Chapter 7 (Kwasi Obeng-Dankwa)

Chapter 7 begins by setting the scene and putting the reader at One Tree Island at the tip of the Great Coral Reef in Australia. There is a research station located in that area in which scientists study the chemical composition of the nearby coral reefs. When Captain James Cook first saw the Great Barrier Reef he did not understand it. Charles Darwin thought it was atoll but we now know they are part mineral, vegetable, and animal. Kolbert then introduces us to Ken Caldeira. Following up on the previous chapter, Caldeira has her research focused on the impact of carbon dioxide on the ocean. IT is explained to us that coral reefs are affected by carbon dioxide and the first evidence of it was in the 1980s. While coral reefs naturally come and go, as a result of the high amount of carbon dioxide in our current air, they are disappearing faster than ever. We are later introduced to Acropora millepora which is a common coral in the reef. With the study of their samples, it was found out that ocean acidification destroys coral egg-sperm bundles.

In this chapter, we were able to learn more about Kolbert. We can come to the realization that he feels very insignificant on Earth as he explores and learns more about all of the different organisms there are in it. She now notices just how big the world is and all of the wonders it holds. As she states, "I was struck again by the extraordinary stars and the lightless horizon. I also felt, as I had several times at One Tree, the incongruity of my position. The reason I'd come to the Great Barrier Reef was to write about my scale of the human influence. And yet Schneider and I seemed very, very small in the unbroken dark(145)." This quote illustrates Kolbert true feelings about herself and her line of work. While she is trying to show how big of an influence humans play in the destruction of our planet, she realizes that it is very easy to think that your actions may not have any side effects because of how grand it truly is. The theme that connects with this chapter is: Humans alter natural systems. This is because of the continued shown effects of the increase in carbon dioxide emissions leading to ocean acidification as well as other human actions. This includes overfishing, agricultural runoff, and dynamite fishing. For instance, in the book, it states " A few decades ago I, myself, would have thought it ridiculous to imagine that reefs might have a limited lifespan... Yet here I am today... and utterly convinced that [coral reefs] will not be there for our children's children to enjoy(138)." The altering of natural systems by humans has become so great that things that were thought to almost be immortal are now in danger of going extinct. No organism is safe from the effects of our actions and it will continue to proceed until we are able to change our ways and observe the true effects of our actions.