Explain how increased atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and warmer coastal waters resulting from global climate change may affect coral reefs
What will be an ideal response?
If water temperatures increase, many species of coral will eject their zooxanthellae, subsequently bleaching and dying. Also, rising carbon dioxide levels will increase the amounts of carbon dioxide that will dissolve in ocean waters. This produces acidification of ocean waters, and increased acidity increases the conversion of limestone, which comprises the corals' skeletal material, into soluble bicarbonate, thus increasing the mortality of corals. On the other hand, corals may be able to colonize waters that were previously too cold for them and also move into low-elevation areas that may become flooded by expanding oceans.
You might also like to view...
Fundamental to insulators are
A. bound electrons. B. free electrons. C. both of these in various proportions D. none of the above
What are sea cliffs evidence of?
What will be an ideal response?
Because sand-sized grains are heavier than silt or clay-sized grains, sand moves close to the ground in a series of short hops called saltation.
Answer the following statement true (T) or false (F)
Residence time is the ________
A) length of time it takes for chemicals to be stored in the tissues of living organisms B) chemical change that occurs with time, when substances alter the growth and development of humans C) length of time it takes to produce toxic chemicals in the environment D) chemical change that occurs with time, when substances are altered by the sun or metabolized by microorganisms E) length of time a pollutant spends in the environment