Caitlin Mooney
Mr. Ippolito
Current Event 4
10/9/18
Strickland, Ashley. “Global Warming Is Killing the Great Barrier Reef, Study Says.” CNN, Cable
News Network, 18 Apr. 2018, www.cnn.com/2018/04/18/world/great-barrier-reef-coral-dying-climate-change/index.html.
For this scientific article review, I read the article, “Global Warming is Killing the Barrier Reef, Studies Say” by Ashley Strickland. In this article, Strickland describes how heat waves brought on by global warming are killing off corals in the Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest reef system. These heat waves including some in 20016, 1998, and 2002 caused large amounts of coral bleaching and die-off that is only getting worse as time goes on. Mark Eakin, study author, and coordinator for the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Coral Reef Watch wrote, “We've seen half of the corals on the Great Barrier Reef killed by climate change in just two years...This study shows that the coral reefs that have been least affected by heat stress in the past are more sensitive to heat stress than we realized. It also shows climate change threatens the diversity that is the hallmark of coral reefs." Since little heat stress is needed to cause the complete collapse in the Great Barrier Reef, and the fastest growing coral takes 10-15 years to grow back, unless we reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the heat was will occur too frequently so the reefs will not be able to recover.
Since the Great Barrier Reef is considered one of the seven natural wonders of the world, it is a major tourist attraction and has over 2 million visitors each year. Due to the number of visitors it has, it contributes a large amount to the Australian economy, an estimates 6.4 billion each year, it also supports about 64,000 jobs. Therefore if the Great Barrier Reef was destroyed, it would have a huge effect on Australian society, not only severely damaging the economy, but leaving many people unemployed. The destruction of the Great Barrier Reef would disrupt the entire ecosystem since coral reefs are also a major source of protein for humans if the great barriers reef is destroyed it would affect the global population.
One thing I liked in this article was how many quotes Strickland was able to incorporate quotes into her article, I found this very helpful as a reader because it made it easier to understand the problem at hand. Another thing I thought that Strickland did well was that she described the destruction of coral reefs well and she was able to prove that it was a big problem through statistics. To make this article better I think that Strickland could have listed the studies that found certain information that she talked about instead of just listing the statistics. Also, I think that Strickland could have told the reader more specifics on the process of coral reef destruction and its effect on the marine ecosystem. But besides those issues, I think that this article was easy to follow and I learned a lot about this nationwide problem. Hopefully, articles like these will be able to raise awareness about the dangers of global warming so we can save the Great Barrier Reef and other natural wonders in danger.
Cassidy Mullen
ReplyDeleteMr. Ippolito
Current Event Comment #4
10/9/18
Strickland, Ashley. “Global Warming Is Killing the Great Barrier Reef, Study Says.” CNN, Cable
News Network, 18 Apr. 2018 www.cnn.com/2018/04/18/world/great-barrier-reef-coral-dying-climate-change/index.html
Catlin did many things well in her article review. First, I like how she described how the coral reef brings economic gain to Australia. When Catlin explained how the reef is a tourist attraction and how many jobs the reef supports, it helped me understand the importance of protecting the reef. I also liked that Catlin talked about the reef as an ecosystem and tied the article back to our ecology unit where we talked about aspects that affect the global population. I like that Catlin pointed out that the author could have talked more about the impact of global warming and the great barrier reef on aquatic ecosystems and marine life. In her third paragraph, I like that Catlin mentioned the importance of backing up statistics with evidence from studies. This is important because, as scientists, we must make sure that all the information we use to support our arguments is reliable information.
In the first paragraph, Catlin explains that heat waves are harmful to the coral reef but does not explain the meaning of coral bleaching die-offs. A reader who is unknowledgeable about this topic would have trouble understanding how heat directly causes these issues. Catlin proceeds to talk about heat stress without actually explaining what heat stress is and if it is different from the harmful heat waves she previously mentioned. Catlin also mentions that coral reefs are a source of protein for humans. I was confused about who specifically eats the great barrier reef and how this meal might be prepared. I was unaware that humans can eat coral reef and would have liked to know more information.
I have learned that the Great Barrier Reef is actually essential to the economy and the environment. Before reading this review I thought that there were much larger issues than worrying about whether a pretty coral reef is thriving or dying, but I will definitely remember that coral reefs play a larger role in Society. I think this has taught me that it is important to look at issues more closely instead of dismissing them because identifying and understanding the severity of an issue is the first step to solving it.
Luke Freeman
ReplyDeleteMr. Ippolito
AP Biology Current Events 5 - Comment
October 17, 2018
Strickland, Ashley. “Global Warming Is Killing the Great Barrier Reef, Study Says.” CNN, Cable
News Network, 18 Apr. 2018, www.cnn.com/2018/04/18/world/great-barrier-reef-coral-dying-climate-change/index.ht
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Reviewed by Caitlin Mooney, this article is a touching, serious issue. For starters, Caitlin did a great job at establishing the issue and giving the reader context about the article. Her summary is near-perfect in capturing the whole article, while keeping it brief. Secondly, in her explanatory section, she does a great job of bringing the reader back to the main premise of the article, as embodied by this statement, “In this article, Strickland describes how heat waves brought on by global warming are killing off corals in the Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest reef system. These heat waves including some in 20016, 1998, and 2002 caused large amounts of coral bleaching and die-off that is only getting worse as time goes on.”. By relating everything back to the issue, Caitlin is able to discuss the the article as well as the national issue as a whole. Finally, Caitlin not only gives evidence, but provides her own analysis with pieces of the article, which makes this review very well done.
The only two, minorly negative aspects of Caitlins review, the first being the few (but noticeable) grammatical errors. I hate to nit-pick but the phrase, “One thing I liked in this article was how many quotes Strickland was able to incorporate quotes into her article…”. While this phrase was a bit of an error on her part, the rest of the review is spot on, grammatically speaking. The second, thing which stood out to me was a the slight under-explanation of this problems real impact on the world as a whole. While the article itself did go into specifics, Caitlin simply left it as, “... it would affect the global population”. That being said, I still felt that it did not take too much away from the overall thoroughness of the review.
While I feel I am already quite educated on this topic, I was still shocked by this article by Ashley Strickland. One fact in particular jumped off of the screen and engrained itself in my mind: “‘We lost 30 percent of the corals in the nine month period between March and November 2016,’ Terry Hughes, study author and director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University, said in a statement.”. This idea that 30 percent of the coral could be destroyed in a nine month time frame is both mind-boggling and fighting. Prior to reading this article, I did not understand the sheer scope and alarming rate at which coral was being bleached. This article also triggered my memory of a first experience with this coral bleaching, a it made me recall that during my trip to Curacao, much of the coral was bleached and had died. Locals explained that death of the coral is what significantly reduced the diversity and population density of the various species of tropical fish, and I was saddened that I would likely never see them in person. Both this article and that experience have led me to believe that not global warming needs to be halted or at least slowed, as many species will continue to die out, affecting both the economies of the world and biodiversity of our entire planet.