Environmental Science SCI/275Climate change is a threat that in the last few years has became one of the major issues on Earth. The change in the climate is a threat to all marine life. Global warming is potentially dangerous to the immense human population. However, one issue of the issue, which has been overlooked, is the affect the change in the climate will have on marine life. With the continuing rise in the temperature of the water, the threat to marine life is growing every day. The marine life is left virtually helpless, and the marine life will eventually suffer greatly by the problems that were created by humans.
In the last few years, marine life has experienced a significant change. The coral reefs have become endangered because of the increased carbon dioxide levels and the affects, which have been cause by the warming. Several different species live in the coral reefs such as small fish, large predators, and several other organisms.
Temperature predictions from some climate models a...
Global Warming
English: Aerial view of Kurumba Island in the Mald...The process known as mass bleaching is also endangering the coral reefs. The process of mass bleaching occurs when the temperature of the water rises to extreme levels, which causes the coral reef to release microscopic algae; these algae usually provide the polyps of the coral with food. Mass bleaching has an affect on the small organisms such as plankton, which will have an affect on the fish, which feed on those organisms (Carnegie Institution, 2009). Climate change affecting the coral reefs is only one example of how the changes in our climate affect the marine life.
Ocean temperatures rising also have an affect on the population of the phytoplankton. The role of phytoplankton is to aid in converting carbon dioxide to an organic carbon. The rising of the ocean temperatures has decreased the...