HEAT WAVES CREATES SEA GRAVES AUTHOR: REV. LEO WOODBERRY
Earlier this year we had the privilege of visiting an island research center outside of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Our visit was the result of a grant that the research center received from the shed insight fund. I was honored to be a member of the grants committee which distributed $1 million in grants throughout the and the US Virgin Islands. We know today that record heat is impacting not only the United States but around the world. On average, 750 people a year die from extreme heat. These are more lives lost than in hurricanes. Tornadoes, and flooding. There's an even larger problem for you see, the heat on the oceans also kills southeast, Puerto Rico coral reefs and sea urchins. Coral reefs and sea urchins are essential to making sure that we have large populations of fish. If we lose the sea urchins and we lose the coral reefs, we will have more starvation and food scarcity on our planet. That is why it's very important that we understand sea urchins and the coral reefs. Coral reefs are complex ecosystems that provide habitat and food for many marine species, including fish, sea urchins, sponges, crabs, and sea stars. Coral reefs are also important for human well-being, as they provide benefits such as coastal protection, tourism, recreation, fisheries, and biodiversity. Coral reefs are threatened by various factors, such as pollution, disease, overharvesting, and climate change. One of the main effects of climate change on coral reefs is the increase in ocean temperature, which can cause coral bleaching. Coral bleaching is a phenomenon where corals lose their symbiotic alga (zooxanthellae) that give them color and food. This happens when the water temperature is too high or too low for the corals to tolerate. Bleached corals are more vulnerable to diseases and mortality. Coral bleaching has been observed in many regions of the world, including the Caribbean, the Pacific, and the Indian Ocean. In 2023, Florida experienced a record-breaking marine heat wave that caused widespread coral bleaching in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Coral bleaching can have negative impacts on the reef ecosystem, as it reduces the coral cover and diversity, which in turn affects the fish and other organisms that depend on the reef for shelter and food.
37 E. J. TODAY
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