…the island of Atlas. Hidden deep under the surface is a legend that waits for an age of explorers who are brave and clever enough to venture into the lost city. There, a secret is concealed, a secret that could potentially change the course of the Earth as we know it. Recently, archaeologists along with the help of researchers and scientists have uncovered a way describing the steps to reach Atlantis. Take on this journey to find the mysterious power, but beware for a power, so great, it could be used to improve or destroy our world forever…
The Oceanic Research Conservation Academics Association (O.R.C.A.A.) has been surveying and exploring the oceans for over 100 years. Discovering a new species or two every week in the depths of the ocean has become a common occurrence. Recently though, some scuba divers have found fragments of what seems to be the remains of an ancient civilization. Atlantis. O.R.C.A.A. uses high-tech radar to pick up the pieces of clues that have traces of Atlantis within them and they post their findings for explorers who are up to the challenge to investigate. An Explorer’s Log is at every fragmented clue to keep record and track of every adventurer who has made the trek. Make sure you sign it with your name and the date of the find!
Corals reefs are an essential part of the oceans since they are diverse underwater ecosystems that contain a quarter of all marine species in less than 0.1% of the ocean’s surface. Coral reefs provide important resources to the world such as tourism, fisheries, and shoreline protection with coral reefs being worth an estimated amount of between $30-400 billion dollars. A price tag is not able to be put on such an important part of the ocean and the world as a whole and it is being destroyed due to their fragility. Some threats that they face are climate change, over-fishing, the fishing techniques, overusing resources from the reefs, and harmful land-use such as water pollution and agricultural runoff.
Reports have shown that around half of the coral reefs around in the world in the past 65 years have declined by 50%. A little more than half of the reefs are at risk due to dangerous human activities and in 35 years, all coral reefs will be in danger of destruction. Overfishing is a major problem since it unbalances the coral ecosystems when selective fishing is done and warps the food chain and affects plants and animals that aren't the ones being fished. Intense fish harvesting for aquarium destroys reefs by using cyanide, blast fishing, dynamite fishing, muroami, seine fishing, and bottom trawling. Tourists touch reefs, collect coral, drop anchors, stir up sediment, and pollute the reefs using sewage, industrial waste, or oil which poisons the reefs. If the water temperature rises too high due to climate change, the corals are not able to survive which bleaches the corals.
Due to the need for warm waters in temperate and tropical zones, reefs form from N 30° to S 30° with the majority reaching from the Tropic of Cancer to the Tropic of Capricorn. The majority also occurs in the Caribbean, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Red Sea, Southeast Asia, and Australia. The largest is the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the second largest is the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System which ranges from the north end of the Yucatan Peninsula to Belize.
Due to the large amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, it has been suggested that the oceans be pumped with CO2 or fertilize the water with iron in order to promote algae growth which would pull CO2 into the oceans. In theory, this is a sound plan, but this would mean less oxygen in the waters creating a dead zone. Dead zones were once nonexistent over 40 years ago, but there are now over 500 documented throughout the world's oceans. Dead zones are where oxygen concentrations are very low (known as hypoxia) and animals or plants either die or leave the dead zone due to the lack of oxygen. The overabundance of the nutrients in the water (either from the iron, runoff from land-use) is known as eutrophication and kills the different types of corals. Dead zones deplete the area of oxygen which harms the ecosystem since the parts of the food web either goes missing or dies and this harms the coral reefs. In the video below, the red spots are the dead zones that have formed all over the world including in the areas of Europe, East Asia, and the Eastern Coast of Australia (where the Great Barrier Reef is located).
Some ways that scientists are helping the coral reef restoration project by using aquaculture to help restore reefs and establish Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Coral nurseries grow and farm corals to help restore areas of reefs that are declining or that are physically damaged. The nurseries use buddying polyps until they are ready to be transplanted into the reef. The MPAs encourage responsible fishing methods and to protect the habitat. You can help out by not using pesticides/fertilizers, spread the word about how the coral reefs are in danger, don’t leave your trash on the beach or pollute, recycle to prevent items washing into the ocean, don’t anchor on reefs, and volunteer for a coral reef monitoring program or a reef clean up.
This cache is hidden in Coral Reef Park nearby another disappearing ecological system-the pine rocklands. This environment covered the South Florida region and extended from the Miami Rock Ridge, but only 2% remains now. The cache is NOT in the pine rocklands, but nearby. We as a community must unite together in order to save this habitat that some species of animals and plants are native to this land just like we must unite to help protect the coral reefs. Please respect all of the wildlife and plants that make the nearby land their home and happy caching!
Congratulations to MulderNScully for FTF on this clue of Atlantis!
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