Great Barrier Reef Climate Change

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The Great Barrier Reef is actually the largest living thing on Earth. In fact, it can even be seen from space. The only problem with reefs is that they can only survive under a certain temperature range. If the temperature is too low or too high for the reefs, this causes the algae, which gives the coral their beautiful and bright colors, to leave the coral, and therefore causing the coral to become bleached (National Ocean Service). This is exactly what has happened this year. Data has recently been released that El Niño has caused complete bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef (The New York Times). Let that sink in, the World’s largest living thing, that has been around for about 500,000 years, is dying this year. People need to realize that …show more content…

Another effect of climate change is ocean acidification. The amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by the upper layer of the oceans is increasing by about 2 billion tons per year. Now, the problem today is that some people, at least those who do not deny the issue of climate change, see climate change as only an environmental issue. However, it is important to realize that climate change is not only an environmental issue, but also a major health issue as it can easily affect a significant number of individuals, especially those in third-world countries. In countries like Bangladesh and the Philippines, the climate restrains the people of the country to grow crops and make food for themselves. Poverty rates in such third-world countries are growing because individuals living in these countries are no longer able to grow food in order to stay alive and provide for their families as well. Although we don’t see it, climate change is undoubtedly the most important issue in the World and should be dealt with …show more content…

The Sun plays an extremely important role in many of the biological processes that occur around us. Consequently, it is important to point out that during the 17th century and into the 18th century, an ice age had occurred due to fluctuations in the amount of solar energy that we receive. This arose as a result of all of the particles that are flowing into the atmosphere; warm currents from the South rush in the high latitudes and cold currents, carrying arctic air, penetrate deeper into the south. And because of this, scientists are expecting an extreme cold, just like the ice age of the 17th century in the years of 2030 to 2040 (Astronomy