Coral Reefs are in Grave Danger

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Coral reefs all over the world are suffering severe damage from climate change, and as the levels of manmade greenhouse emissions continue to rise, the window of opportunity to save the corals are dwindling.  According to a report published in the journal, Nature Climate Change, “approximately 70% of corals are expected to suffer long-term degradation by 2030, even if strict emission cuts are enforced”.  Loss of the coral reefs would be devastating to the ecosystem because the corals are home to about 25% of the world’s ocean species.  In addition to providing coastal protection, they support tourism and fishing industries for millions of people globally.

Scientists at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research at the University of British Columbia and the Universities of Melbourne and Queensland in Australia conduct studies on the impact of climate change on coral reefs.  With the use of climate models to calculate the effects of different emission levels on 2,160 reefs worldwide, the researchers concluded that “[t]he rise of global average temperatures, warmer seas and spread of ocean acidification due to greenhouse gas emissions . . . pose major threats to coral ecosystems”.  To protect coral reefs, sea surface temperatures must decrease greater than 2 degrees Celsius, which is the limit viewed as a safe threshold to avert most devastating effects of climate change—i.e., drought, sea level rise and crop failure.    The study advises that a limit of the mean temperature increase of 1.5 degrees Celsius is needed to save at least half of the coral reefs.

A separate report issued last week notes the threat to the Caribbean corals and urged action to limit pollution and aggressive fishing practices.  Average live coral cover is down to 8% today, compared to 50% in the 19070s as reported by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

These research findings should serve as a wakeup call on the severely negative impact of climate change on our ecosystems.  We need to act to save our environment while there is time.  Let’s live green, be green.

Coral reefs are under threat of degradation from global warming resulting in increased water temperatures.

Green Initiatives Protect the Ocean

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Everyday we hear about the problems of climate change.  Over the past 12 months, we have witnessed the warmest temperatures recorded over a sustained period time and raging wildfires that have destroyed thousands of acres of land and the homes, lives and possessions of so many hard-working citizens.  Our communities are now inundated with garbage and landfills full of discarded electronics and junk that will never decompose.  Increasingly, we are faced with higher taxes and penalties imposed by municipalities to address the problems of aging sewage and water-flow treatment plants no longer able to support the increasing demand on these systems.  Now we have been blindsided by the announcement from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that rising acid levels in the ocean pose a major threat to coral reefs.  Dubbed “the osteoporosis of the sea,” this phenomenon threatens everything from “food security to tourism and livelihoods”.  

As the oceans absorb carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the acidity of the water is increased.  Scientists are concerned about the effect of the higher acidity on sea life, particularly reefs, because the growing acidity negatively impacts the formation of coral skeletons, which ultimately will lead to deterioration of the reefs.  Previously, scientists assumed that the carbon dioxide absorbed by the water would be diluted as the shallow and deeper waters mixed.  Unfortunately, the majority of the carbon dioxide and its subsequent chemical changes have remained in the surface waters.

These higher acidity levels have impacted sea life in a very harsh and sometimes unpredictable manner.  For example, they have posed a major threat to oyster populations because the acid slows the growth of their shells.  Study results also reference the deleterious effect on clown fish and other sea life.  One experiment in particular has shown that the increased acid levels have dulled the sense of smell of some sea life, resulting in these creatures swimming towards predators, as opposed to away from them.  

The reduction of carbon emissions has become a matter of urgency to ensure the viability of both land and sea.  Our waters are a source of food, entertainment and livelihood for our planet’s occupations.  To protect them, let’s live green, be green.