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Coral Reefs Annual Event

June 28, 2016 By John Cooper Leave a Comment

We need to protect coral reefs.

There is a growing concern regarding the situation of coral reefs nowadays. This ocean treasure is highly endangered because this year it has been registered the largest coral bleaching that ever occurred in history.

This situation has determined many of the world’s organizations and scientists to take active measures to prevent this unusual weather event from spreading even further.

One of the initiatives will be Tuesday, July 5^th, and it will be represented by the annual event of Maui Ocean Center, known as Night at the Reef: Incredible Corals.

Probably hundreds of people will attend this event, and they will have the opportunity to see the genuine beauty of coral reefs. During the evening organizers will underline the importance of coral reproduction and other aspects of coral reefs in front of many experts and scientists from every corner of the world.

The largest varieties of Pacific corals live in Maui Ocean Center (MOC). More precisely, 41 coral species are well preserved in special aquariums, and most of them cannot be found in other parts of the world as these corals can be found in Hawaiian waters on.

The event will start at 7 p.m., and it will include many activities such as live entertainment, shopping, and pre-event refreshments. The price of admission is $25 for children between 3 and 12 years old and $30 for adults.

In addition to this, United States military and Hawaii residents will benefit from a 20 percent discount and a valid ID. Because the event is so famous, organizers advise people to make reservations if they want to make sure that they will participate in the exhibition.

Reservations can be made at (808) 270-7075, whereas people will be able to buy tickets from the website soon enough. Coral reefs are home to countless species of plants and marine creatures. If they become extinct, the ocean ecosystem will probably suffer the biggest decline in the history.

The plants and algae living on corals are full of nutrients and vital for the water quality. If coral bleaching does not stop, many species of marine plants, fish, and mammals relying on coral reefs will most likely become extinct.

A significant percent of the funds collected during the event will be donated by the Maui Ocean Center to a local non-profit organization, known as Project S.E.A. – Link. This organization offers marine science education and it raises awareness regarding the coral reefs threat among government agencies, other nonprofit organizations, the local community, scientists, teachers, and students.

Image Source:Wikipedia

Coral Reefs Need More Attention

June 17, 2016 By Dean Lamori Leave a Comment

Coral reefs need protection.

Coral reefs are probably one of the most important sources that sustain life in the ocean. A team of researchers has recently studied over 2,500 reefs to establish their condition.

It turned out that 15 of them were very healthy, despite the fact that they were situated in unfavorable environmental conditions and close to human populations. According to Josh Cinner, a professor at James Cook University in Australia, these reefs, called bright spots, have a large density of fish.

Besides the 15 bright spots, the team of research also discovered 35 ‘dark spots,’ where fish were much fewer than scientists expected. Then researchers compared the results from the bright spots and the dark spots to establish what makes coral reefs thrive and what harms them.

By doing this, experts want to find a way to tackle overfishing and other causes that lead to coral reef degradation. Coral reefs are ecosystems which represent the home for many species of fish and other marine creatures.

However, human ignorance, climate change, and excessive fishing have critically harmed many of the coral reefs around the world. Many organizations make efforts in preserving coral reefs that are already thriving. Nevertheless, the ones from areas inhabited by humans need to be protected as well.

Besides excessive fishing, fishing practices are also not adequate because many people drag large nets across the ocean floor, damaging the environment while catching fish. The statistics have shown that coral reefs from rich countries are maintained in much better conditions than other places around the world.

It is also worth mentioning that bright spots were found in areas where human population was lower, such as the reefs in Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, parts of Indonesia and the Solomon Islands. In addition to this, bright spots also have deeper water, where fish could flee from predators.

Furthermore, these countries have a culture that encourages the protection of coral reefs, so they are more dedicated to this initiative of preserving the marine ecosystem. However, further research is needed to understand better the favorable conditions that make the bright spots thrive. This way, scientists will be able to create these conditions in other regions where reefs are critically damaged.

Reef conservation is crucial in order to have a healthy, safe and balanced ocean ecosystem. In other words, if people do not become more aware of the fact that coral reefs need protection, then the future will no longer be as bright as the 15 spots.

Image Source:Wikipedia

Little Is Known About Coral Reefs

June 12, 2016 By Sam Doliente Leave a Comment

Coral reefs will be protected.

Everyone heard about coral reefs before, but scientists still do not know many things about them and how the oceans benefit from these reefs.

NASA researchers from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory decided to develop a program that will observe the coral reefs from a distance of 23,000 feet. The study will last three years, and it aims to gather as much information as possible about the coral reefs.

Scientists will be able to analyze the oceans thanks to a set of instruments attached to an aircraft that will regularly fly. Besides learning more about the reefs, researchers will be able to establish the consequences of pollution, acidification, and human ignorance.

Coral reefs are in fact vital and delicate ecosystem as they are the ideal habitat for most of the fish that humans consume. Furthermore, these reefs act as a barrier, protecting the shorelines from rising ocean levels and dangerous storm surges.

According to Eric Hochberg, lead researcher of the project, known as the Coral Reef Airborne Laboratory (CORAL), coral reefs also play a significant role in the world economy as many tourists are attracted to these areas to practice snorkeling and diving.

However, thanks to the latest development in the medical field, coral reefs proved to be a vital source for pharmaceutical applications, such as painkillers that do not lead to addiction.

Unfortunately, the statistics from the International Society for Reef Studies Consensus Statement showed that 50 percent of the world’s coral reefs have already been destroyed or critically degraded by local factors and human excess during the last few decades.

According to Julia Baum, assistant professor of biology at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, the data that will be gathered thanks to this extensive research on coral reefs will prove to be very useful in understanding how important are coral reefs for the balance of the ecosystem.

Furthermore, scientists will be able to come up with new strategies to tackle all the factors that brought the degradation of coral reefs. The lack of data was another reason why coral reefs became so critically affected, as we were more preoccupied about space instead of taking care of our planet.

CORAL scientists announced that all data will be available to the public at the end of the study. Hopefully, the results will raise awareness regarding the situation of coral reefs.

Image Source:Earth Times

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