Climate change is impacting coral reefs

Global warming is not only effecting land animal habitats but it's also proving to have an enormous impact on water habitats too! The Coral reefs around the world provide homes to many different marine organisms. These habitats are in danger of dying because of the rising water temperature. In October of 2000, Indonesian scientists said that 25% of the world's reefs have already been destroyed because of global warming.

In 2002 it was recorded that 60% of Australia's Great Barrier Reef suffered from bleaching. Coral bleaching is a phenomenon that occurs when stressed or diseased coral expel the algae that gives them their bright colors. Bleaching can kill coral if it happens over a long period of time. Rising water temperatures causes bleaching and makes the reefs more susceptible to disease.

Biologists have also discovered that coral is dying off in the U.S. Virgin Islands that have existed since the voyages of Columbus. The Global Coral Reef Alliance described this problem as an "underwater holocaust." These losses have caused scientists and biologists to believe that many of the existing reefs may be dead within 50 years because coral cannot heal in a hostile environment.

Climate Change is affecting the lobster industry!

As you all know, the lobster has been a symbol of Maine for a very long time. There are many people that rely on them as a source of income, and now, the industry is declining. There are less and less lobsters to be caught so many Maine families are losing money. How come this is happening? Some believe that it's because the lobsters are being over-fished, while scientists are finding that their scarcity may be linked to global warming.

The lobster's habitat ranges from Long Island to the Bay of Fundy. They are cold-blooded creatures so when the water temperature rises, they must use more energy for respiration, leaving less energy for feeding, growth, energy storage, immune response, and reproduction.

The lobsters' habitats fluctuating with the rising water temperatures. It takes less energy for them to do their daily activities in cold water, therefore they seem to be migrating towards the Bay of Fundy, where the temperature are cooler. Researchers have found that when the water is over 69 degrees, it increases the rate of respiration to a point where their demand for oxygen is higher than the supply.

Have you ever seen a lobster with a funny shell? Well, scientists are also seeing evidence linking water temperature to the rise in shell disease. This is because the heat is causing them to row slower and not shed their shell as often, which gives the bacteria more time to grow.

www.neaq.org