CORAL REEFS, CLIMATE CHANGE, & THE IMPORTANCE OF OCEAN CONSERVATION

Written By Jill Szaroleta

Summer is almost here, and for a lot of people that brings to mind images of fun days at the beach, cold drinks, and sunshine. But for coral reefs and the countless species who call them home, climate-related damage has become as fundamental to the summertime as backyard barbecues.

As climate change progresses and temperatures continue to rise across the globe, coral reefs have become a staple in the cycle of climate news for all the wrong reasons. These picturesque ecosystems are vitally important to ocean wildlife, but global warming, ocean acidification, and human intervention are accelerating devastating bleaching events and causing them to diminish and, in some cases, even die off completely.

Scientists, experts, and activists across the globe are working to preserve and strengthen coral reefs in the face of major climate change, but there is a lot of work to do and a lot of support required. Let's talk about the importance of coral reefs, the threats they face, and what we can do to save them.

 

What Are Coral Reefs?

Corals are a kind of marine invertebrate related to jellyfish and sea anemones. They form colonies made out of hundreds of individual coral animals called polyps, and most species slowly excrete hard exoskeleton material that forms coral structures. Some coral catch prey like plankton, but many live in a symbiotic relationship with a specific kind of algae that provides food for both through photosynthesis.

Coral reefs are underwater ecosystems made up of coral colonies. They are full of complex food webs that include fish, plants, plankton, sponges, and many other species. Reefs are found all over the world, both near the shore and deep into the ocean, but most are in warmer water around the Equator. There are many different kinds, and some can even form island-like structures called atolls. The largest reef on Earth is the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia, but some of the other largest are found in the Caribbean and throughout the South Pacific.

 

Why Are Coral Reefs Important?

Although coral reefs take up only a small amount of underwater real estate around the world, they host an estimated 25% of all marine species. Reefs provide protection from waves, storms, and harsh water conditions, and they recycle nutrients from the ocean around them. They are a carefully balanced ecosystem of coral, plants, fish, and more who all feed from one another and supply nutrients through the food chain.

For humans coral reefs provide fishing supplies, opportunities for tourism, economic growth, and shoreline protection from storms and tsunamis. Many small islands only exist because of this protection, and a lot of human infrastructure benefits from the existence of barrier reefs.

Without the balance and biodiversity of coral reefs, the equilibrium of ocean life would drastically change as countless species went extinct, the economies of countries across the globe would suffer, and the devastating impacts would be felt by life in the water and on land.

 

The Biggest Threat to Coral Reefs is Climate Change.

As the oceans get warmer, coral reefs are in extreme danger of dying and wiping out huge numbers of ocean wildlife along with them. Higher temperatures can kill the algae that many species of coral rely on, resulting in coral bleaching. This event doesn’t always kill them, but it causes them a lot of stress, and can open them up to disease and starvation.

Prolonged periods of bleaching and high ocean temperatures will kill coral. In 2016, a mass bleaching event in the Great Barrier Reef killed around 22% of the area’s coral. These events continue to be more frequent as more greenhouse gas emissions contribute to global warming.

Other Threats to Coral Reefs are:

Ocean Acidification: As carbon dioxide is released into the air, the ocean absorbs it and becomes more acidic. This causes fewer minerals and nutrients that corals need to be available.

Excess Nutrient Pollution: Coral reefs thrive in relatively low-nutrient water. When fertilizer runoff and sewage put excess nitrogen and phosphorus into the ocean, it throws the balance of these ecosystems off and can cause bacteria and pathogens to grow.

Litter and Microplastics: Trash can damage coral or be unwittingly consumed by animals that live in the reefs. Microplastics can be consumed by coral, fish, and all kinds of wildlife, and cause major health problems or even death.

Overfishing and Human Damage: Taking too many fish out of coral reef ecosystems can have major effects on the balance of the food chains. Humans also destroy coral habitats by touching them, by damaging them with boats and recreational equipment, and by harvesting and removing coral from the reefs.

 

What's Being Done to Save the Reefs?

Scientists all over the world are working hard to save coral reefs. There are an exciting and fascinating variety of techniques being investigated to preserve coral species, like:

Coral Farming and Aquaculture: Some of the biggest techniques in reef preservation, coral farming and coral aquaculture help reintroduce healthy coral into damaged reefs by allowing scientists to carefully control and protect new corals as they grow. There are specialized structures built in protected areas of the ocean where scientists create coral nurseries, and there are indoor aquarium facilities that grow and preserve corals for research and reintroduction.

Creating Climate-Change Resistant Coral: There are studies being conducted across the globe investigating selective breeding for climate resistant traits, inoculating coral with heat-resistant bacteria, and ensuring genetic diversity for the most stable populations. This is done both in specialized facilities and by inducing coral to spawn in the wild.

Using Recycled Materials to Rebuild Coral Colonies: Recycled materials like concrete, tires, old ships, and other waste are commonly used to give new coral colonies something to grow on. There are even companies who create 3D printed structures for reef and coastal restoration. These interventions have been very successful in supporting existing reefs and rehabilitating damaged or dying ones.

 

What Does This All Mean for the Future of Coral Reefs and Marine Life?

There’s no simple answer to what will happen to coral reefs as climate change progresses, but one thing is for certain- direct and intentional action must be taken to mitigate global warming and its effects on coral, or an important ecosystem could disappear. Direct action is being taken by scientists and climate activists, but it will take all of us to make a real and lasting difference.

It’s easy to feel a sense of doom about climate change and the damage it continues to cause, but we all have the power to do something to protect our planet and the creatures who live here with us. Whether you’re educating yourself and others about coral reefs, donating to and supporting organizations that work directly with them, advocating for legal and industrial change, or growing coral in a lab, the future of these vitally important ecosystems is in our hands.

 
Jill Szaroleta
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