What are some of the dangers corals have to face right now? What impact will global warming have on these factors?
· There is coral bleaching happening right now. This occurs when the water temperature is too high for an extended period of time. The corals appear to be bleached because they eject their symbiotic dinoflagellates. If the temperature stress remains and the dinoflagellates do not return, corals are not able to survive for very long. As we see temperature increases, this may become more widespread.
· Corals are having a hard time due to the acidification of the ocean as well. The increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and then into the ocean is causing the ocean to become more acidic. Corals can only tolerate so much acidity. This is especially true of corals that use calcium carbonate to fortify their body structure.
· Corals are facing a human perpetuated problem as well. There is a practice of using sodium cyanide to collect species for aquariums and collectors. This poison is squirted on the reef. The survivors are then collected. This does major damage to all of the organisms on the reef.
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