Mobile: tap the screen to move forward PC: click the space bar to move forward Slides 1) thumbnail (will disappear automatically) 2) title card 3) what the project includes 4) subtitle card 5) what coral bleaching is 6) subtitle card #2 7) the causes of coral bleaching 8) subtitle card #3 9) causes of rising water temperatures 10) subtitle card #4 11) effects of coral bleaching 12) extra info 13) subtitle card #5 14) explanation on what your efforts can help do 15) list of things you can do to combat coral bleaching 16) list of things you can do to combat coral bleaching 17) list of things you can do to combat coral bleaching 18) list of trustworthy coral protection/climate change charities 19) end card
Credits This project was made by me, @mgpuppy. Feel free to remix with or without credits, but please do not claim this as your own. Background images were found on google search and Getty images. Timelog: Started February third Continued July 31st Finished August 4th Posted Total time (researching, writing, designing, etc): 8 hours. Info Dump (Detailed information/explanations that I couldn't fit in the project) Slide 5 extra info: Corals and anemones host photosynthetic algae that convert energy from the sun into chemical energy. This lets the algae produce some of the nutrients it needs to survive. The algae shares some of the sugars with the coral, allowing the coral to survive, and in turn the coral shares some of its nitrogen, sulfur, and carbon dioxide. These algae are the reason corals are so brightly colored. Change in the water, namely hotter or colder water, causes the coral stress, in turn causing it to expel the algae living on it. This will make the coral turn white. If the water remains hotter/colder than usual, the coral will not let the algae come back, causing the coral to die without the nutrients shared by the algae. Slide 9 extra info As the climate changes and the planet warms (due to the carbon 'blanket' that emissions put around it), water temperatures rise as well. This both, directly and indirectly, affects water temperatures by directly warming waters and causing an increase in climate fluctuations as well as melting ice sheets that cooled waters. Slide 11 extra info The death and bleaching of coral results in massive habitat loss for many herbivorous fish. This in turn disrupts entire ecosystems that depended on these fish and corals. The lack of coral on coastlines leave them undefended from natural events. Sharks help corals by weeding out invasive species and recycling/refreshing water from open waters and in turn eat the fish that rely on corals. The loss of these fish results in unhealthier sharks, which results in unhealthier waters. Crustaceans (think crabs, prawns, and krill) are incredibly important to marine life and humans as food sources, and coral loss can cause the death of lots of them. Echinoderms (think starfish, sand dollars and sea urchins) are also be heavily affected by coral bleaching and death. Slide 14 extra info One of the main causes of coral bleaching, as mentioned before, is climate change. Therefore, many of the steps you, an average person, can take to help protect corals are the same as those you can take to combat climate change. It's a win-win! Slide 18 extra info These charities are charities dedicated to helping prevent, slow, and stop climate change and protect corals. I looked each of these up on Charity Navigator and they each received 4+ stars or a give with confidence rating. Unfortunately, only World Wildlife Fund was rated at all on Charity Watch, but it also received a great rating there. If I've made a mistake on any of this info, please let me know.