Why does touching a coral reef kill it

A healthy coral left and a coral that has experienced bleaching right. Ocean acidification refers to a change in ocean chemistry in response to the uptake of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is in equilibrium with that in seawater, so when atmospheric concentrations increase so do oceanic concentrations. Carbon dioxide entering seawater reacts to form carbonic acid, causing an increase in acidity.

Each year, the ocean absorbs about one-quarter of the carbon dioxide emitted from the burning of fossil fuels oil, coal, and natural gas. Increases in ocean acidity measured by lower pH values reduce the availability of dissolved salts and ions needed by corals to form the calcium carbonate structure. Consequently, coral growth and reef growth can be slowed, with some species affected more than others.

If acidification becomes severe, coral skeletons can actually dissolve. On a local level, nutrient enrichment due to run-off from human activities on land can also cause increased acidity in coastal waters, exacerbating the effects of ocean acidification. Skip to main content. Contact Us. Local Threats to Coral Reefs Most coral reefs occur in shallow water near shore. Corals are colonies of very small animals which may take hundreds of years to form the structures visible today.

Simply touching corals to see what they feel like can cause the death of an entire colony. Oils from your skin can disturb the delicate mucous membranes which protect the animals from disease. If feeding coral is startled, it retracts for protection and in doing so is unable to feed. Swim well and clear of the reef and kick to keep head out without the possibility of kicking the reef, or search for a sandy or coral free shallow place to stand.

Using fewer household chemicals, especially on your lawn or garden, or in your kitchen or bathroom can help prevent marine pollution. Fish safe sunscreen is an important choice to make. Because of the sheer size of our forum, we've been forced to limit selling and trading to members who've met a couple of criteria. If you're seeing this message, you haven't met them yet. Selling and trading on ReefCentral.

I have been a registered scuba diver since I was Every time you go diving at a reef the instructors tell you that if you touch the reef you will be fined because the coral dies.

I don't know about you guys but I touch my coral, in my tank nearly every day and it is very happy. If there any truth to this? Why do you think they make that rule? So far I have yet to kill any of my corals by touching them. Find More Posts by cdangel0. Yeah that is what I thought. What kind of thank do you keep it in?

I have tried brackish but not with any luck. You obviously had a much more enlightened dive class than I did. I would say that its most likely conservationists propaganda passed down from a time when this was believed to be true, and in the process saving many doomed frags that now have a second chance at life because thousands of people barely competent enough to operate their dive gear are afraid of killing the reefs by touching them.

Thus concluding my take on the "A reef will die if you touch it" speech all dive schools give during the safety class. Find More Posts by Brisc0. Brisc0, I took my dive classes in Licking MO.

They are very enlightening. I have given some stuff away and sold some stuff to a few of the members, seem like nice people. I am heading up to Columbia today for and overnighter and I'll hop down there and post when I get home. Take care. It is a green spotted puffer - I kept it in a FW tank as a juvenile and moved it to my SW tank as it grew.

Just a slow acclimation and away it went - was my favorite fish for a very long time, then became a bully - then jumped to his death a few months ago.

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Will touching my coral kill it? Thread starter vbsurfer87 Start date Jan 28, Click to expand