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Devon Adams

Professor Trotter

English 1201

17 March 2019

Annotated Bibliography

My essay will answer the questions of what are the causes behind Global Warming and

its worldwide impact on Coral Reefs as well as what is our role as a society to intervene in

environmental decline/impacts for ecosystems such as the coral reefs. I’m interested in knowing

how the overall changes throughout the globe have had an impact on coral reef habitats. Are we

as a society contributing to this effect or is this something out of our hands? Is it too small of an

issue to focus on compared to other impacted areas?

Lantz, Coulson A., et al. “The Effect of Warming and Benthic Community Acclimation on Coral

Reef Carbonate Sediment Metabolism and Dissolution.” Coral Reefs, no. 1, 2019, p.

149. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s00338-018-01752-x. 10 Mar. 2019.

“The Effect of Warming and Benthic Community Acclimation on Coral Reef Carbonate

Sediment Metabolism and Dissolution” written by Coulson Lantz from February 2019, Volume

38 of “Coral Reefs”. The main thesis of this article revolves around the point that collected data

has indicated an increase in global temperatures, specifically sea surface temperatures. This is a

primary factor in the growth for coral reef systems due to their delicate nature. This has shown

long term influences in the growth of gross primary production, net calcium carbonate, along

with respiration dissolution found in coral reef sediments.

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The writer’s purpose in writing this article is to demonstrate the context of scientific

studies from coral regions and how it has created changed overtime. It’s aimed for audience of

those wish to analyze coral reef decomposition. This was written with recent up to date studies

from regionally diverse collected environments, which gives it a larger range of reliability.

This article was written by a decently well known scientist in the marine biology field

who has established credibility throughout the years with their data collections and conclusions.

This source is also reliable because scientific articles are heavily peer reviewed to check for

inaccuracies or bias. I am going to use the information from this article to create a fact based

argument for how chemical changes have slowly morphed the environment, which will be able

to help answer my second question.

Magris RA, Heron SF, Pressey RL. “Conservation Planning for Coral Reefs Accounting for

Climate Warming Disturbances.” PLoS ONE. 2015;10(10):1-26.

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0140828. 10 Mar. 2019.

“Conservation Planning for Coral Reefs Accounting for Climate Warming Disturbances”

was written by Heron/Magris and comes from the “PLoS ONE” cited journal article. This source

provides scientific background information for the recent global impacts that directly changs

biomes around the reefs, but also focuses on the bigger questions of how humans played a role in

its decline. The writer’s central purpose for creating this article was to discuss what has been

done to the coral reef environments and what can furthermore be done to reverse the damage.

It was written in the context of being open for discussion with an audience who feels

strongly towards the oceanwide life devastation being done. The writer is a well educated
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researcher who creates credibility through cited scientific studies. These studies come from peer

reviewed articles that result in a removed bias. I plan on using this source as a focus point for my

first question over why humans have played a role in alterations to the conditions of globalized

oceans. This may also serve as a concluding part that focuses on what positive changes we as a

planet can make on fragile environments like the reefs.

Phys.org. “Global Warming Is Transforming the Great Barrier Reef.” Phys.org - News and

Articles on Science and Technology, Phys.org, 2018,

phys.org/news/2018-04-global-great-barrier-reef.html. 10 Mar. 2019.

This source “Global Warming Is Transforming the Great Barrier Reef” comes from

Phys.org articles on science and technology. It discusses how mass of a scale the famous coral

environment of the great barrier reef has been influenced by weather/climate changes. Unlike the

other articles it goes into detail about the differentiating parts of this environment that not only

play a role in their upkeep but also suffer a loss from their decline. This includes surrounding

animals, plant life, and microorganisms. This article was written to inform readers who are

typically an average person coming from an outside perspective about a specific example that

highlights a much greater issue that could go on to harm the entirety of Earth’s oceans.

The authors/publishers collected a variety of research and statistics surrounding the

environment which are backup by Australia’s ocean research credibility. They chose this angle

of authentication to ensure accurate information for the readers. From this source I plan to use

the Great Barrier Reef as a prime example of climate change in my essay because of its well

known popularity and its critical condition. This way I will have a factual source to go off of

how the exact chemical, geological, and pollutive outcomes are bringing harm to the biome.
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Pierre-louis, Kendra, Brad Plumer. “Global Warming's Toll on Coral Reefs: As If They're

'Ravaged by War'.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 4 Jan. 2018,

www.nytimes.com/2018/01/04/climate/coral-reefs-bleaching.html. 10 Mar. 2019.

