WEBVTT 00:04.637 --> 00:11.878 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% Born of fire, the Gal pagos archipelago evokes visions of an ecological Eden. 00:11.978 --> 00:18.618 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% They are volcanic, isolated islands, so they are unique. 00:18.718 --> 00:25.358 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% This primordial world is home to some of the strangest creatures on earth from sea-going 00:25.458 --> 00:29.629 align:left position:72.5%,start line:89% size:17.5% lizards to tortoises the size of rum barrels. 00:29.729 --> 00:35.668 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% This is a special place where so many strange animals are living together. 00:35.769 --> 00:43.176 align:left position:77.5%,start line:89% size:12.5% Penguins, mantas, sea lions, sea iguanas. 00:43.276 --> 00:45.879 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% Altogether in one place. 00:45.979 --> 00:54.120 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% And this strange ecosystem has very interesting behaviors. 00:54.220 --> 01:01.528 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% The islands are engulfed in cold and warm ocean currents, resulting in this unique diversity 01:01.628 --> 01:02.996 align:left position:35%,start line:89% size:55% of species. 01:03.096 --> 01:09.035 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% You get cold water organisms and warm water organisms all mixed. 01:09.135 --> 01:15.408 align:left position:72.5%,start line:83% size:17.5% Corals are among the warm water species living in the islands and what is happening to them 01:15.508 --> 01:19.579 align:left position:82.5%,start line:89% size:7.5% may be a harbinger of things to come. 01:19.679 --> 01:26.386 align:left position:70%,start line:83% size:20% We know now that the ocean chemistry is changing dramatically and that s because of the industrial 01:26.486 --> 01:33.193 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% age and all of the carbon dioxide that has been put into the atmosphere. 01:33.293 --> 01:40.400 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Corals are forecast to be impacted severely by these changes in ocean chemistry. 01:40.500 --> 01:48.041 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% The isolation of these islands makes them a perfect laboratory for studying climate change. 01:48.141 --> 01:53.480 align:left position:67.5%,start line:83% size:22.5% The Gal pagos Islands acts as a natural laboratory because it s naturally exposed to high C02 01:53.580 --> 01:58.852 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% conditions that provide essentially a window into the future of what we can expect throughout 01:58.952 --> 02:04.224 align:left position:80%,start line:83% size:10% the rest of the world s oceans, with the doubling and tripling of atmospheric CO2. 02:04.324 --> 02:09.362 align:left position:67.5%,start line:83% size:22.5% The other added benefit is that it has experienced two very strong El Ni o events in the last 02:09.462 --> 02:10.830 align:left position:32.5%,start line:89% size:57.5% three decades. 02:10.930 --> 02:14.868 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% During El Ni o warm seawater temperatures cause coral bleaching. 02:14.968 --> 02:21.141 align:left position:77.5%,start line:83% size:12.5% And coral bleaching is one of the primary concerns of what coral reefs face with climate change. 02:21.241 --> 02:26.446 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% So by going into the Gal pagos and studying how these reefs respond to warmer temperatures 02:26.546 --> 02:35.121 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% under these naturally low pH conditions, we can gain a window into the future. 02:35.221 --> 02:38.391 align:left position:87.5%,start line:89% size:2.5% What is in store for coral reefs? 02:38.491 --> 02:42.491 align:left position:75%,start line:83% size:15% Can corals survive in more acidic oceans and cope with increased water temperatures?