Cave, Damien, and Justin Gillis. "Large Sections of Australia’s Great Reef Are Now Dead, Scientists Find." The New York Times. The New York Times, 15 Mar. 2017. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/15/science/great-barrier-reef-coral-climate-change-dieoff.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fearth&action=click&contentCollection=earth®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfrontThe Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the sea animals living near it are in danger. Sections of the reef were recently found to be dead due to the hot seawater. Many people are shocked; Terry P. Hughes, a director of a center for coral reef studies states, "we didn't expect to see this level of destruction to the Great Barrier Reef for another 30 years." Scientists say that this is the "most widespread and damaging" mass bleaching of coral reefs, and many state that the damage was due to global climate change. Bleaching means that the reefs getting too overheated, which can lead to them dying, but cool water can help them recover. The state of the coral reefs is bad for many reasons; a big part of sea life will be lost, and in poorer countries, many get their protein from reef fish. Scientists state that the emissions from greenhouse gases in the ocean are causing the reefs to die. They went on to say that the coral reefs need warm water to thrive, but too much heat can be dangerous, and water even a couple of degrees warmer can have a negative effect. The Australian government is trying to fix the problem, and came up with a Reef 2050 plan. The plan restricted dredging, and other potential risks to coral reefs. Hughes research, however, showed that the efforts were not able to combat the higher water temperatures.
The topic in this article has a huge affect on society. The Great Barrier Reef provides 70,000 jobs, billions of dollars annually, and is a national asset. So, the fact that the reef is bleached, and some parts have died, affects many people. This is a hard problem to fix however, especially because one of the reef's main threats is coal mining, but Australia is the largest coal exporter in the world. This article is a reminder that climate change has affected the world and will continue to affect the world unless there is a way to stop it.
The authors of this article had many strengths. The information was clear and concise, and the article had many quotes from scientists which made it more sophisticated. Also, the authors went into a lot of detail, and explained the whole problem with many examples. The only weakness that I saw was some of the terms were a little unclear at the beginning of the article. They later defined the terms, but it would have minimized confusion if they had defined the terms right away. Overall, the article was well done, and very interesting to read.
Emily wrote an excellent response to the article “Large Sections of Australia’s Great Reef Are Now Dead, Scientists Find” by Damien Cave and Justin Gillis. She begins with a succinct and informative summary that provides the reader with all of the necessary information. She is able to effectively and efficiently describe the scientists’ findings of the extent of the deterioration to Australia’s Great Reef before delving into a detailed description of how this destruction occurred. Emily also did a great job of including a quote that helped the reader understand the significance of this finding. Emily quoted Terry P. Hughes, a director of a center for coral reef studies who explained that, “we didn’t expect to see this level of destruction to the Great Barrier Reef for another 30 years.” In this way, Emily included a statement from a credible expert in this field who was able to emphasize the importance of this discovery and connect it to the discussion of climate change. I also loved how she defined specific terms that were mentioned in the article that were imperative to the reader’s understanding of this issue. For example, she explained that bleaching occurs when reefs overheat.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Sarah wrote a well-written and thorough current event report, there are two places that she could improve upon. I think that she could have included more contextual information about how the scientists discovered the extent of the destruction to the Great Barrier Reef. These details would have provided the reader with a more well-rounded understanding of the issue and other possible related studies. I would have also liked if she had included some specific examples of how the overheating and subsequent death of the reef can be stopped or reversed. She touches on the fact climate change is a huge factor, but does not really describe a possible solution to this problem.
After reading Emily’s response to Gillis and Cave’s article , I have learned about an important scientific discovery that has revealed that Australia’s Great Reef is suffering tremendously and at a level that wasn’t expected until decades from now. I now have a deeper understanding of the difficulties surrounding this issue in terms of biological diversity, jobs, food, and preservation of our world’s natural wonders and ecosystems. I will definitely stay updated on any new breakthroughs or possible solutions to this incredibly important problem, so that I can help prevent the destruction of the Great Reef in any way that I can.
