User talk:Rockyramones/sandbox

Wikipedia Project By: Rocky Ramones ENG 100 Professor O’Steen

With the white sand beach, clear waters, beautiful reefs, and beautiful animals, Hanauma Bay is a very popular tourist place in Hawaii. Hanauma Bay has 3,000 visitors daily or 1 million visitors yearly and makes about $6 million each year. Visitors go to Hanauma Bay to relax on the beach, see the beautiful view, and snorkel around the reefs. Hanauma Bay is home to 450 varieties of animals such as fish, octopus, turtles, eels, and octopus. Hanauma Bay has 11 sectors where visitors can relax and do activities. Those sectors are Backdoor East and West, Keyhole East and West, Channel Null, Channel East and West, Witches Brew East and West, and Offshore East and West. Due to climate change and 3,000 visitors coming in daily, Hanauma Bay reef has been through coral bleaching. Coral bleaching occurs when water temperatures rise, causing the coral to release the algae inside their tissues and turning it white Due to climate change, Hawaii’s water temperatures all over the islands have risen causing coral bleaching which makes coral reefs die. According to Pierre-Louis (2017), “But when corals are exposed to water that is too warm or otherwise toxic, they expel that symbiotic algae, leading to a white coloration known as bleaching. Bleaching doesn’t just make coral less attractive, it also makes them more susceptible to death and disease. Severe bleaching can kill coral and destroy a reef (reefs are essentially colonies of individual coral) leaving behind a graveyard of bleached bones”. According to Rodgers et al (2017), “In 2014 and 2015, coral reefs in the main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) suffered up to 90% bleaching, with higher than 50% subsequent mortality in some areas. The location and severity of bleaching and mortality was strongly influenced by the spatial and temporal patterns of elevated seawater temperatures. Surveys at HBNP in October 2015 and January 2016 revealed extensive bleaching (47%) and high levels of coral mortality (9.8%)”. Other than climate change affecting coral reefs, sunscreen also has caused coral bleaching. With 3,000 people visiting Hanauma Bay daily, visitors use a lot of sunscreens. Some visitors buy sunscreen from stores like ABC store or the gift shops at Hanauma Bay and at those shops people buy the most popular brand which is Banana Boat. Banana Boat is terrible for the reef because it’s not reef-friendly sunscreen. According to Smith (2018) “Recent studies have found that sunscreen chemicals in many popular products actually hurt corals. The main chemical culprits are oxybenzone and octinoxate, which convert sunburn causing UV rays into harmless heat on human skin. But once these chemicals are in the water, they actually decrease corals’ defenses against bleaching, damaging their DNA and hurting their development. It’s almost as though sunscreen for humans has the opposite effect for corals! This damage, along with harm from other stressors including ocean acidification, water pollution, rising sea temperatures, and coral disease, prevents corals from successfully reproducing and surviving in current marine environments”. With thousands of people entering Hawaii water to do snorkeling, surfing, or swimming, at least 4,000-6,000 tons of sunscreen are going onto reefs every year. Due to climate change and COVID-19, coral bleaching has affected Hanauma Bay economically. According to Lyte (2020) “Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell ordered the shutdown of Hanauma Bay on March 16 due to coronavirus concerns and the park will remain closed at least through April 30. Since then the number of daily visitors to Hawaii’s premier snorkeling destination has sunk from 3,000 to virtually none”. Hanauma Bay closed down until March 20 of 2021 due to coral bleaching and COVID-19, significantly impacting economics. According to Star-Advertiser Staff (2020), “In 2019, average daily attendance was almost 3,000 people, and Hanauma Bay received nearly 845,000 visitors that year. Only 720 people will be admitted per day, and the bay will be closed every Monday and Tuesday; Hanauma Bay was formerly closed to the public only on Tuesdays and Christmas, and New Year’s days. Pedestrians and vehicles will be allowed to enter from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and all visitors must leave the preserve by 4 p.m”. Before COVID happened, Hanauma Bay used to charge $7.50 for non-residents of Hawaii 13 years and above. Now they charge $12 for non-residents of Hawaii 13 years and above. Hanauma Bay coral was 47% bleached, but since Hanauma Bay was closed due to COVID, less exposure from people has healed the reefs. According to Pennybacker (2020), “ Perhaps most striking to date has been the improvement in water clarity: the bay’s water is 18% clearer, with improved visibility of 2 meters than when the scientists tested it during regular Tuesday closures of the bay before the comprehensive pandemic closure, and 42% clearer, with improved visibility of 4.9 meters, then it was on days when the bay was open to the public”.

Reference Smith, A., & G. (2018, December 18). Is your sunscreen killing the coral? Retrieved April 12, 2021, from https://oceanconservancy.org/blog/2018/05/24/sunscreen-killing-coral-reef/ Rodgers, K. S., Bahr, K. D., Jokiel, P. L., & Richards Donà, A. (2017). Patterns of bleaching and mortality following widespread warming events in 2014 and 2015 at the Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, Hawai'i. PeerJ, 5, e3355. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3355 Kendra Pierre-Louis May 31, K. (2017, May 31). Hawaii's most popular coral reefs are in big trouble. Retrieved April 12, 2021, from https://www.popsci.com/hawaii-coral-reefsbleaching/ Star-Advertiser Staff Dec. 2, 2. (2020, December 03). Hanauma Bay Reopens following 8-month covid-19 closure. Retrieved April 12, 2021, from https://www.staradvertiser.com/2020/12/02/breaking-news/hanauma-bay-reopensfollowing-8-month-covid-19-closure/ Pennybacker, M. (2020, August 29). Hanauma Bay recovering since Covid-19 closure, new research shows. Retrieved April 12, 2021, from https://www.staradvertiser.com/2020/08/28/breaking-news/hanauma-bay-recovering-sincecovid-19-closure-new-research-shows/