1. Jillian Boyd & John Schisel

2. Causes Climate change Increased CO₂ Other environmental stressors; Hurricanes Pollution (agricultural runoff) Chemical changes

3. Pathogens In many cases the actual bleaching is not what kills the reef… Diseases either restrict the growth of new coral or kill what is still alive Reef systems are taken over by turf algae.

4. How it happens. Not always fatal Very complex symbiotic relationship. Zooplankton provide food (Carbon) and the coral provides shelter and an anchoring point. (Schmidt)

5. Damage Loss of biodiversity Loss of food Loss of medicines Reef systems can be thousands of years old

6. Case Study 1. Eastern Caribbean Eastern Caribbean High water temperatures Warmer than recorded in 150 years Zooxanthellae Symbiotic relationship Supplies nutrients (mostly carbon) Imparts color Results…

7. Continued By the end of the year… 90% of Virgin Islands 52% of French West Indies Disease By 2007… 60% of Virgin Islands 52% of Puerto Rico’s La Parguera National Reserve

8. Case Study 2. Great Barrier Reef Great Barrier Reef (GBR) – 1980, 1982, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2002, and 2006 Severity varies – Most widespread and intense events Summers of 1998 and 2002 Keystone species – Marine ecosystems Financially vital – Multibillion dollar tourist industry

9. Other Areas Indian Ocean Maldives, Sri Lanka, Kenya and Tanzania and in the Seychelles Hawaiian Coral Major bleaching in 1996 and 2002 Mediterranean Sea More areas will continue to be affected as global temperatures rise.

10. Is it too late? Some theoretical treatments. First thing to do is limit as many of the stressors as we can; sewage, agricultural runoff, sediment and other anthropocentric pollutants Another casualty of global climate change… (Schmidt)