A new map ranks the world's coral reefs by the risks they face from warming oceans, overfishing and other stress factors, which will help scientists focus on conserving the reefs with the most likely success.
Kendra King's insight:
This map makes me think the beginning of the semester when you were showing us all the different ways maps can look based on the data. I never would have choose to make a map based on the coral reefs, but clearly there is a need for one. I don’t fully understand the math behind all the variables that shows how this map was made, but given the amount of variables mentioned in the article I think this is a very comprehensive map. So even though other maps may come up with different results, I would stand by this one due to the sheer volume of information analyzed.
I hope that the map is able to actually save some of the reefs around the Middle East and Australia (the highest risk areas) because I couldn’t even begin to imagine the damage the disappearance of one would have on the ecosystem. I know the article mentioned that the some of the prime factors were "surface temperature" and "ultra violet radiation," which supposedly couldn't be helped. However, I learned in my GEO 100 class that increase in surface temperature and ultra-violet radiation relates to global warming, Since global warming is partially man made, I do wonder why the prime factors can't be managed more though. Or is it that the impact of global warming can't be revered quickly enough so the ones most damaged are too far gone? Regardless, hopefully some of the other factors can be controlled enough to make a difference.