Cave, Damien, and Justin Gillis. "Large Sections of Australia’s Great Reef Are Now Dead, Scientists Find." The New York Times. The New York Times, 15 Mar. 2017. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/15/science/great-barrier-reef-coral-climate-change-dieoff.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fearth&action=click&contentCollection=earth®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront
Emily’s review of Large Sections of Australia’s Great Reef Are Now Dead, Scientists Find was a very interesting review. First of all, since this topic was completely foreign to me, I liked that Emily gave a thorough explanation of what exactly is bleaching and how it affects coral. This helped me understand what exactly was happening and why it is so important. Furthermore, Emily did a really good job explaining why this topic so important to society in her second paragraph, relating it to the Australia and its economy. Finally, the fact that Grace brought in a direct quote from the article about the coral helped make her article concrete and understandable.
Although this review was well written, one way it could have been made better is that Emily could have elaborated a bit more on how we can prevent this problem. So, by just writing a few more sentences about techniques that could possibly be used would have made her review more thorough. In addition, she put in one quote from the article, which I thought was great, thus I would have liked to see one more quote in her review. By putting in that quote, Emily could have made her review even more detailed.
Overall, this review was very thought out and captivating. I had heard about this problem but had never gone fully into it, thus, learning about this was very enlightening and taught me many new things. Reading this review made me want to research more about other techniques that could solve this coral problem as I find it very interesting. This review really got me to think more about the subject of climate change and its consequences.
Cave, Damien, and Justin Gillis. "Large Sections of Australia’s Great Reef Are Now Dead,
ReplyDeleteScientists Find." The New York Times. The New York Times, 15 Mar. 2017. Web. 20
Mar. 2017.
Emily did a great job on her review of “Large Sections of Australia’s Great Reef Are Now Dead, Scientists Find” by Damien Cave and Justin Gillis. I particularly enjoyed Emily’s use of quotes in her review. By including the quote from Terry P. Hughes, a director of a center for coral reef research who stated "we didn't expect to see this level of destruction to the Great Barrier Reef for another 30 years” Emily asserts importance and authority in her review. By including an expert’s opinion or viewpoint Emily establishes the relevance of her piece to its audience and really drives home the real scientific opinions behind coral reef issues that plague our world today. An additional element upon which Emily flourished was in her definition of key terms/ideas. For example, by defining bleaching as the phenomenon of when “the reefs get overheated, which can lead to death.” By providing a clarification of a key term Emily established authority and clarity that makes her review more understandable for the average reader. A third element Emily did well was in her assertion of the significance of the state of the Great Barrier reef. By stating that the “Great Barrier Reef provides 70,000 jobs, billions of dollars annually” Emily demonstrates to not just environmentalists but economists why this reef is worth saving. Emily appeals to the mindsets of many and additionally stating the reef’s death results in the death of many species, Emily has now appealed to many different groups who may read her article. Her significance statements assert that the health of the river is not only a biologically but also an economic issue.
However, Emily did have two areas of her review in which she could improve. Primarily, I would recommend she proof-read her work to prevent typos. Although not detrimental to her work by stating “Bleaching means that the reefs getting too overheated, which can lead to them dying, but cool water can help them recover” the reader is perplexed from the odd sounding sentence. Clearly, Emily meant to include the word “are” between “reefs” and “getting.” In order to fix small typos like this Emily simply needs to proofread and be more careful before she submits her review. An additional element I would suggest Emily improve is in her suggestions for improvement paragraph. I felt Emily was too broad when she stated “The only weakness that I saw was some of the terms were a little unclear at the beginning of the article. They later defined the terms, but it would have minimized confusion if they had defined the terms right away.” I would like to know specifically what terms and why she felt they should have been defined. Without previously reading the article her review seems to be lacking substance and therefore her discussion of the article’s merits and pitfalls is severely impacted.
Overall, Emily did a brilliant job of creating a well-written piece that exemplifies the current state of the Great Barrier Reef and efforts to improve its state. I learned how an important scientific discovery has revealed that Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is suffering tremendously from climate change, at a level unexpected until that later half of this century. This prospect of accelerated climate change is frightening and this review made me realize more must be done to halt its progression. Climate change is such an often discussed subject, but this article demonstrated first hand how it should worry everyone: from people in the work force who could lose their jobs because its decimation to biologists who could lose a multitude of species.
