Who depends on it?/ Global Economics

Due to coral reefs being one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet, they also provide beneficial services for humans such as shoreline protection from erosion and storms, support for the fishing industry, and a booming place for tourism. Coral reefs provide hundreds of thousands of jobs for people.

Coral reefs also provide products people depend on daily, this is true for billions of people. In addition coral reefs provide over 375 billion U.S. dollars per year to the global economy.

Coral Bleaching

Coral Bleaching occurs when the water around coral gets too hot and the coral starts to bleach into a white color. Bleaching events usually occur when a phenomenon called El Nino occurs. El Nino occurs when the trade winds blowing towards Australia from South America weaken. When this happens it prevents the wind from cooling down the waters of the east pacific consequently warming up the waters and causing the coral to bleach. When coral bleaches it does not mean it necessarily will die, however it does prevent the microalgae symbiotically living inside the coral from photosynthesising removing the main way corals produce food for themselves.

Pollution

Coral reefs are very important ecosystems that provide a way of life for many marine organisms. They also provide the coastlines a natural barrier that softens the effects of waves and storms. However, coral reefs are delicate environments that are in danger due to factors such as pollution. Pollution including plastics such as water bottles and plastic bags harm the reefs in multiple ways. For example, plastics can break down into microscopic plastic particles that reduce water clarity and introduce dangerous chemicals to the environment that can cause disease outbreaks. Another example would be that animals such as turtles and fish mistake plastics for food, in turn harming the organisms that ingest the plastics and even the animals that hunt them, potentially disrupting the entire food web.

Tourism

Coral reefs are extremely delicate ecosystems but yet support a large array of life. Diving, boating, and snorkeling are all fun activities to participate in but they can have devastating effects on coral reefs if not done carefully. Careless tourists can lead to increased pollution in the area by not disposing of plastics properly. In addition some tourists can directly harm their surrounding environment by touching and accidentally harming the coral and even disturbing local wildlife.

Global Warming

Global warming has one of the biggest impacts on coral reefs. Coral reefs are very sensitive to changes in temperature, and as ocean temperatures rise coral are starting to to feel more and more stressed. This process can contribute to the process of coral bleaching. Coral bleaching is by far the most common way our coral reefs are disappearing.