Proudly Presented and Done By:

Our Names: Tan Wei Ying, Goh Xue Ting

Class: Primary 5/3

Teacher-in-charge: Miss Emmeline Yu

Email: yu_minli_emmeline@moe.edu.sg

School: Dazhong Primary School

Our feelings AFTER this project

WEI YING:

I felt a great sense of achievement and pride as I have finished this project smoothly! Me and my friends have strenthened our friendship through teamwork and our dedication to the project. I feel that the success of this blog is the result of our love and care for the coral reefs and oceans!

XUE TING:

I felt very great and I have done a good job with my partner. Me and my friends have showed teamwork! I know I am doing something that is good - helping to save the oceans and coral reefs!


NoW ThE coRAL rEeFs are iN DanGeR...ThE PeoPLe AroUnd ArE Not helPiNg us TO PrOTeCT tHe OceAN...tHE PEOpLe WHo iS hElPFul AND wHo CaRes wIlL hElP tO PRoTeCt ThE oCEANs!!

That means if we do it together, we still have time to save the reefs together! We must save the coral reefs by following the suggestions as shown in our blog. Although you may live thousands of miles from the coral reefs ecosystem, it is still important that we help coral reefs to survive!

Go and learn more about coral reefs and do help to save the reefs.....DO SAVE THE REEFS!!!!!!!!!!!

In progress....

While progressing, we felt better and did the work given by our teacher(which is to search online for information, add more pictures and posts).

This is me (Weiying) doing my work in the computer lab in our school.

Still busy adding in posts and pictures.

Our feelings BEFORE we started this project

WEI YING:

Initially, I felt very blur, did not know what to do and felt very lost. I did not have much background knowledge on coral reefs and oceans. However, as my teacher explained to us about what the project is about and what we need to do, I felt less lost and knew how to start the blog.


XUE TING:

Intially, I also felt very blur and don't know what are coralreefs. I only know I have to learn more about coral reefs and come up with a blog, but I was very lost. I felt very happy when I heard about this project from my teacher. Miss Yu explained it to me carefully and asked me to write many things. I thought about it and began learning more about coral reefs.

Interesting facts on coral reefs

Source:http://www.solcomhouse.com/


Fact: Coral reefs are among the oldest ecosystems on Earth.

Fact: Coral reefs are the largest living structure on the planet.

Fact: Although coral reefs cover less than 1% of the Earth’s surface, they are home to 25% of all marine fish species.

Fact: 500 million people rely on coral reefs for their food and livelihoods.

Fact: Coral reefs form natural barriers that protect nearby shorelines from the eroding forces of the sea, thereby protecting coastal dwellings, agricultural land and beaches.

Fact: Without the existence of coral reefs, parts of Florida would be under water.

Fact: Coral reefs have been used in the treatment of cancer, HIV, cardiovascular diseases and ulcers.

Fact: Corals' porous limestone skeletons have been used for human bone grafts.

Fact: It is estimated that coral reefs provide $375 billion per year around the world in goods and services.

Fact: If the present rate of destruction continues, 70% of the world's coral reefs will be destroyed by the year 2050.



Types of corals



Patch reef – an isolated, often circular reef, usually within a lagoon or embayment
Located in shallow water 10-20' (3-6 m)
Outer edge ringed by sand
Dominated by large star and brain coral colonies


Ribbon reef – long, narrow, somewhat winding reef, usually associated with an atoll lagoon

Table reef – isolated reef, approaching an atoll type, but without a lagoon


Bank Reef – Bank reefs are larger than patch reefs and are linear or semi-circular in outline
Bank Reef Scene
credit: U.S. Geological Survey
Located seaward from patch reefs
High species diversity
Characterized by spur and groove formation

Coral reefs in Singapore

The picture as shown here are soft corals of Pulau Hantu, Singapore.

Source:http://coralreef.nus.edu.sg/

There were once over 60 offshore islands and patch reefs around Singapore, most of which were situated south of mainland Singapore. However, since the mid 1970s, major land reclamation was carried out on the mainland as well as the offshore southern islands. Most of the southern islands were reclaimed, adding 1695 ha to Singapore's total land area. Some islands were merged as a result. The reef flats of many islands e.g. Pulau Sudong, Pulau Hantu and Kusu Island were reclaimed right up to the reef slope. Many of the coral reef organisms were smothered by the reclamation, while others were severely affected by the resulting increase in water turbidity. Since 1986, most coral reefs in Singapore have lost up to 65% of their live coral cover.

