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  • Essay / The impacts of increasing ocean acidity on coral reefs

    The most diverse form of habitat in the oceans are spectacular coral reefs. Their existence enhances the survival of thousands of other living organisms in the ocean environment. Most of these organisms are used by deities as food. Reef-building corals, also called stony corals, have a stone-like structure composed of calcium carbonate, a mineral composition that exists primarily in the shells of many marine organisms such as snails, clams, and oysters. Just like these mollusks, the calcium present in seawater is essential for corals to build their hard and critical skeleton especially in the early stages of coral polyp life where they settle on hard material and the process of Skeletal construction begins. . Studies carried out in marine environments indicate that there is a reduction in larval settlement of 52 to 73% on reefs due to the reduction in oceanic pH. Studies show that there is a negative impact on the calcification rate of hard corals due to ocean acidification. This essay will focus on how increasing ocean acidity affects coral reefs. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay A number of environmental factors that have an effect on coral reefs have been studied to provide insight into how coral reefs' fragile ecosystem can survive under the increasing ocean acidity conditions of recent years ( Meissner, Lippmann & Gupta, 2012). Recently, global warming has been seen as an imminent threat to coral reefs. However, the phenomenon of ocean acidification (OA) has been found to be one of the factors that far affect the existence and survival of coral reefs. Ocean acidification (OA) is the result of weak acid that forms after atmospheric carbon dioxide dissolves in ocean water. In recent years, studies have shown that the pH of ocean water has increased from a pH of 8.2 to 8.1 over the course of 100 years. Through the use of models, it is predicted that by 2100 the pH value will have decreased to 7.6. Such a drop in pH poses a major threat to coral reefs whose life depends on the highly soluble chalk in acidic water (Meissner, Lippmann & Gupta, 2012). Currently, the first signs of ocean acidification (OA) have begun to reveal themselves in long-term climate records hidden in the skeletons of immense coral colonies growing on land since the industrial revolution. In an effort to predict how ocean acidification impacts coral reefs, much research has been conducted by performing experiments involving corals that are then incubated in environments with high levels of carbon dioxide that replicate the type of conditions expected in the next 50 to 100 years (Andersson and Gledhill, 2013). The experiments proved effective in identifying how this organism would respond with significant geochemical or ecological consequences. It has been noted that with increased ocean acidity, calcification is reduced and seagrass and macroalgae growth increases. Such analysis makes it possible to predict how the structure of reefs will change in the future and how the ocean ecosystem will be affected. In the future, OA will limit the ability of fish to use their sense of smell to detect predators and locate the best places where larvae can.