Safeguarding Coral Reefs

* Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps are like tiny sea anemones, to which they are closely related. * Coral reef ecosystems support a variety of human needs. They are important for subsistence, fisheries, tourism, shoreline protection, and yield compounds that are important in the development of new medicines. * At least 500 million people rely on coral reefs for food, coastal protection, and livelihoods. It is estimated that coral reefs provide $375 billion per year around the world in goods and services. * Silt from eroded soil in runoff water can block sunlight. Without sunlight, photosynthesis does not occur and reefs gradually die. * Overfishing: affects the ecological balance of coral reef communities, warping the food chain and causing effects far beyond the directly overfished population. * Climate change: Corals cannot survive if the water temperature is too high. Global warming has already led to increased levels of coral bleaching, and this is predicted to increase in frequency and severity in the coming decades. Such bleaching events may be the final nail in the coffin for already stressed coral reefs and reef ecosystems. * Careless tourism: Careless boating, diving, snorkeling, and fishing happens around the world, with people touching reefs, stirring up sediment, collecting coral, and dropping anchors on reefs. Some tourist resorts and infrastructure have been built directly on top of reefs, and some resorts empty their sewage or other wastes directly into water surrounding coral reefs. * In the past few decades, the amount of carbon dioxide in the air has increased by one-third. This is harmful to corals because increased amounts of carbon dioxide are dissolving into the water, which appears to be dissolving the skeletons of corals. As a result, coral in waters with large amounts of carbon dioxide form weaker skeletons, making them more vulnerable to damage from waves, careless tourists, and destructive fishers. * Coral reefs are the most productive aquatic ecosystem. There are a lot of organisms in there that regulate oxygen level in water, the ph level and other important things. Without them we'd have polluted water all over and no fish (our protein source). * We can start protecting and preserving the coral reefs by stopping people overfishing, tourism, pollution (climate change) and many more. Stop letting people around the world to burn trees, fossil fuel, and coal so not too many carbon dioxide will give out. The carbon dioxide that has been given out and taken from the ocean by planktons is acidic and the coral reefs may rot or bleach. That is a problem to many fishes in the ocean, many of them need to live and feed their selves from the coral reefs. * The variety of marine life and protected beaches supported by coral reefs provide an inviting setting for sightseers, sunbathers, snorkelers, and scuba divers. In fact, there are more than 8.5 million certified scuba divers in the United States who spend money on dive vacations each year. For example in 1997, the State of Florida earned $1.6 billion USD from coral reef and beach related tourism. * Use water responsibly: Make sure that sewage from your home does not represent a burden for the environment by minimizing your use of chemicals. For example, try to use phosphate-free detergents for doing your laundry and dishwashing. Excess nutrients such as phosphates find their way from wastewater into the watershed – the area that drains into a common waterway, such as a stream, lake, estuary, or wetland – and eventually reaches the ocean where it can negatively impact reefs. Always try to conserve water, as the less water you use, the less runoff and wastewater eventually find their way back into the oceans. The advantages of using water responsibly are that many people actually care about the ocean and it affects the people too (money and tourism). The disadvantages are that many of the sewage are nowhere to go except the ocean. People cannot dump them on lands or farms or even near people where they live. I think that it will not be successful because if this is continuous till the future, then it will affect a lot, no more species left to live in the ocean, and coral reefs will rot. * Keep the marine environment clean: Help keep our reefs and beaches clean, and in addition to picking up your own trash, carry away the trash that others have left behind. More than just an unsightly nuisance, beach and reef litter poses a significant threat to the health and survival of marine organisms, which can swallow or get tangled in beverage containers, plastic bags, six-pack rings, and other debris. Remove only recent waste from the natural environment, as waste that has been in place for a long time often becomes a home for marine organisms. The advantages of this strategy are that we could make a difference by reducing, reusing and recycling many things like plastic, glass and other more. Disadvantages of keeping the marine clean is that it is going to quickly. Many parts of the ocean is covered by garbage (plastic, cans, bottles, glass) the size of Texas!! It may be successful and it may not. It may be successful because everyone can take part in this and work together as human beings and group work all around the world and make a difference.