Evelyn Kluemper
ReplyDelete3/29/17
AP Biology
Cave, Damien, and Justin Gillis. "Large Sections of Australia’s Great Reef Are Now Dead, Scientists Find." The New York Times. The New York Times, 15 Mar. 2017. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/15/science/great-barrier-reef-coral-climate-change-dieoff.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fearth&action=click&contentCollection=earth®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront
Emily’s review of “Large Sections of Australia’s Great Reef Are Now Dead, Scientists Find” was alarming. One thing that Emily does well in her review is that she defines bleaching and what is specifically happening to the Great Reef. The information provided can help readers who have little background knowledge about the coral reef understand the situation. She also incorporates a quote by Terry P. Hughes, the director of a center for coral reef studies. The statement given by the expert enhances the review and creates a sense of urgency. Emily’s description of the impact that the Great Reef’s health has on society was interesting and new to me.
Although Emily’s review was well-written, she could have included more examples from the text about the impact on the organisms that depend on these reefs. Also, I would like to know if there is a way that the Australian government can lower the water temperatures. I am also interested in how the Great Reef generates jobs and billions of dollars.
Although I knew that the Great Reef was bleaching, I had no idea that it is a huge asset to the economy, providing jobs and money. This issue should be of greater priority. It is one of many terrible effects of climate change.
AP Biology George Daskalakis
ReplyDeleteCurrent Event 21 March 28, 2017
Cave, Damien, and Justin Gillis. "Large Sections of Australia’s Great Reef Are Now Dead,
Scientists Find." The New York Times. The New York Times, 15 Mar. 2017. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/15/science/great-barrier-reef-coral-climate-change-dieoff.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fearth&action=click&contentCollection=earth®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront
Emily wrote a great review of the article “Large Sections of Australia’s Great Reef Are Now Dead, Scientists Find” by Damien Cave and Justin Gillis. She begins with a succinct and informative summary that provides the reader with all of the necessary information. One thing she did very well was effectively and efficiently describe the scientists’ findings of the extent of the deterioration to Australia’s Great Reef. Emily also did a great job of including a quote that helped the reader understand the significance of this finding. Emily included a statement from a credible expert in this field who was able to emphasize the importance of this discovery and connect it to the discussion of climate change. A third thing I liked is how she defined specific terms that were mentioned in the article that were imperative to the reader’s understanding of this issue.
Although Emily wrote a well-written and thorough current event report, there are two places that she could improve upon. One thing that she could have included was more contextual information about how the scientists discovered the extent of the destruction to the Great Barrier Reef. These details would have provided the reader with a more well-rounded understanding of the issue and other possible related studies. She could have also included some specific examples of how the overheating and subsequent death of the reef can be stopped or reversed. She touches on the fact climate change is a huge factor, but does not really describe a possible solution to this problem.
After reading Emily’s response to Gillis and Cave’s article , I have learned about an important scientific discovery that has revealed that Australia’s Great Reef is suffering tremendously and at a level that wasn’t expected until decades from now. I now have a deeper understanding of the difficulties surrounding this issue in terms of biological diversity, jobs, food, and preservation of our world’s natural wonders and ecosystems. I will definitely stay updated on any new breakthroughs or possible solutions to this incredibly important problem, to see what eventually happens to the Great Barrier Reef.
Cave, Damien, and Justin Gillis. "Large Sections of Australia’s Great Reef Are Now Dead, Scientists Find." The New York Times. The New York Times, 15 Mar. 2017. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/15/science/great-barrier-reef-coral-climate-change-dieoff.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fearth&action=click&contentCollection=earth®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront
I read Emily’s review of the article, "Large Sections of Australia’s Great Reef Are Now Dead, Scientists Find” and I thought that she did a good job. I liked how Emily quoted parts of the article in her summary. It helped add detail to it making the summary easier to understanding. Another aspect that I thought was good was how she explained certain parts of her article for example Australia’s Reef 2050 plan. A lot of people, such as me, would not know what that is so a clarification was very helpful. And lastly, the last part of the review that I thought was intriguing was her use of statistics in the second paragraph. It helped the reader understand how the barrier reef affects people and the number of jobs it supplies.
Although I thought that she did a very good job, I do think that there are a few areas of improvement. In her first paragraph, there were a few punctuation mishaps that she could have fixed to make her review flow more nicely and cleaner. Another, is that I wish that she had included the names of a few scientists who did research on this subject. She vaguely mentions scientists but never specifies who.
Overall, I think that Emily did a great job on her review. I did not know how the Great Barrier Reef was in such danger and the cause of that so through her review I learned something in which I had not known of before.