Kendra Pierre-Louis and Brad Plumer’s article “Global Warming's Toll on Coral Reefs:

As If They're 'Ravaged by War” in the New York Times explores the in depth look at what

happened to the coral reefs and the path that continuous damage would ultimately lead to on a

minor or major scale. It emphasizes the chain connection the planet has within its biomes. If the

coral reefs were to fail, soon oceans would follow, then arctic regions, and mainland continental

places. It's designed for the audience of those who want to consider what their actions have on

the planet and that epiphany is the reason the authors wrote this specific article, it was designed

to get people thinking.

The New York Times is a considerable checked mainstream news source that has been

around for awhile and established a certain credibility within itself, along with the authors who

have a well established background with oceanic chemistry and coastal biology. I am going to

use this to answer my question of how we are harming the coral reef environments but also

address counter concerns that may come up against whether there is substantial enough impacts

to look into fixing or cutting back damage to these regions.

Rippe, John P., et al. “Corals Sustain Growth but Not Skeletal Density across the Florida Keys

Reef Tract despite Ongoing Warming.” Global Change Biology,

no. 11, 2018, p. 5205. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/gcb.14422. 10 Mar. 2019.

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John P. Rippe’s “Corals Sustain Growth but Not Skeletal Density across the Florida Keys

Reef Tract despite Ongoing Warming” in the Global Change Biology article explores one issue

surrounding an elemental role in the decay of coral reefs. It goes into detail about how previous

conditions influenced both the interior and exterior fitness of the coral colonies that lead to

sustained extensional calcium or skeletal rates. It’s written as a deliverance towards other

scientists who are looking into specific details that decay a colony from within along with ocean

temperatures that affect the exterior growing conditions with the sheer purpose of educating the

readers.

This is a scientific article that has undergone group studies and community peer review

that is required to become published, giving it essential credibility. The scientific researchers

who published this article off their own personal findings provide aquarte information they drew

from their own conclusive findings. Data can not be manipulated in terms of sheer numbers and

statistics, only how it is perceived which any bias is removed from peer edits before it because

fully publishable. This research article will be able to provide specific evidence for exactly how

the coral reefs are dying. Carbonate levels, calcification, and acidification that were all

associated with the general warming of the climate/seawater all contribute to my second question

by explaining why/how this has become a current issue.

Stuhr, Marleen, et al. “Reef Calcifiers Are Adapted to Episodic Heat Stress but Vulnerable to

Sustained Warming.” PLoS ONE, vol. 12, no. 7, July 2017, pp. 1–20.

EBSCOhost, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0179753. 10 Mar. 2019.

Marleen Stuhr’s “Reef Calcifiers Are Adapted to Episodic Heat Stress but Vulnerable to

Sustained Warming” published in a PLoS ONE scientific journal addresses a different angle to
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the climate change problem. It notes that coral reefs as an environment are capable of adapting,

but not as quickly as the temperature rate is rising. It suggests a basic cut back on polutive and

nonrenewable resources that produce ocean runoff or inflate climate temperatures. It was written

with the purpose of suggesting a different way to look at the heating up of seawater dilema and

aimed towards and audience that has a full scientific understanding of this issue but still wants to

find more realistic modern day solutions in a deliverance context.

Once again this is a cited scientific study that has also been used as a source for other

data points. It has gone through all the checking credentials to be deemed most modernly

accurate with the least bias possible in terms of a global issue. The authors are all certified

biochemists or geologists that have extensive background with marine ecosystems. Overall this

journal article can be used to answer my first question of how society’s waste has gotten the

oceans to this point and explain possible solutions for fixing it. This being because not all

damage that has been done can be fully reversed so we must look at how to not only prevent and

fix the habitat loss but also to adapt the broken habitats to maintainable some level ocean

functionality.

US Department of Commerce, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “How

Does Climate Change Affect Coral Reefs?” NOAA's National Ocean Service, NOAA, 3

Mar. 2015, oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/coralreef-climate.html. 10 Mar. 2019.

The US Department of Commerce and National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration

or NOAA released an article with coinciding data called “How Does Climate Change Affect

Coral Reefs?” addressing a lot of issues that are deemed as important public knowledge. In

general it discuss the steps of CO2 leading to a decrease in pH which ultimately stops growth
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rates. Things like increased ocean temperatures that lead to thermal stress are known as prime

factors in the coral bleaching effect; changes in precipitation or storm occurrences leading to

division/demolition of reef structure or blocked light rays from murky waters that are essential to

growth.

This article was published by the USDC/NOAA in order to inform and reach the public

of how their daily living patterns impact global warming as well as ocean decline. The “writer”

is a government administered program that is in charge of looking out for and maintaining

National Ocean/Atmosphere regulation. This establishes a large amount of credibility because it

is essential part of the government and has to be heavily administered and checked. I plan to use

this source to explain the basics of climate change, emphasizing second first question by

answering how this impacts the coral reefs, and my first by emphasizing the impact we

personally have on these negative ocean declines.