Animals that need the oceans!

The pictures as shown here show that a lot of animals depend on the oceans to survive! The sting ray, the sea gull and the seals as seen in the pictures are some examples! Aren't the seals cute? You can see them sleeping here!

Pictures of beautiful corals

We found these pictures of coral reefs on the Internet. It is really amazing to see so many colourful corals! There are so many different types of corals as shown below in the pictures! Some of them look like our fingers sticking out. It is quite funny isn't it?

We can see from the pictures that a lot of fishes are attracted and dependent on coral reefs! So we must do our part in saving the coral reefs from being destroyed!

People swimming and snorkelling near coral reefs

We can snorkel near coral reefs but think about it, would you be happy snokelling at a place where there is no beautiful corals for you to see and explore? Coral reefs allows us to snorkel and see their beauty. We will be able to see fishes that are living in or near coral reefs! It will definitely be a very good experience!

The pictures below are taken at Hawaii by our teacher. Can you see a lot of people swimming near the coral reefs? We feel that the view is really beautiful. We hope to be able to go snorkelling near coral reefs one day!

Aren't the oceans beautiful?

Look at the pictures of the oceans below! Aren't they beautiful? Without oceans, we will not have such beautiful scenery. That is why oceans are very important to us, be it for its beautiful scenery, or the fact that they are home to many sea animals.

Coral reefs need clean water to thrive in. However, they are threatened and destroyed as the oceans are getting more polluted. We must not pollute the oceans anymore! We must save the coral reefs!

Beach Cleanup by our school

This is the beach cleanup that Dazhong Primary did as our community involvement program.
Our school would like everybody to save the reefs and not litter as the reefs are dying. So please do it as much to your abilty!

What we can do to save coral reefs?

The 10 ways listed below are what we felt is more important and useful to us! Let's save the reefs by following these tips!

Source: http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/25list.html

1) Don’t use chemically enhanced pesticides and fertilizers. Although you may live thousands of miles from a coral reef ecosystem, these products end up in the watershed and may ultimately impact the waters that support coral.

2) Learn more about coral reefs. How many different species live in reefs? What new medicines have been discovered in reef organisms. Participate in training or educational programs that focus on reef ecology. When you further your own education, you can help others understand the fragility and value of the world’s coral reefs.

3) When you visit a coral reef, help keep it healthy by respecting all local guidelines, recommendations, regulations, and customs. Ask local authorities or your dive shop hot to protect the reef.

4) Spread the word. Remember your own excitement at learning how important the planet’s coral reefs are to us and the intricate global ecosystem. Sharing this excitement gets everyone you speak with involved.

5) Be an informed consumer. Consider carefully the coral objects that you buy for your coffee table. Ask the store owner or manager from what country the coral is taken and whether or not that country has a management plan to insure that the harvest was legal and sustainable over time.

6) Don’t pollute. Never put garbage or human waste in the water. Don’t leave trash on the beach.

7) Recycle. This is the first step each of us can take to make a change. Recycle anything and everything. If your community doesn’t have a program, do it anyway, and get one started.

8) Conserve water. The less water you use, the less runoff and wastewater that eventually finds its way back into our oceans.

9) Keep it clean. You may be in the habit of picking up your own trash. You may even participate in an organized cleanup. But have you considered carrying away the trash that others have left behind?

10) If you dive, don’t touch! Take only pictures and leave only bubbles! Keep your fins’ gear, and hands away from the coral, as this contact can hurt you and will damage the delicate coral animals. Stay off the bottom because stirred-up sediment can settle on coral and smother it.

Status of and Threat to Coral Reefs

Source: http://www.iyor.org/reefs/status.asp

Why are coral reefs threatened?

The majority of reef loss or damage is not deliberate. Coral reefs are being degraded by an accumulation of stresses arising from human activities. In simple terms, stresses can be grouped by the actions of people extracting material from, and placing materials upon, coral reefs. Over-fishing, pollution and coastal development top the list of chronic stressors. In many situations chronic stresses are overwhelming the resilience, (or the capacity for self-repair), of reef communities. Some coral reefs are covered with sand, rock and concrete to make cheap land and stimulate economic development. Others are dredged or blasted for their limestone or to improve navigational access and safety. In addition to this, long-term changes in the oceans and atmosphere (rising sea temperatures and levels of CO2), and acute stresses from highly variable seasons, severe storms, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions also affect coral reefs.

