Kolbert visits One Tree Island, on the southernmost tip of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, to learn more about the changing biodiversity of the oceans and chemical composition of the nearby coral reefs. Charles Darwin had done some research on coral reefs and concluded that they were a large atoll that had become submerged in water due to rising sea levels. A coral reef is largely composed of a calcium-rich structure that contains many different plants, animals, and minerals. Kolbert refers to them as “ship destroying ramparts constructed by tiny gelatinous creatures” (pg 130) which means that they are dependent on adding new life forms to their composition in order for them to grow. Kolbert meets with scientist Ken Caldeira who focuses on the impact of carbon dioxide on ocean pH. He explains that the rise of carbon dioxide in the surrounding waters greatly impacts the reefs making them erode and dissolve. On page 130 Kolbert brings up the fact that “millions of species have evolved to rely on coral reefs…..It is likely that reefs will be the first major ecosystem in the modern era to become ecologically extinct.” This relates to the theme humans alter natural systems because by affecting the oceans humans are killing the corals. This will in turn cause grave dangers within other underwater species which will in turn affect other animals on land.
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