Research: Coral Bleaching!

http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/coral_bleach.html

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Coral Bleaching Triggers

Coral bleaching is theorized to be a generalized stress response of corals that may be caused by a number of biotic and abiotic factors, including:

• increased (most commonly due to global warming), or reduced water temperatures^[6][7][8][9]

• oxygen starvation caused by an increase in zooplankton levels as a result of overfishing^[10]

• increased solar irradiance (photosynthetically active radiation and ultraviolet light)^[11]

• changes in water chemistry (in particular acidification caused by CO₂ pollution)^[12][13]

• increased sedimentation (due to silt runoff)^[14]

• bacterial infections^[15]

• changes in salinity^[16]

• herbicides^[17]

• low tide and exposure^[18]

• cyanide fishing^[19]

• elevated sea levels due to global warming (Watson)

• mineral dust from African dust storms caused by drought^[20]

• four common sunscreen ingredients, that are nonbiodegradable, and can wash off of skin^{[21][22][23][24][25]}

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coral_bleaching#Causes

Ramesh Kumar/Flickr: (https://s.w-x.co/coralbleaching.jpg)

No Author given: 
http://api.ning.com/files/IZVpEDlfz9O3tihwpzP68zF3gif3JYT4jH0Y7hn9s2FWCJV-t8uGTcW4KJZabP5TGtnvB3XsVhTravAFrVg8LLJ05*IcqPm*/IMG_4387.JPG


Further Examples of Coral Bleaching

Thoughts/Ideas moving forward

This research has been a key moment for me in terms of where all this research is going and what I now want to produce in terms of experimentation, development application and final resolutions for my OUIL505 project.

I want to create a body of work which focuses on the exploration of the beauty of these reefs when the coral organisms are in a healthy state and provide a strong and safe habitat for other living oceanic creatures such as fish and shellfish, as well as really highlight this as a key environmental issue. Coral bleaching is unnecessary and preventable, yet causes a huge percentage of healthy coral to wither away and die due to nutrients starvation.

To help focus my subject, I think narrowing down my research and concentrating on this one cause and effect whilst still also looking at coral and reefs as a whole, will help my project to be concise and hopefully much more impacting (as apposed to trying to convey too much information, potentially bombarding my audience - which is easy to do as these issues mean a lot to me and my practise.)

Key project themes/ideas:

• Concept: "Coralise" / "Coralize"

• Patterns in nature

• Ethos: Coral Reef Conservation

• Environmental issue focus: 

- Coral Bleaching

- Blast fishing

• Area of context: Object & Environment

• linking to product & packaging, educational illustration