WP3 Children's Book (as a powerpoint)

       The article I selected was Mass Coral Reef Bleaching: A Recent Outcome of Increased El Niño Activity? published by Ecology Letters in 1999. This article focuses on the past patterns of coral bleaching and the pattens of el nino events, explaining there is a major connection between the two due to the loss of zooxanthellae, a small organism that lives mutualistically with the coral. The little organism can’t live in warm water and thus dies when el nino occurs. El nino is simplistically known as a serge of warm water and tropical storms. As the warm water kills the organism the coral looses its color, turns white, and becomes very fragile/susceptible to diseases. It only is able to recover when something like la nina, a serge of cold water, allows for the organism to thrive in the coral again. The coral then returns to its colorful, healthy state.  This information is what I want to bring to the surface and convey to the audience.

 

The Link to it