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If you’ve ever ventured to visit coral reefs or look up information about them, you may have come to learn some alarming facts – such as that the Great Barrier Reef is dying, or that tourism in areas which offer scuba diving or snorkeling to visit coral reefs are likely to suffer.
However, coral reefs aren’t just an enjoyable water-activity or to sight-see when traveling – but remain essential to our oceans, ecosystems and keeping our economies above water in good shape.
In this article, we’ll explain everything you need to know about coral reefs – including why coral reefs are important, what is currently happening with coral reefs, and what we can do to protect coral reefs moving forward.
Coral reefs refer to the large, underwater species made up of the skeletons from colonial marine invertebrates – more commonly known as sponges, corals, and specific kinds of anemones. As a result of their hermatypic nature, coral reefs are rough to the touch seeing as they develop a strong exoskeleton as a defense mechanism for their soft incides.
👉 Coral polyps are the organisms which take charge in building coral reefs. No matter how big, small, colorful, or soft coral reefs are – these “rainforests of the sea” help to support thousands of species under the ocean.
Coral reefs can be found all over the world, but are commonly found in warm, tropical climates and in more shallow waters – such as in the Caribbean, Florida, or off the coasts of Australia. Coral reefs are found in these regions near the equator seeing as they need year-round sunlight to sustain themselves.
This includes the most well-known coral reef of all time: which is the Great Barrier Reef found off the coast of Cairns in Queensland, Australia.
💡Did you know? The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is over 1,500 miles (or 2,400 kilometers) long, and is also home to more than 9,000 species. In fact, the Great Barrier Reef is so massive – you would be able to see it from outer space!
Here are some facts about coral reefs you may not have known before:
👉 Ultimately, coral reefs aren’t just visually appealing to look at – but have been on our Earth for millions of years before us and have proven vital to ocean ecosystems and even modernised human life.
Coral reefs are important because they provide homes for over 25% of all marine life and serve as a vital asset to oceanic ecosystems. This means without coral reefs, large areas of sand, ocean currents, and deep or shallow areas of water would fail to be created in the first place.
Much of why coral reefs are pivotal is a result of cause-and-effect. For instance, if coral reefs begin to die, then they won’t be able to absorb as much wave energy – which would mean more damage would occur after a tsunami.
Some other reasons why coral reefs are important include:
👉 Overall, coral reefs are more a part of our everyday lives than the majority of us realise – and we would undoubtedly feel the effects if coral reefs are to succumb to the negative impacts of climate change.
Coral bleaching refers to when coral reefs turn white, or appear “bleached” due to stressful circumstances such as changes in sunlight, temperature, and the availability of resources nearby – many of which are dying out due to climate change itself.
The most common causes of coral bleaching include:
👉 It is important to remember that coral reefs are crucial to ocean life and marine ecosystems, and if coral bleaching is to continue – everyone below and above the ocean will feel the effects, seeing as tourism, fishing, and even food supply is likely to take a hit.
In order to stop coral bleaching and protect coral reefs moving forward, we all need to be more mindful of our day-to-day actions and how they contribute to global warming – as coral reefs will require more stable, global temperatures to survive.
Coral reefs, such as the ones in the Great Barrier reef, are self-healing and are often able to recover from damage by themselves – but this doesn’t mean that they are no longer under the threat of climate change or that we should stop making an effort to protect coral reefs.
If the world is to reach 1.5°C in the midst of global warming, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has claimed that up to 90% of coral reefs around the world will die off. Therefore, mankind can certainly play a role in mitigating this desolate and currently inevitable fate for coral reefs.
Here are some things that can be done to help prevent coral bleaching and protect coral reefs:
Ultimately, coral reefs are not only essential to ocean life – but for all of us living above the water. It’s possible for us to take action to protect coral reefs from coral bleaching, but we need to take action now in order to preserve this extraordinary facet of marine life that has somehow survived all of this time on Earth.
This time, coral reefs need a little help making it through – and we have the power to do so.
If reading this article coral reefs has made you interested in reducing your carbon emissions to further fight against climate change – Greenly can help you!
Seeking to understand how coral reefs could have an impact on the ocean and subsequent economic activities which may relate to your business, but don’t worry – Greenly is here to help! Click here to book a demo and get personalised expertise on how you can start to reduce your own emissions and decrease your environmental impact.
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