Final Piece Outline
Stefano Phillips
Topic: Ecosystem
Focused topic: Decline of Coral Reefs
Thesis Statement: Caribbean waters which contains coral reefs, one of the world’s most stunning, interesting and dynamic ecosystems, is diminishing rapidly due to pollution, overfishing and climate change. I. Pollution has greatly led to the decline in coral reefs. * Sources of pollution to coral reefs. 1. Land based pollution that runs into the sea is a major threat to coral reefs. 2. Marine debris which is made up of objects discarded by humans affects corals greatly.
II. Overfishing is very common as corals provide a livelihood for humans. * ways in which overfishing occur 1. Blast fishing destroys corals with brute force. 2. Unregulated and unrecorded fishery helps to wipe out coral reefs.
III. Climate change is the most common natural cause of decline in coral reefs * Effects climate change has on corals. 1. Coral Bleaching is mainly caused by change in climate which affects water temperature. 2. Acidification caused by rising levels of acidification.
Conclusion: Whether directly or indirectly, humans have greatly contributed to the decline of coral reefs and Caribbean corals are no exception. We should all know the importance of coral reefs and learn how to preserve it by ending some of the activities we do. We can preserve the remaining 10% of the coral reefs found in the Caribbean by making the awareness grow. The more people aware of the importance of coral reefs, the more people will be able to understand the importance of its preservation, not just for the marine life but also for the welfare of the people themselves especially those living near coastal regions.
In doing so, this will improve the life of the marine ecosystem and ultimately make our environment, the great ecosystem, a better place to live.
Sources:
Harvey. F (2012, September 10). Caribbean Coral reefs face collapse. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/sep/10/caribbean-coral-reefs-collapse-environment Dell’Amore. C (2012, September 6). Caribbean Coral Reefs Mostly Dead, IUCN Says. Retrieved from http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/09/06/caribbean-coral-reefs-mostly-dead-iucn-says/
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/environment/Coral-reefs-mending--but-fish-stock-declining_11140327
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/sep/10/caribbean-coral-reefs-collapse-environment http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/09/06/caribbean-coral-reefs-mostly-dead-iucn-says/ http://explorations.ucsd.edu/research-highlights/2012/declines-in-caribbean-coral-reefs-pre-date-damage-resulting-from-climate-change/ supporting ideas http://celebrating200years.noaa.gov/visions/coral/side.html http://celebrating200years.noaa.gov/visions/coral/welcome.html http://celebrating200years.noaa.gov/visions/coral/welcome.html#solutions http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/students/coral/coral5.htm
http://plaza.ufl.edu/bettie/coralreef.html
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