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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.
KANJANAPISAN 2
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
Figure 1. Sea butterfly shell in seawater with acidity slowly dissolves over 45 days.
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.
KANJANAPISAN 4
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
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
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
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
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