Coral Reefs – the rainforests of the seas
Coral reefs are ocean habitats in which many sea animals such as all types of fish and jellyfish live. Reefs provide a large percentage of Earth’s biodiversity, as confirmed by scientists, who estimated that around 25 percent of all marine species live in and around reefs. They also provide a variety of economic benefits, including recreational activities, tourism, coastal protection, habitat for commercial fisheries, and preservation of marine ecosystems.
A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem, consisting of corals that create the reef. Coral are marine invertebrates, and reefs are ridges of jagged material just above or below the surface of the sea. For instance one can think of the Great Barrier reef in Australia, the Raja Ampat in Indonesia and the Red Sea coral reef.
Other than privileges, reefs offer a compelling case of the risks of climate change. For different reasons caused by humans, coral reefs have been through an extreme amount of pollution lately. One of the main effects it had on the natural habitat and the species in it was causing illnesses. This is because they ingest a high amount of microplastic which contain bacteria and are of course not edible. Furthermore, global warming is causing the temperature of the oceans to rise. Consequently, corals expel the algae living in their tissues causing the coral to turn completely white, causing the phenomenon of coral bleaching. Permanent bleaching may cause the death of the coral, but it can recover if it reclaims its food source within a few weeks or if the surrounding water temperature cools down.
Since coral bleaching and pollution is mainly caused by human actions and global warming, there are many ways to put an end to this phenomenon which are linked to the two previous factors. These can include small daily actions such as recycling and minimizing the use of fertilizers. Another way to avoid coral pollution is to forbid the possibility to touch any type of coral, since a bacteria could infect it.
By all accounts, it is extremely hard to completely stop coral and, overall, water pollution, but if we all contribute we might reach this goal. If we all try to contribute, society would make enormous progress in this field and eventually manage to abolish it completely.
By: Viola Capella and Sofia Idini