Coral reefs provide an important ecosystem for life underwater, protect coastal areas by reducing the power of waves hitting the coast , and provide a crucial source of income for millions of people. Coral reefs teem with diverse life. Thousands of species can be found living on one reef.
Why are coral reefs important?
Coral reefs protect coastlines from storms and erosion , provide jobs for local communities, and offer opportunities for recreation. They are also are a source of food and new medicines. Over half a billion people depend on reefs for food, income, and protection.
Why are coral reefs worth saving?
Coral reefs help to protect coastal communities from storm surges and erosion from waves , both of which are likely to increase in the face of sea-level rise. Coral reefs provide millions of jobs to local people through tourism, fishing, and recreational activities.
What would happen if coral reefs died?
Coastal fishing industries would collapse
According to the United Nations, around one billion people globally depend on coral reefs for their food and livelihoods. ... Their disappearance would be catastrophic; resulting in hundreds of millions of people around the world losing their main source of food and income.
Why is saving coral reefs important to humans?
About 500 million people around the globe rely on coral reefs for food, income, and coastal defense. They also protect coastlines from the damaging effects of waves and tropical storms .
Do coral reefs produce oxygen?
Most corals, like other cnidarians, contain a symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae, within their gastrodermal cells. ... In return, the algae produce oxygen and help the coral to remove wastes.
Why are coral reefs in danger?
Increased ocean temperatures and changing ocean chemistry are the greatest global threats to coral reef ecosystems. These threats are caused by warmer atmospheric temperatures and increasing levels of carbon dioxide in seawater. As atmospheric temperatures rise, so do seawater temperatures.
Why do coral reefs attract tourists?
Healthy coral reefs support commercial and subsistence fisheries as well as jobs and businesses through tourism and recreation . ... Local economies also receive billions of dollars from visitors to reefs through diving tours, recreational fishing trips, hotels, restaurants, and other businesses based near reef ecosystems.
What is killing coral reefs?
Despite their importance, warming waters, pollution, ocean acidification, overfishing, and physical destruction are killing coral reefs around the world. ... Genetics is also becoming a larger area of coral research, giving scientists hope they might one day restore reefs with more heat tolerant coral.
Where is the largest coral reef formation on Earth?
Stretching for 1,429 miles over an area of approximately 133,000 square miles , the Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system in the world. The reef is located off the coast of Queensland, Australia , in the Coral Sea.
Can we live without coral reefs?
Coral reefs cover less than 1% of the ocean floor. But, they provide an essential ecosystem for a quarter of all marine life. ... Without reefs, billions of sea life species would suffer, millions of people would lose their most significant food source, and economies would take a major hit.
What animals eat coral reefs?
In addition to weather, corals are vulnerable to predation. Fish, marine worms, barnacles, crabs, snails and sea stars all prey on the soft inner tissues of coral polyps. In extreme cases, entire reefs can be devastated if predator populations become too high.
Do corals protect fish?
Coral reefs are important ecosystems where up to 8,000 species of fish live. These reefs provide many services to humans. For instance, they protect shores against large waves and provide fish for humans to eat.
How can we protect our coral reefs?
- Recycle and dispose of trash properly. Marine debris can be harmful to coral reefs. ...
- Minimize use of fertilizers. ...
- Use environmentally-friendly modes of transportation. ...
- Reduce stormwater runoff. ...
- Save energy at home and at work. ...
- Be conscious when buying aquarium fish. ...
- Spread the word!
What are the predictions for coral reefs in the future?
By 2030, estimates predict more than 90% of the world's reefs will be threatened by local human activities, warming, and acidification, with nearly 60% facing high, very high, or critical threat levels.
What are the major natural threats to coral reefs?
Coral reefs are sometimes disturbed by natural forces, such as extreme rain events that dilute seawater, waves associated with hurricane-force winds, volcanism, earthquakes, and thermal stress from unusually warm water (such as El Niño events).
