Coral reefs are extremely sensitive, slight changes in the reef environment may have detrimental effects on the health of the coral polyps. There are numerous changes, but they generally fall into two categories: natural disturbances and anthropogenic disturbances (Guilcher 1988). Of these two categories anthropogenic disturbances are avoidable and are

Education does not have to be limited to divers and the citizens of the nations surrounded by the reefs, as I stated earlier global warming maybe the largest contributing factor to the bleaching of the reefs. As we all know the problem is not caused by a single nation, many nations have lead to this trouble, which also affects many other ecosystems. The deforestation of the Amazon or the emissions from car exhaust are all increasing the water temperatures which is not only reducing the area of land by melting the ice caps but is destroying a key wave break and filtration system for over 100 nations.

Oceanographers say that the El Nino weather pattern of 1998, which led to a rise in water temperature by up to six degrees Fahrenheit, did enormous damage to the reefs (Anon). It is estimated that in another twenty years, water temperatures are likely to rise to the point where coral will be unable to survive. 1998 was the warmest year on record and brought the most devastating coral bleaching to date, every reef system in the world was affected. In certain places, such as the Maldives and other islands in the Indian Ocean, entire reef systems were destroyed. This problem was observed in at least 60 countries and island nations, only the central Pacific region was spared. The rise in water temperatures is a direct result of the now famous greenhouse effect, where levels of gaseous pollution from the burning of coal, oil and gas are increasing the global temperatures to record levels. Experiments (Littler and Littler 1995) have shown that once the water temperature reaches a constant 32 degrees Celsius, the corals bleach. Corals are only capable of living in a very narrow temperature range, between 25 and 29 degrees Celsius, hence the rise in water temperatures in the areas that the coral have been growing (some as long as 2.5 million years (Guilcher 1988) are beginning to bleach the corals. New evidence suggests that over time the bleached corals can regain their color and have a potential for regrowth, however if the bleaching occurs too often, the corals die off. Another major problem with the bleaching is that the polyps become more susceptible to other threats such as pesticides and pollution.

Unfortunately, enforcement of these solutions has been lacking significantly and will probably continue in this direction, therefore the best methods of conservation maybe the ones without the need of enforcement. Education and rewarded cooperation are two main ideas, which are beginning to catch on and are showing the most promising results. Again, Bonaire was the first to lead the way, educating not only their citizens but all tourists who came to dive the reefs. Before any diving is allowed each diver must undergo a one hour class with a certified dive instructor, teaching the do’s and don’ts of their coral reefs. Rewards for the citizens of Bonaire are plentiful as well, Bonaire is not a self sustaining island, in order to survive the island must keep the reefs pristine, known as the best in the western hemisphere (Rodale’s 1999), up to two hundred thousand divers visit the island annually and spend an approximate $4-5 million dollars (Rodale’s 1999). Without this many of the residents would be forced to move to the main land.

Humans are cutting down more trees, building more roads, and developing more then ever. As development continues to alter the environment, the amount of freshwater runoff increases. Along with other problems this runoff often carries large deposits of sediment, often very rich in nutrients from large agricultural ar

Some topics in this essay:
Pacific Oil, Littler Littler, Bonaire Techniques, Birkeland Pollutions, , El Nino, Indian Ocean, Curacao Bahamian, Bonaire Anti-fouling, coral reefs, water temperatures, rise water, oil gas, coral bleaching, water temperature, guilcher 1988, rise water temperature, anthropogenic disturbances, edmunds 1991, rise water temperatures, rodale’s 1999, littler littler 1995,