What are the different things we are doing to damage coral reefs?

Over-fishing: Increasing demand for food fish and tourism curios has resulted in over fishing of not only deep-water commercial fish, but key reef species as well. Over-fishing of certain species near coral reefs can easily affect the reef's ecological balance and biodiversity. For example, over-fishing of herbivorous fish can also lead to high levels of algal growth. From subsistence level fishing to the live fish trade, inadequate fisheries management is forcing the decline of fish stocks. Choose seafood products that come from certified, well-managed and sustainable fisheries. Certified products are available at most supermarkets - check out the product label, or visit: http://www.fishonline.org/

Destructive fishing methods: Fishing with dynamite, cyanide and other methods that break up the fragile coral reef are highly unsustainable. Dynamite and cyanide stun the fish, making them easier to catch. Fishermen say they have no other option if they are to compete with trawlers and overcome a smaller supply of fish because of previous over-fishing. These practices generally do not select or target particular fish species and often result in juveniles being killed in the process. Damaging the coral reef habitat on which the fish rely will also reduce the productivity of the area, with further impacts on the livelihoods of fishermen.

Unsustainable tourism: Tourism generates vast amounts of income for host countries. Where unregulated however, tourism pressures can cause damage to the very environment upon which the industry depends. Physical damage to the coral reefs can occur through contact from careless swimmers, divers, and poorly placed boat anchors. Hotels and resorts may also discharge untreated sewage and wastewater into the ocean, polluting the water and encouraging the growth of algae, which competes with corals for space on the reef.

Coastal development: The growth of coastal cities and towns generates a range of threats to nearby coral reefs. Where space is limited, airports and other construction projects may be built on land reclaimed from the sea. Sensitive habitats can be destroyed or disturbed by dredging activities to make deep-water channels or marinas, and through the dumping of waste materials. Where land development alters the natural flow of water, greater amounts of fresh water, nutrients and sediment can reach the reefs causing further degradation. Within the last 20 years, once prolific mangrove forests, which absorb massive amounts of nutrients and sediment from runoff caused by farming and construction, have been destroyed. Nutrient-rich water causes fleshy algae and phytoplankton to thrive in coastal areas in suffocating amounts known as algal blooms. Coral reefs are biological assemblages adapted to waters with low nutrient content, and the addition of nutrients favours species that disrupt the balance of the reef communities.

Pollution: Coral reefs need clean water to thrive. From litter to waste oil, pollution is damaging reefs worldwide. Pollution from human activities inland can damage coral reefs when transported by rivers into coastal waters. Do your bit - do not drop litter or dispose of unwanted items on beaches, in the sea, or near storm drains.

Global Aquarium Trade: It is estimated that nearly 2 million people worldwide keep marine aquariums. The great majority of marine aquaria are stocked with species caught from the wild. This rapidly developing trade is seeing the movement of charismatic fish species across borders. Threats from the trade include the use of cyanide in collection, over-harvesting of target organisms and high levels of mortality associated with poor husbandry practices and insensitive shipping. Some regulation is in place to encourage the use of sustainable collection methods and to raise industry standards.

How are corals affected by climate change?

Coral Bleaching: Coral bleaching occurs when the symbiosis between corals and their symbiotic zooxanthellae breaks down, resulting in the loss of the symbionts and a rapid whitening of the coral host (thus the term "bleaching"). This is a stress response by the coral host that can be caused by various factors, but more severe and frequent cases are being caused by a rise in sea surface temperature (SSTs). If the temperature decreases, the stressed coral can recover; if it persists, the affected colony can die.

The impacts from coral bleaching are becoming global in scale, and are increasing in frequency and intensity. Mass coral bleaching generally happens when temperatures around coral reefs exceed 1oC above an area's historical norm for four or more weeks. Sea surface temperature increases have been strongly associated with El Niño weather patterns. However, light intensity, (during doldrums, i.e. flat calm conditions), also plays a critical role in triggering the bleaching response. If temperatures climb to more than 2o C for similar or longer periods, coral mortalities following bleaching increase.

