KANJANAPISAN 1

Nonpawit Taiji Kanjanapisan

Mr. Abel Cadias
English 10 / 10:03
May 19, 2017

How Ocean Acidification and Temperature Affects Coral Reefs in Thailand

Ocean acidification in Thailand can cause coral reefs to bleach and die out because of

rising of pH levels and temperature in the sea. The purpose of this research report is to

identify the effect of the ocean acidification and temperature to coral reefs in Thailand. The

importance of this research report is to provide awareness on how ocean acidification affects

coral reefs in Thailand. The pieces of information found in this research are based on eight

sources. First, the research from the Ocean Portal Team explains about what is ocean

acidification and what does it impact on ocean life. Second, the report Ocean Acidification

Threatens Food Security, Report describes how food securities and shell-forming organisms

like coral reefs threat by ocean acidification. Third, Thamasak Yeemin and his team report

about the marine ecosystem in Thailand responses to ocean acidification. Fourth, the article

Is there a future for coral reefs in acid oceans? describes how acid ocean impacts on coral

reefs. Fifth, the article Coral Reefs and the Threat of Ocean Acidification describes how the

increases of pH level affects coral reef. Sixth, the research Coral Reef Bleaching explains

the definition and causes of coral bleaching. Next, the article Regenerating coral reefs in

Thailand by WWF organization describes ways to regenerate coral reefs in Thailand. Lastly,

the article of CNN called Thailand closes diving sites over coral bleaching crisis by Kocha

Olarn and Elaine Yu explains how bleaching crisis affects the coral reefs in Thailand.
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The Causes and Effects of Ocean Acidification

Ocean acidification is when the pH level decrease in the ocean caused by the

ocean absorb the carbon dioxide in the Earths atmosphere. According to Matz (2014), after

the industrial revolution, people starting to burning fossil fuel rising the amount carbon

dioxide in the Earths atmosphere. Thamasak Yeemin (2011) noted that from his team

research data revealed that ocean acidification might be a serious risk to all marine ecosystem

and biodiversity. According to Lemonick (2012), the increases of acidity in the ocean causes

shell-forming organisms like clams, oysters, and corals, difficult to form or create their shells.

The Ocean Portal Team stated that, the acidic water lower the effectiveness of carbonate ions

that shelled organisms use to build their shells and skeletons. As shown in figure 1, in a lab

experience from National Geographic Society, a sea butterfly shell slowly dissolves in low

pH seawater over 45 days, this means ocean acidification can destroy the shell of living

organism in the sea. Lemonick (2012) stated that the ocean acidification threatens food

security or human food supply to Pakistan, Thailand, the Philippines, Iran, and China by

interrupt the food web of ocean organisms and decrease the amount of ocean population

caused by destroying the fish's habitat such as coral reef. The picture below is the example of

how ocean acidification slowly dissolves sea butterfly shell.

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Figure 1. Sea butterfly shell in seawater with acidity slowly dissolves over 45 days.

The Coral Reef Bleaching in Thailand

One of the ocean organism that has the most impact on ocean acidification and

temperature is the coral reef. Coral reefs provide food and shelter to one-quarter of ocean

species according to the Ocean Portal Teams research. According to Buchheim (n.d.), the

coral reef can turn white and slowly die because of high temperature and high pH level

caused by ocean acidification. As shown in figure 2, this reaction is called coral reef

bleaching. According to Kocha Olarn and Elaine Yu (2016), bleaching can happen when

algae that live inside coral turn white. Coral reef bleaching can slowly destroy coral

population and affect other species that depend on the coral to survive and reproduce in the

ocean. Coral reef bleaching crisis is one of the problems in Thailand that cause more than 10

diving site to close, which decreasing the amount of travelers and eco-tourism in Thailand.

According to Nattapol Rattanaphan, Director of the Marine National Park Division, coral

bleach spread along both Gulf of Thailand and Andaman sea more than 50 percent of the

coral reefs population over six years. Ma Prao Island and Chumpon Island have the most hit

with about 80 percent of the coral population turned its color to white.
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According to Lemonick (2012), ocean food security problem caused by coral reef

bleaching also affected Thailand because, as the corals get slowly destroyed and the

temperature is getting hotter, fishes and other ocean organisms that lived in the local area

have to migrate due to loss of habitat and unusual temperature. This will affect people who

catch sea creatures and sell them for their living.

Figure 2. Coral Reef Bleaching

Ways to Protect and Regenerate Coral Reefs in Thailand

To protect the coral reefs, The Department of National Parks of Thailand is working

on shutting more diving side islands to save and protect corals from tourists that can damage

and interrupt coral recoveries. People can also use artificial reef to regenerate coral reef in

specific area. As shown in figure 3, it is a man-made underwater structure. Its purpose is to

create habitat and increase the number of marine creatures. WWF Thailand, an organization

that creates a project that aim for regenerating and increasing the amount of coral reef in

Thailand and others countries nearby to restore the ocean life and food chain to a stable

condition of ocean environment.

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figure 3. a man building an artificial reef using concrete bricks

Conclusion

The purpose of this research report was to identify the effects of the ocean

acidification and temperature to coral reefs in Thailand. This research report concluded that

ocean acidification and temperature have so many effects to ocean creatures. Ocean

acidification is when the pH level decrease in the ocean caused by the ocean absorb the

carbon dioxide in the Earths atmosphere. Rising of temperature can cause the coral reef to

bleach and die out. This research report recommends further studies on how to protect coral

reef from ocean acidification.

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References

Buchheim, J. (n.d.). Coral Reef Bleaching. Retrieved March 28, 2017 from
http://www.marinebiology.org/coralbleaching.htm

Lemonick, M. (2012, September 24). Ocean Acidification Threatens Food Security, Report.
Retrieved March 28, 2017 from http://www.climatecentral.org/news/ocean-
acidification-threatens-food-security-in-developing-world-study-finds

Matz, H. (2014, January 17). Coral Reefs and the Threat of Ocean Acidification
Retrieved March 28, 2017 from https://sharkresearch.rsmas.miami.edu/
conservation/coral-reefs-and-the-threat-of-ocean-acidification

Olarn, K., & Yu, E. (2016, May 27). Thailand closes diving sites over coral bleaching crisis.
Retrieved March 28, 2017 from http://edition.cnn.com/2016/05/27/travel/thailand-
dive-sites-coral-bleaching/

Regenerating coral reefs in Thailand. (2007, September). Retrieved March 28, 2017 from
http://wwf.panda.org/who_we_are/wwf_offices/thailand/?113520/Regenerating-coral-
reefs-in-Thailand

Sugget, D. (2012, April). Is there a future for coral reefs in acid oceans?. Retrieved March 28,
2017 from http://www.biodiversityscience.com/2012/04/26/coral-reefs-in-acid
oceans/

The Ocean Portal Team. (n.d.). Ocean acidification. Retrieved March 28, 2017 from
http://ocean.si.edu/ocean-acidification

Yeemin, T. (2017, June 20). Ocean Acidification: A New Concern for Marine Policy in
Thailand. Retrieved March 28, 2017 from http://meetingorganizer.copernicus
.org/AvH7/AvH7-21.pdf