Samantha Thiele

Miss Platten
3 A/C
13 Mar 2014


Coral Reefs
Over 70% of coral reefs have been destroyed and only 5% can be said to be in good
condition. Coral Reefs are beginning to disappear throughout the Caribbean Sea because of
numerous things. Coral reefs around the Caribbean Sea have been disappearing over several
years past for a large amount of environmental factors. The change in temperature, pollution, and
over fishing are the three major problems why the coral reefs are continuing to die.
Coral bleaching is one of the most known and most harmful things that can happen to
coral reefs. Coral bleaching is the loss of intracellular endosymbionts (Symbiodinium, also
known as zooxanthellae) through either expulsion or loss of algal pigmentation (Coral reef
Destruction and Conservation).
Hard corals produce the limestone which forms the skeleton of the reef, and
rely partly on sunlight-gathering algae for oxygen and sustenance, which is why
hard corals are usually found near the water surface in clear, clean water. The
coral polyps usually stay within the protection of their limestone shell though
the day, emerging at night to feed. When the polyps die off, the limestone that
remains forms the skeleton for the next generation of polyps, and so the reef
grows. (Coral Damage)
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This happens when fossil fuel burning and deforestation occurs which increases the seawater
temperature. Since coral reefs are extremely sensitive to small changes in temperature, the
difference in temperature can result in the corals abandoning the algae that live throughout them.
Global warming and rising sea temperatures can cause coral bleaching. Ocean acidification
from rising carbon dioxide levels reduces the ability of corals to produce their limestone
skeleton (Coral Damage). The algae provides the coral reefs their color, so when the algae
are abandoned the coral change color to white or bleached. Alga gives coral reefs their color,
so when the algae are expelled the coral appears white or bleached. Without the color
snorkeling to see the reefs would be quit pointless.
Another factor that plays a huge role in the damaging of coral reefs is pollution. An
international team found information that was published in the Nature Geoscience on March 13,
2014 that shows For the first time that there is a clear link between the speed at which corals
grow, and pollution caused by human activity(Jarlett). They have found out there are tiny fine
particles known as aerosols that are released into the atmosphere by volcanic eruptions or
burning coal. These aerosols reflect incoming sunlight and shade the Earth. It prevents necessary
sunlight from reaching the coral in addition to cooling the surrounding waters, slowing down the
growth of the coral. The name of this process is known as global dimming. As well as these
types of pollution, pollution that people create is also harmful to these coral reefs. Coastal
development is one of the largest pollution factors. The developing of resorts such as the Hard
Rock Resort in Dominican Republic are in major need for reefs so much that they are basically
rebuilding them on their own. Since this resort recently new, it makes sense that the reefs around
them are damaged around this certain resort, mainly from the run off from the construction into
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the waters. The run off may have pollution and harmful chemicals which destroy the reefs and
what lives around or in them.
One of the most common reasons for these reefs being destroyed is the over fishing
throughout the Caribbean. Over fishing is also a direct way in which humans destroy coral reefs
physically. Throughout the world the world, especially in the Philippines, divers catch fish that
live in and around the coral reefs to sell them to fancy restaurants in Asia and to pet stores in the
United States. This would be acceptable if the divers did it accurately and didnt harm the
surroundings around the fish, although this is not the care. Often they blow up a coral reef with
explosives and then catch all the stunned fish around. This completely destroys the reefs, killing
the coral polyps that make it as well as many of the plants and animals call it home (Coral
Reef Destruction and Conservation). These explosives not only kill the fish that live in the reef,
but the reef itself. Fisherman also use a poison called cyanide which stuns the fish and kills the
poison, they proceed to rip open the reef with crowbars and catch the fish while they are too sick
from the poison to run away. As well as the reef being ripped apart, the poison kills about 90 %
of the fish that live in the reef; which is close to being not even worth destroying the reef to gain
10% of the fish in it. There are many groups throughout the world that are trying to educate
people about the destruction of coral reefs. They lobby the United States Congress as well as
the governments of other nations trying to convince them not to buy fish that have been caught
by destroying these reefs(Coral Reef Destruction and Conservation). Also to encourage
governments to focus more on pollution.
These coral reefs are mostly being destroyed in the Caribbean seas. For the last two
decades, Indo-Pacific reefs have shrunk by 1 percent each yeara loss equivalent to nearly 600
square miles (1,553 square kilometers). That makes the rate of reef loss about twice the rate of
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tropical rain forest loss (Scales). The indo-pacific contains 75 percent of the worlds coral
reefs, which is even worse that this is the place where they are being destroyed the most. Along
with reefs in the pacific, the Great Barrier Reef, known as the largest coral reef ecosystem in the
world has been reduced by 50% over the last 27 years.
Fishing itself is not an environmental factor that is causing these coral reefs to disappear,
it is over fishing. Without these coral reefs there will be less fishing. This situation could be a
disaster and therefore will be a disaster for the people of poor, tropical places like Indonesian and
the Philippines who depend on the coral reefs for their food. Scientists are still studying what
type environmental factors will have an effect on us people when the coral reefs are gone.
Because the government does not want to be blamed for this happening, people are agreeing with
false acquisitions that are needed to cope with the fallout of this collapse.
Money isnt spent to study what to do after the reefs are gone on what sort of
ecosystems will replace coral reefs and what opportunities there will be to nudge
these into providing people with food and other useful ecosystem products and
services. Nor is money spent to preserve some of the genetic resources of coral
reefs by transferring them into systems that are not coral reefs. And money isnt
spent to make the economic structural adjustment that communities and industries
that depend on coral reefs urgently need. We have focused too much on the state
of the reefs rather than the rate of the processes killing them. (Bradburry)
This disaster is just among one of the many situations that humans can stop by changing
their daily activates in their life. Some think just because it is not effecting me directly and
personally, means that it is not in my hands to take control of. Although many think this, in time
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it will be effecting you directly and we as humans need to think about what we do and how it is
hurting and killing our environment day by day.



























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Work Cited

Bradbury, Roger A World without Coral Reefs The New York Times. 2012. Web. 10 Mar
2014.

Coral Damage. Right Tourism. Hotscot. 2012. Web. 4 Mar 2014

Coral Reef Destruction and Conservation. Ocean World. Ocean World. 2009. Web. 13 Feb
2014.

Harvey, Fiona Caribbean Has Lost 80% of its coral reef cove in recent years. Guardian news
and media limited. 2014. Web. 11 Feb 2014.

Jarlett, Harriet Pollution slows coral reef growth Planet Earth Online. National Environment
Research Council. 2013. Web. 7 Feb 2014.

Peel, Alex Scientists call for global action on coral reefs. Planet earth Online. National
Environment research council. 2013. Web. 7 Feb 2014.

Perry, Chris, fary Murphy, Paul Kench, Scott Smithers, Evan Edinger, Robert Stenck, and Peter

Mumby. Caribbean-Wide decline in carbonate production threatens coral reef growth

Nature Communications. Macmillan Publishers Limited. 2013. Web. 11 Feb 2014.


University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "Indo-Pacific Coral Reefs Disappearing
More Rapidly Than Expected." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 6 Mar 2014.