What effects do some scientists believe climate change will have on the Great Barrier Reef?
A.
They believe that cooling ocean temperatures could cause the reef to freeze, creating an ice shelf similar to those in Antarctica.
B.
They believe that cooling ocean temperatures will damage the reef’s delicate ecosystem, killing most of the current plant and animal life and replacing it with new cool-weather species.
C.
They believe that warming ocean temperatures could lead to increased biodiversity in the reef.
D.
They believe that warming ocean temperatures could lead to an overgrowth of plankton and algae, putting the reef’s survival at risk.
Climate change is causing the Earth to gradually increase in temperature, this is causing the warming waters.
Coral has this beneficial relationship with this algae called zooxanthellae. The coral provides a home where the algae provides some nutrients. Zooxanthellae uses photosynthesis to get its own food (It's not getting any inside a coral polyp!)
When there is an increased amount of sunlight there is more photosynthesis occuring, which means more and more algae.
To disprove C, the great barrier reef is KNOWN for its biodiversity. Theres LOTS goin' on down there.
