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The Need To Conserve The Marine Environment

Why coral reefs are essential to humans

The Need To Conserve The Marine Environment

Why coral reefs are essential to humans

Why Are Coral Reefs Dying?

Corals are most vulnerable when they've been subjected to warming oceans that are rapidly becoming more acidic. Those changes have been driven by human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, which are warming the world and causing Earth's climate to change faster than reefs can keep up. In some places, overfishing has wiped out healthy food chains, allowing algae and parasites to overwhelm corals. At other sites, boats dragging anchors and nets — or just scraping along the seafloor — have damaged or destroyed reefs. Pollution from agriculture and runoff from cities increase the level of nitrogen in the sea, leading to algal bloom which decreases the oxygen levels in the sea, causing some corals to die. Pollution can also cause disease and kill these creatures as well.

But most importantly, the burning of fossil fuels has warmed the planet. And Earth's oceans have absorbed the majority of that heat, about 90% of it so far.

As waters rapidly warm, corals lose the components that give them color and help them produce food, a process called bleaching. That slows their growth and makes them vulnerable to algae, disease, and death. Increased ocean acidification caused by the absorption of carbon dioxide causes bleaching, too.

What happens if all the coral reefs die? (Kevin Loria, 2018)

How Are Coral Reefs Useful?

  • They protect coastlines from the damaging effects of wave action and tropical storms by reducing wave energy
  • They provide habitats and shelter for many marine organisms
  • They are the source of nitrogen and other essential nutrients for marine food chains
  • The fishing industry depends on coral reefs because many fish spawn there and juvenile fish spend time there before making their way to the open sea
  • The Great Barrier Reef generates more than1.5 billion dollars every year for the Australian economy, from fishing and tourism
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How Do We Conserve Coral Reefs?

  • Do not touch corals as it will damage them .
  • Practice safe boating by anchoring boats in sandy areas away from corals and sea grasses.
  • Do not litter. Littering will harm the coral reefs as it could suffocate them. It might also damage other organisms which could be necessary to the survival of corals.
  • When diving, do not apply sunscreen as the chemicals oils from the lotion may harm corals such as oxybenzone and octinoxate which causes coral bleaching. Only apply those that do not contain chemicals which harm marine life such as those that has a Reef Safe Sunscreen label.
  • Don't buy coral souvenirs, it will increase the supply as the demand increases, killing even more corals.
  • Be energy efficient. This causes less greenhouse gas to be produced, reducing the impact of climate change which is one of the leading threats to coral reefs.
  • Don’t send chemicals into the oceans as some chemicals such as those in fertilizers contains nutrients which could lead to algal bloom that blocks out the sunlight to corals. (What can I do to protect coral reefs?, n.d.)

 

What Happens If All Coral Reefs Are Destroyed?

In that type of scenario, cities will lose their protection against big storm surges. This is because coral reefs slow down the speed of waves which prevent destruction of coastal areas. 25% of fish species spend part of their life cycle in coral reefs. Without coral reefs, there is no more habitat for these types of fishes which could affect the entire food chain, implicating humans in the end. Thus, fishing and tourism industries could be eliminated and the ocean may become largely lifeless or at least extremely transformed.What happens if all the coral reefs die? (Kevin Loria, 2018)