*Click on the pictures for their respective sources
- What are the threats to Coral Reefs?
- Some of the threats to Coral Reefs include; overfishing, careless tourism, pollution, and climate change.
![Picture](/uploads/5/8/4/9/58498845/9272694.jpg?549)
- Over fishing affects the balance of coral reef communities, because it negatively affects the food chain . Over 55% of the world’s reefs are threatened by overfishing and/or destructive fishing. For example, if you were to remove small fishes particularly herbivores, which are critical for grazing algae to support coral settlement and growth, reef areas are vulnerable to overgrowth of algae. This can completely change the environment because there will be less sunlight available for the organisms of the coral reef and cause the ecosystem to collapse.
- Careless tourism can happen all around the world, with people touching reefs, stirring up sediment, collecting corals, interfering with the environment, harming plants or animal life, and dropping anchors on reefs. Since tourism is one the largest and fastest-growing economic sector in the world the problem would only increase.
![Picture](/uploads/5/8/4/9/58498845/820091070.jpg?487)
- Pollution is a large problem, urban and industrial waste, sewage, agrochemicals, and oil pollution are poisoning coral reefs. These toxins and chemicals are dumped directly into the ocean or carried by the river systems from sources upstream. Some pollutants, such as sewage and run off from farming, increases the level of nitrogen in seawater, causing an overgrowth of algae. Large sums of algae can smother coral reefs by limiting or completely cutting off the amount of sunlight for the marine life.
![Picture](/uploads/5/8/4/9/58498845/167754028.jpg?356)
- Climate change, arguably one of the largest threats to coral reefs, affects this biome because corals cannot survive if the water temperature is too high. Global warming has already led to increasing levels of coral bleaching, and this is estimated to increase in frequency and severity in the coming decades. The temperature along the Great Barrier Reef has shifted significantly over the last century. Across the last 30 years, sea surface temperature in the Great Barrier Reef has increased by approximately 0.4 degrees Celsius, compared to records averaged across 30 years in the late 1800s. This may seems small but has a drastic impact on Corals which may not be able to cope with the change. The average annual sea surface temperature on the Great Barrier Reef is likely to continuously and rise over the coming century and could increase as much as 1°C to 3°C warmer than the present average temperatures by the year 2100. Hard corals are highly vulnerable to coral bleaching caused by above average sea temperatures. Coral bleaching is expected to occur more often and with greater severity in the future, making it difficult for corals to recover. As a result, the abundance of living corals on reefs is likely to decline notably in coming decades.
Glossary
Herbivore: an animal that gets its energy exclusively from plants
Ecosystem: a community of different organisms interacting within a specific habitat
Sediment: matter (physical substance that takes up space) that appears at the base of liquids
Herbivore: an animal that gets its energy exclusively from plants
Ecosystem: a community of different organisms interacting within a specific habitat
Sediment: matter (physical substance that takes up space) that appears at the base of liquids