Mass coral bleaching was not documented in the scientific literature before 1979; however, significant mass bleaching events have since been reported in 1982, 1987, 1992 and the strongest sea surface warming event ever recorded occurred in 1998, where an estimated 46% of corals in the western Indian Ocean were heavily impacted or died. In 2005 sea surface temperatures in the Caribbean were the highest reported in more than 100 years, and there was also significant coral bleaching following this warming. This year, coral bleaching is being reported in several locations around the world. If sea surface temperatures continue to rise, then the frequency and severity of coral bleaching will also increase, likely affecting the ability of coral reefs, as we have known them, to adapt and to provide many of the services that people rely upon.

Rising sea levels: Observations since 1961 show that the average temperature of the global ocean has increased even at depths of 3000m (IPCC report), and that the ocean has been absorbing more than 80% of the heat added to the climate system. Such warming causes sea level rise and creates problems for low lying nations and islands.

Ocean Acidification: This is the name given to the ongoing decrease in the pH of the Earth's oceans, caused by their uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Although the natural absorption of CO2 by the world's oceans helps mitigate the climatic effects of anthropogenic emissions of CO2, it is believed that the resulting decrease in pH, (i.e. making the water acidic), will have negative consequences, primarily for oceanic calcifying organisms such as coral reefs.


What other causes are damaging coral reefs?

Coral Disease: During the last 10 years, the frequency of coral disease appears to have increased dramatically, contributing to the deterioration of coral reef communities around the globe. Most diseases occur in response to the onset of bacteria, fungi, and viruses. However, natural events and human-caused activities may exacerbate reef-forming corals' susceptibility to waterborne pathogens.
More information is needed to identify the mechanisms by which most diseases kill their hosts, and how they are transmitted. The onset of coral disease has been shown to spread following coral bleaching events, so the evidence of a connection between warmer-than-normal water and coral disease is growing stronger. There is also evidence to indicate that low water quality increases incidence. It is critical that governments and managers continue their efforts to reduce (or stop) the effects of other major reef threats (sediments, pesticides, nutrients, over-fishing, etc.) while this scientific information is gathered, if we are to give coral reefs a fighting chance of survival.

Crown of Thorns Starfish (COTs): The Crown of Thorns Starfish is a voracious coral reef predator. Populations of the COTs have increased since the 1970s and large outbreaks of starfish can occur wiping out huge tracks of coral reef. Few animals in the sea are willing to attack the spiny and toxic crown-of-thorns starfish, but some shrimp, worms and species of reef fish do feed on larvae or small adults. The decline of these predators, through over-harvesting and pollution, is one factor contributing to the rise in the population of the starfish.

Alien invasive species: Species that, as a result of human activity, have been moved, intentionally or unintentionally, into areas where they do not occur naturally are called "introduced species" or "alien species". In some cases where natural controls such as predators or parasites of an introduced species are lacking, the species may multiply rapidly, taking over its new environment, often drastically altering the ecosystem and out-competing local organisms. The damage caused by invasive species can be devastating, through alteration of ecosystem dynamics, biodiversity loss, reduction of the resilience of ecosystems, and loss of resources, with environmental, economic as well as socio-cultural impacts.

Benefits of Coral Reefs

Source: http://www.iyor.org/reefs/benefits.asp

Coral reefs are often called the rainforests of the sea, both due to the vast amount of species they harbour, and to the high productivity they yield. Aside from the hundreds of species of coral, reefs support extraordinary biodiversity and are home to a multitude of different types of fish, invertebrates and sea mammals. Covering less than one percent of the ocean floor, reefs support an estimated twenty-five percent of all marine life, with over 4,000 species of fish alone. Reefs provide spawning, nursery, refuge and feeding areas for a large variety of organisms, including sponges, cnidarians, worms, crustaceans (including shrimp, spiny lobsters and crabs), molluscs (including cephalopods), echinoderms (including starfish, sea urchins and sea cucumbers), sea squirts, sea turtles and sea snakes.

Reef structures play an important role as natural breakwaters, which minimize wave impacts from storms such as cyclones, hurricanes or typhoons.

Also, their beauty makes coral reefs a powerful attraction for tourism, and well managed tourism provides a sustainable means of earning foreign currency and employment for people around the world, even in remote areas of developing countries.

In summary, healthy coral reefs provide:

Habitat: Home to over 1 million diverse aquatic species, including thousands of fish species
Income: Billions of dollars and millions of jobs in over 100 countries around the world
Food: For people living near coral reefs, especially on small islands
Protection: A natural barrier protecting coastal cities, communities and beaches
Medicine: The potential for treatments for many of the world's most prevalent and dangerous illnesses and diseases.

