Humans are one of the biggest threats to coral reefs around the world. Coral reefs house a diverse mixture of underwater species like sea turtles, hundreds of different fish species and over a thousand species of mollusks. They are home to an incredible amount of wildlife as well as protecting the coastline from ocean storms.
Corals make up the coral reef, but some people don 't realize that corals are living organisms. They are not rock or pretty stone, but are related to anemones and jellyfish. When they are threatened, corals can become damaged, which will destroy the reefs. All the wildlife living in the reef won 't have a place to call home.
Aside from humans, coral reefs like The Great Barrier Reef are being destroyed by an outbreak
…show more content…
Overfishing, careless boating, pollution and climate change are detrimental to the coral.
Avoid Touching the Reef When Diving
Never break off any of the coral to take home with you as a souvenir. You 're breaking off a piece of the coral, but you 're actually removing tiny animals that can 't survive outside of the location. A tiny touch of the finger can actually cause damage to the coral. Stick to pictures and don 't touch the coral itself.
When diving around coral, be very careful of your flippers. They can accidentally smack into the coral and cause serious damage. Swim with care and keep track of your surroundings to ensure you 're snorkeling or diving responsibly.
Do Not Use an Anchor on the Reef
Driving a boat near the coral reef can cause massive damage to the structure and organisms in the reef. Don 't use an anchor around the reef. If you need to stop the boat near a reef, make sure you 're using a buoy instead of an anchor.
The only reason you should be near the reef is to responsibly take pictures and see the amazing wildlife. You shouldn 't be stopped to fish or use nets to catch fish. Lines, hooks and nets can drag along the coral causing serious damage or death to the
…show more content…
Litter can have an impact on the coral reefs. Don 't leave line, hooks or other equipment on the beach or out in the ocean if you can help it. Litter pollutes the water and can be detrimental to the reefs as well as other ocean wildlife.
While visiting with your family, you can volunteer for beach clean-ups and reef cleaning programs. If you see trash, remove it from the area. Out on the ocean, make sure to bring your litter back on land to be thrown out properly.
Don 't Buy Coral Souvenirs
When you refuse to buy the souvenirs, you 're doing your part to keep the coral safe. When there 's no demand for this type of souvenir, people will stop destroying the coral reefs to mine the coral for production.
It can take years for one piece of coral to grow back after someone has broken it off the reef. While it 's beautiful, the coral should be left in the ocean where it belongs.
Steps Outside the Water to Protect the Reefs
Being a responsible citizen of the planet can do a lot to protect the environment, and that includes the ocean and its coral reefs.
Recycle your trash and reuse what you can instead of tossing it in a landfill.
Reduce your use of electricity and water in the
Coral reefs around the world are in danger. One of the causes is global warming, which has been increasing the temperature of the ocean water resulting in coral bleaching. This essay will focus on damage occurring to the Great Barrier Reef.
The GBR, “listed as a World Heritage Area,” resides in protection by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (Wachenfeld 8). Working for this organization, employees have the ability to enforce laws to preserve the Reef as best they can. Another way the GBR gets the attention it needs is through publicity. Many people do not know that the GBR needs help and the word needs to be spread to save the Reef. The documentary, Chasing Coral, by Jeff Orlowski explains that “[w]hen you look at our planet, its unique in the known universe because we’ve got an ocean that is the source of life. It controls everything” (“Chasing Coral”). The film, focusing on coral bleaching, encompasses the widespread impacts on the GBR. It won many major film festivals around the world, showing how important reefs are, and by doing this, people are more aware what is happening and are more likely to help. Although there are efforts to aid the GBR, more needs to be done to truly save it from
This article discusses how important the organisms symbiotic with coral reefs are, as well as how important coral reefs are to our environment. Also explained is how natural and non natural things things like hurricanes and overfishing affects them. A study is quoted about how water acidity also plays a role in the bleaching of corals. Lastly, restoration and conservation efforts are discussed and how we could possibly help our oceans.
Nowlis, J., Roberts, C., Smith, A., and Siirila, E., 1997, Human Enhanced Impacts of a Tropical Storm on Nearshore Coral Reefs: Ambio, v. 26, no. 8, p. 515-521.
