Coral Bleaching PSA By Paige Crandall and Jackie Fahrenholz

 Ocean temperatures rise above the norm causing coral to stress.  This stress and rise in temperatures causes the zooxanthellae to leave  Zooxanthellae are photosynthetic organisms that live inside of coral and provide them with food  This loss of zooxanthellae causes coral to lose its color and turn a ghostly white, like it was bleached. What is Coral Bleaching?

 Any underwater environment solely made up of coral are those being specifically affected  EX: Great Barrier Reef, Red Sea Coral Reef, and Florida Reef Anyone Specifically Affected?

Coral Comparison Normal Fan CoralBleached Fan Coral

 Movie Time!

 Too much carbon dioxide in the air from human pollution  This pollution is caused by the gasses emitted into air from things like cars, factories, and airplanes How Is Coral Bleaching Caused?

 If the temperature returns to normal quickly enough, the coral can regain its color (zooxanthellae)  If not, the coral becomes permanently bleached and dies  Once dead the coral becomes covered in filamentous algae Is it Permanent?

 The bleaching of coral reef correlates to the constant pollution humans emit daily  Gases from human pollution in the air (CO 2 ) cause the rise in air temperature which cause a rise in ocean temperature Human Interferences?

 If not stopped, eventually all coral will become bleached and die  Dead coral gets covered in filamentous algae  Places like the Great Barrier Reef thrive on tourist profit from snorkeling and deep sea diving to look at the coral  Those places will lose a lot of business and all the oceans will look white Possible Outcomes?

 Clownfish rely on coral for shelter and protection  Parrot fish eat some coral for food  Coral supports 25% of all marine life  Provides shelter for 25% of all marine life  Coral can be used for treatment for many diseases  Coral protects beaches from tough waves  All aquatic organisms would suffer  Resources would become limited  All oceans would lose their underwater color  Biodiversity heavily decreases Environmental Impact

 Organisms in the water are a big part of how certain gases are cycled  Carbon is cycled through green algae in the ocean as well as carbon is dissolved in marine sediments  Green algae and bacteria in the ocean fix, dissolve and release nitrogen into the atmosphere  Now these gases wouldn’t be cycled as often Impact on Cycles

 Save Energy  -turning off lights and electronics  Recycle  -plastics, glass, bottles, paper, Styrofoam, etc.  Drive less  -Walk whenever possible, ride a bike, or run instead Ways to Help?

 Picture of normal fan coral from:  coral-for-your-aquarium/ coral-for-your-aquarium/  Picture of algae coral from:   Picture of bleached fan coral from:  Google images (couldn’t find citation)  Videos used for all informationhttp://  Additional picture not used in presentation but used for reference from:  bleaching/ Citations