I have seen a lot on social media about reusable straws recently. It's nice to see that people are realizing that we cause more damage than we think by using these throw away plastics.

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Rahima T
11/24/2019 21:30:30

I agree, awareness needs to be one of the first steps for trying to save these reefs. I for one did not know that coral reefs got sick from bacteria in plastics, like single-use every-day plastic items. Coral is more sensitive than what people may imagine. It might not look like other plants or organisms, but it is a living thing that gets harmed, and killed. Plastic doesn’t just go away, if it was in the ocean it is likely in a fish that will make its way possibly inside a human. It is a harmful cycle, bad for all involved. I really support the use of reusable plastics whenever possible, like California, banning plastic bags. I think a way to make reusable objects more popular is banning other plastic sources or encouraging reusable objects or pricing single use plastics higher. The USA should also put more money into recycling programs and centers as a way to maybe increase the recycling done or incentive it.

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Hannah LaFleur
11/26/2019 11:21:37

It is very sad to see how plastic is destroying such a beautiful thing in our oceans. Many people I think dont understand the damage plastic is causing for the coral and that action needs to take place. Also didn't realize bacteria from the plastics was harming the reefs.

Reply
Tyler Dudenas
12/17/2019 00:01:52

It is seriously so saddening to see plastic taking over and destroying some of Earth's most beautiful ecosystems. Add this with the increased temperature which results in coral bleaching and we can easily see that something must be done in order to save our ecosystems- especially one as vast and important as our coral reefs. Eliminating single use plastics is definitely an important step, but I just wonder, will reducing just single use plastic be enough to cleanse our ocean environments?

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