It only takes one person to start a domino effect which can end up possibly saving the reef, and then when David Attenborough wisely speaks of the great barrier reef it will be how amazing it looks and how we saved it from total destruction instead of how damaged and destroyed and in danger it
Some ways to help our coral reefs are conserve water: The less water you use, the less runoff and wastewater will pollute our oceans. Help reduce pollution: Walk, bike or ride the bus. Fossil fuel emissions from cars and industry raise lead to ocean warming which causes mass-bleaching of corals and can lead to widespread destruction of reefs. Research what you put on your lawn: Although you may live thousands of miles from a coral reef ecosystem, these products flow into the water system, pollute the ocean, and can harm coral reefs and marine life. Dispose of your trash properly: Don't leave unwanted fishing lines or nets in the water or on the beach. Any kind of litter pollutes the water and can harm the reef and the fish. Support reef-friendly businesses: Ask the fishing, boating, hotel, aquarium, dive or snorkeling operators how they protect the reef. Be sure they care for the living reef ecosystem and ask if the organization responsible is part of a coral reef ecosystem management effort. Plant a tree: Trees reduce runoff into the oceans. You will also contribute to reversing the warming of our planet and the rising temperatures of our oceans. Practice safe and responsible diving and snorkeling: Do not touch the reef or anchor your boat on the reef. Contact with the coral will damage the delicate coral animals, and anchoring on the reef can kill it, so look for sandy bottom or use moorings if available. Volunteer for a coral reef cleanup: You don't live near a coral reef? Then do what many people do with their vacation: visit a coral reef. Spend an afternoon enjoying the beauty of one of the most diverse ecosystems on the Earth. Contact your government representatives: Demand they take action
All over the world coral reefs play an important part in our environment. Not only are the reefs colorful and beautiful to look at but the coral reefs house several different types of fish and other sea creatures. Coral reefs have started to decline over the years due to “climate change, El Nino events, overfishing, pollution and other pressures” (Newnham 1). A healthy coral reef can also collapse due to a natural disaster (Newnham 2). There can be several different reasons why a coral reef has started to decline or has been destroyed.
Another point explicitly stated in the film was that corals didn’t really have a life expectancy. However, because of climate change, they die early. It was discovered that some corals were turning white after six months which is definitely fatal to our planet because we may witness the eradication of an entire ecosystem in our lifespan as said by Doctor Ruth Gates. In addition to this, there is a big heat wave travelling near the planet which leaves dead corals in its trail and in 25 years, all of the world’s corals wouldn’t be able to keep up with this heat and they will all eventually
Oceans cover 71% of the earth’s surface. The talk of climate change can often seem to focus on what is happening in our atmosphere, but there is a lot of change going on in our oceans. The oceans have absorbed 90% of the excess heat and 28% of the carbon pollution generated by human consumption of fossil fuels (Nuccitelli 2015). The purpose of this paper is to show how the effects of climate change effect the coral reefs in our oceans, with a focus on the coral reef systems in the Caribbean and of the Great Barrier Reef. The Caribbean coral reefs are well known to have suffered more damage between the two reef systems. That’s not to say that the Great Barrier Reef has not suffered its own damage. It has and will continue to suffer in the future.
The Great barrier reef has had many recent hardships, including water pollutants and the increasing water temperature. Although it may be too late to save this particular reef we the people must not be so nearsighted to the
Located in tropical ocean waters, coral reefs provide priceless resources to both human and marine life. The leading natural cause of destruction among the coral reefs is global warming. Other natural causes are earthquakes, hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons. The destruction to the coral reefs from these natural disasters is minimal compared to the dangers caused by man. Man-made destruction has a much wider impact on the health of the coral reefs. This destruction includes over-fishing, damage from anchors, aquarium industry, overgrowth of seaweed, and being smothered by sediments.
The increase in ocean temperatures are causing the reef to die out; reefs structures don’t have the ability to keep up pace with the ever so changing climate 4. Rigel suggests that coral reefs will eventually die out from the erosion of the warm ocean4. The increase in climate change is leading to ocean acidification. Much of the gases that enter our air from pollution also dissolves into the ocean. With this occurring, corals cannot absorb the calcium they need to maintain their skeletons. The stony skeletons that support coral reefs will dissolve. If nothing is done to stop so much carbon dioxide from going into the atmosphere, this will increase and more and more coral reefs will be destroyed and die
Coral reefs are well known for their colorful array of marvelous sights including a parade of exotic flora and fauna. They are said to be the foundation for a quarter of marine species, and are a crucial support for human life as well. The coral reef ecosystem is a diverse collection of species (ranging from microscopic to larger-than-life in size) that interact with each other and their physical environment. If any piece of a coral reef is harmed or removed the entire community can be seriously affected, even to the point of collapse. Unfortunately, human impact has resulted in long-term stresses that, unlike the short-term stress of natural disasters, coral reefs are not as capable to recover from. “Approximately half of the world’s coral reef ecosystem resources are considered by scientists to be in 'poor' or 'fair' condition and have declined over time due to several anthropogenic threats” (“Status of Corals” par. 2). Through poorly administered commercial practices, carelessness and ignorance among the common people, and human aggravated natural processes coral reef destruction has become a serious issue afflicting the world’s biodiversity and it’s intricate biosphere mechanics (“Human Impact on the Great Barrier Reef” 1) (“What Are Coral Reefs?” 1).
A good way to imagine a coral reef is to think of it as a bustling city or community, with the buildings made of coral, and thousands of inhabitants coming and going, carrying out their business. In this sense, a coral reef is like a metropolis under the sea.
Coral Reefs need to be preserved for many reasons. In this paper I will discuss a