What are corals and coral reefs?

Source: http://www.iyor.org/reefs/

What are corals?

Corals are invertebrate animals belonging to a large group of colourful and fascinating animals called Cnidaria. Other animals in this group that you may have seen in rock pools or on the beach include jelly fish and sea anemones. Although Cnidarians exhibit a wide variety of colours, shapes and sizes, they all share the same distinguishing characteristics; a simple stomach with a single mouth opening surrounded by stinging tentacles. Each individual coral animal is called a polyp, and most live in groups of hundreds to thousands of genetically identical polyps that form a 'colony'. The colony is formed by a process called budding, which is where the original polyp literally grows copies of itself.

Coral are generally classified as either "hard coral" or "soft coral". There are around 800 known species of hard coral, also known as the 'reef building' corals. Soft corals, which include seas fans, sea feathers and sea whips, don't have the rock-like calcareous skeleton like the others, instead they grow wood-like cores for support and fleshy rinds for protection. Soft corals also live in colonies, that often resemble brightly coloured plants or trees, and are easy to tell apart from hard corals as their polyps have tentacles that occur in numerals of 8, and have a distinctive feathery appearance. Soft corals are found in oceans from the equator to the north and south poles, generally in caves or ledges. Here, they hang down in order to capture food floating by in the currents that are usually typical of these places.


What are coral reefs?
Hard corals extract abundant calcium from surrounding seawater and use this to create a hardened structure for protection and growth. Coral reefs are therefore created by millions of tiny polyps forming large carbonate structures, and are the basis of a framework and home for hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of other species. Coral reefs are the largest living structure on the planet, and the only living structure to be visible from space.
As we currently know them, coral reefs have evolved on earth over the past 200 to 300 million years, and over this evolutionary history, perhaps the most unique feature of corals is the highly evolved form of symbiosis. Coral polyps have developed this relationship with tiny single-celled plants, known as zooxanthellae. Inside the tissues of each coral polyp live these microscopic, single-celled algae, sharing space, gas exchange and nutrients to survive.
This symbiosis between plant and animal also contributes to the brilliant colors of coral that can be seen while diving on a reef. It is the importance of light that drives corals to compete for space on the sea floor, and so constantly pushes the limits of their physiological tolerances in a competitive environment among so many different species. However, it also makes corals highly susceptible to environmental stress.

Coral reefs are part of a larger ecosystem that also includes mangroves and seagrass beds. Mangroves are salt tolerant trees with submerged roots that provide nursery and breeding grounds for marine life, that then migrate to the reef. Mangroves also trap and produce nutrients for food, stabilise the shoreline, protect the coastal zone from storms, and help filter land based pollutants from run off. Seagrasses are flowering marine plants that are a key primary producer in the food web. They provide food and habitat for turtles, seahorses, manatees, fish and foraging sea life such as urchins and sea cucumbers, and are also a nursery for many juvenile species of sea animals. Seagrass beds are like fields that sit in shallow waters off the beach, filtering sediments out of the water, releasing oxygen and stabilising the bottom.

International Year of the Reef (IYOR) 2008

Source: http://www.iyor.org/about/default.asp

Background information

Ten years ago, 1997 was declared the International Year of the Reef (IYOR). The first IYOR campaign was initiated in response to the increasing threats and loss of coral reefs and associated ecosystems, like mangroves and sea grasses.

IYOR 97 was a global effort to increase awareness and understanding of coral reefs, and support conservation, research and management efforts.

IYOR 97 proved to be very successful, with over 225 organizations in 50 countries and territories participating, over 700 articles in papers and magazines generated, hundreds of scientific surveys undertaken, and catalyzed conservation and policy initiatives, as well as numerous local and global organizations dedicated to coral reef conservation. More information on IYOR 97 can be found here: http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/coral-reef.html


Recognizing that ten years after IYOR 97 there continues to be an urgent need to increase awareness and understanding of coral reefs, and to further conserve and manage valuable coral reef and associated ecosystems, the International Coral Reef Initiative designated 2008 as the International Year of the Reef (IYOR 2008).


IYOR 2008 will:
- Strengthen awareness about the ecological, economic, social and cultural value of coral reefs and associated ecosystems
- Improve understanding of the critical threats to coral reefs and generate both practical and innovative solutions to reduce these threats
- Generate urgent action at all levels to develop and implement effective management strategies for conservation and sustainable use of these ecosystems.