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Article By: Lehashini A/P Ramanesh
Imagine diving into the sea’s depths and admiring the brightly-coloured corals. The ocean has never looked more glamorous.
Coral reefs are gorgeous specimens of the ocean. They are necessary for the ecosystem as they protect coastlines from storms and offer opportunities for recreation. Furthermore, corals are so famously known that people are even named after them! On the plus side, they can be used for tourism, which helps businesses earn profits. However, the question remains: Why are many coral reefs dying?
Take, for example, Australia's Great Barrier Reef. It was once famously known for its tourist hotspot. From the picturesque view, discovering the alarming loss of corals since 1985 was disheartening. What exactly happened? It's no surprise that global warming, pollution and coral bleaching plays a significant role. This threatened many more endangered marine life species. According to statistics, the Great Barrier Reef spans about 348,700 square kilometres, nearly the size of Japan! The exciting part is that coral reefs occupy less than 1% of the ocean, but it supports 25% of all marine life! Unfortunately, the Great Barrier Reef has suffered an enormous loss, with 48% due to storm damage, 42% of coral-eating starfish (a natural predator of corals), and 10% due to coral bleaching.
One of the biggest threats is climate change. To sprinkle in some fun facts, coral bleaching happens when corals remove the algae within their tissues, mainly because of high sea temperatures. It causes the corals to weaken and become more sensitive to diseases. Between 2004 and 2018, 10 cyclones of category three or more crossed the poor Great Barrier Reef, harming an enormous amount of coral reefs. Moreover, as water temperature rises, marine species are forced to move to more excellent habitats, competing with more species for food. To make matters worse, since the late 18th century, the ocean has absorbed about 30% of the carbon (caused by humans), which causes the acidity of the sea to swell and prevent the formation of coral reefs.
Is there any hope for the Great Barrier Reef? Absolutely! The Great Barrier Reef is not completely lost. With more education programs, renewable energy development, and coral nurseries, there is a rising tide of hope to save the reef in the long term. Each one of us can play a part in this crucial mission.
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