The Effects of Upwelling on Hermatypic Coral Reefs by Mikayla Taylor
Introduction The process of upwelling is essentially a natural cooling system for the surface of the world’s oceans. It is defined as the rising of deep, cold, nutrient rich waters to the surface as wind pushes warmer surface waters offshore (NOAA 2024). The changes in temperature and nutrient content brought about by this process can be both beneficial and detrimental to marine ecosystems. Graphic demonstrating the replacement of windblown surface waters by colder, nutrient-rich waters from below. (NOAA 2024) One crucial ecosystem affected by upwelling is coral reefs, more specifically hermatypic (reef-building) corals. These species require very specific temperature, pH, and turbidity conditions to survive and become highly susceptible to life-threatening stress if oceanic conditions are outside of their preferences even slightly. Their ideal temperature range is between 23-29 ° C (though this varies slightly among species) (NOAA 2024), their ideal pH range is ...