Samoa Tsunamis Obliterate Some Coral, Spare Others

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Samoa Tsunamis Obliterate Some Coral, Spare Others

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/10/17/us/AP-US-Tsunami-Coral-Damage.html?scp=4&sq=coral%20reefs&st=cse

New York Times

Miller Chapter 6- Aquatic Biodiversity

The area covered is global. 

The article discusses damage done to the coral reef in Samoa. There was a tsunami that struck the reef on September 19, 2009. In some areas, the coral was damaged so severely that scientists say it will never return. The tsunami also caused debris to blow into the reefs, polluting the water. The coral was home or fish, sea slugs, shrimp, sea worms and many other marine species that find food and take shelter among the reefs. The Tsunami was generated by an 8.3 scaled earthquake that killed 32 people. However, it is also noted that the reefs were in great danger even before the tsunami hit. Years of pollution and sediment in the area's runoff had led to poor water quality offshore, deprived corals of the sunlight they needed to grow and smothered the reef. 

My position on this article is it is inevitable that natural disasters will damage coral reefs. However, it is important that the human race does what it can to help protect coral reefs  and their biodiversity because they are an important part of the ecosystem. We should never have let pollution and runoff effect the water to begin with and we have to do what we can to clean up after natural disasters like the September 19th tsunami.

Vocabulary:

Tsunami- series of large waves generated when part of the ocean floor suddenly rises or drops, usually because of an earthquake. 

Runoff- freshwater from precipitation and melting ice that flows on the earth's surface and into nearby streams, lakes, and wetlands

Coral Reef- Formation produced by massive colonies containing billions of tiny coral animals, called polyps, that secrete a stony substance (calcium carbonate) around themselves for protection. When the corals die, their empty outer skeletons form layers and cause the reef to grow. Coral reefs are found in the coastal zones of warm tropical and subtropical oceans.