Impact of global warming on coral life system - UPSC 2020

Updated on 15 February 2020

By UPSC & State PSC

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Updated on 15 February 2020

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UPSC civil service exam is said to be one of the toughest exams but a 1-year strategy for UPSC 2020, can help to score well if the candidates appearing for the exam preparation for it seriously with dedication. This article would be of great tool to those who desire to achieve a high score as it includes all such important information that is relevant and is required to study the impact of global warming on the coral life system.

This topic is one of the optional subjects in UPSC 2020. Due to global warming humans, plants, animals, coral reefs and other life forms have had to go through serious implications as it has depleted the environment in one way or the other. The coral reefs are the most productive ecosystems.

The effects of global warming are as follows:

There is an increase in floods due to global warming in different parts of the country, which has destroyed the lives of many people.
One of the drastic outcomes of global warming is the increase in the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and as a result, oceans absorb more CO2 present in the air, which then increases the acidity level in the water. This acidity in the ocean, in turn, prevents the coral’s ability to build calcareous skeletons. These calcareous skeletons are proved to be very important for their survival to regulate the coral life ecosystem.
The Andaman reefs and the Great Barrier Reef have resulted in bleaching due to the rise in the temperature.
The rise in temperature of the seas causes a variety of infectious diseases to spread among the corals as the bacteria rises in the water.
The cloud cover decrease which in turn increases the penetration of the sunlight into the water and as a result, it lays more stress over the coral life system. This way global warming contributes to the bleaching of the corals as well on a large scale.
The rise of the nutrients in the water raises the activity of photosynthesis due to the increased temperature which promotes the growth of the marine organisms that compete with the corals and depletes the coral life.

It is very important to know about the bleaching of the coral reefs as it is well explained in this article. The coral reefs are brown as they contain the symbiotic algae. When factors like heat, pollution, and solar radiation occur around the corals this increases the stress on the algae which results in its bleaching.

The rise in the temperature of the seawater lays great stress on the corals which then contributes to its white appearance which is known as bleaching.