User:BillyRam00/sandbox

Original Wikipedia page we are adding to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_issues_with_coral_reefs#:~:text=Human%20impact%20on%20coral%20reefs,access%20into%20islands%20and%20bays. Josh's paragraphs

CP and microplastic effect on coral

A recent study done in the Persian Gulf looked at the effects Chlorinated Paraffins had on coral reef health, this study looked at the relationship between coral reef bleaching and CP concentrations. Chlorinated Paraffins are a group of varying length carbon chains used in the industrial industry and added to a number of our daily use products. CP’s can be found in paints, sealants, PVC(polyvinyl chloride), rubber, lubricating and cutting oil, and metalworking fluids(Chlorinated Paraffins - Canada.ca). Extensive sampling was done on all parts of the coral body/environment to determine the concentration of CP, high levels of CP’s were found throughout the corals body and in the surrounding sediment. The highest concentration was found in the corals mucus, which could explain the high concentration in the surrounding sediment. As the amount of CP increases the corals become stressed and start to release CP concentrated mucus and zooxanthellae into its surroundings, this causes bleaching and CP deposits to form in the surrounding sediment. Samples taken of corals that were previously bleached also showed a higher concentration of CP’s than living coral. This is just another chemical added to the long list of pollutants being released into the water.

Corals resistance to anthropogenic effects and heat stress

While coral sensitivity to changes in its environment are well documented, a recent study suggests they might be more resilient to pollution than we thought. A team of researchers in germany looked into the relationship between microplastic pollution and coral bleaching, surprisingly the results obtained pointed towards a negligible effect. The scientist put the corals through a simulated heat wave to observe if the coral's zooxanthellae left at a quicker pace when microplastic concentration increased. Microplastic exposure had only a minor and infrequent cumulative negative effect on coral tolerance to heat stress, regardless of particle concentrations (even beyond projected future concentrations) and particle types (Reichert, 2021). This cannot be interpreted as corals being immune to pollution because bleaching still occurred and any foreign substance in their body is not good for health. While rising water temperatures continue to wipe out coral populations globally, in areas where previous heat waves occurred the population decrease was less than previous years. Another labratory study showed that if given proper acclimation corals' resilience to major heat waves increased. This is a promising result because if the study can be applied to global populations then the rapid decrease in coral reef area could slow down/potentially stop. While this is mainly speculation it can give some hope that we have not damaged our reefs beyond repair.

Quinns paragraphs

EFFECTS OF DIVING AND POSSIBLE WAYS TO FIX DIVING PRACTICES Studies done by (Naranjo-Arriola 2021) were done to determine the carrying capacity of dive sites and the impact tourism has on coral reefs. It was determined that the main threat through tourism is not the amount of people but the distribution of use. (Naranjo-Arriola 2021) Factors that contribute to distribution are the size of the site for underwater exploration and percent coverage of fragile benthic species Fishing in this costa rica location is completely forbidden. Human impact on corals can come from a lack of diving experience (balancing on the substrate) as well as unintentional damage to substrate through lack of knowledge that corals are highly sensitive to fins and hand of visiting divers. A second form of damage comes from taking pictures. This act of photography inhibits a persons spatial awareness; more likely to bump into corals or to balance themselves on the substrate. A good way to reduce reef impacts is by having guides warn divers and snorkelers when they encounter a reef. This method works by intercepting a diver before they contact the coral. Programs such as Green Fins and the Blue Star Program help operators carry out sustainable underwater tourism. It is important that tour operators in Cao Island follow the procedures mentioned, in order to minimize harmful practices and protect the environment. Meta analysis shows possibility of resilience Coral reefs have the potential to show resilience to climate change. A meta analysis was done by INSTER PAPER, demonstrating how corals react to increase of ocean temperatures. In tested scenarios there proved adaptation in weak to moderate climate change. One constraint being a trade off between heritability in growth and thermotolerance. While a coral may become more heat tolerant, its losses its ability for growth. In populations exhibiting sufficient genetic diversity have proved to be unlikely to experience a genetic diversity loss. This proving that there could be some resilience for coral reefs with increasing temperatures. Bairos-Novak (2021) Dixon et al. (2015) showed that differences in the latitude of parental colonies confers a tolerance to heat stress on their offspring. Through the inspection of repeated bleaching events, there proves to be a possible potential for acclimatization or even directional selection for heat tolerant traits, this giving a boost to allele frequencies that can further improves overall fitness of future offspring. The resilience of coral reefs depends on the organisms and their populations' ability to adapt to the environment. This adaptation requires efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, better understanding is needed to further predict the acclimatization of future coral reefs.