Coral Reefs
The Reefs are Dying
What are Coral Reefs?
Coral Reefs are almost like a miniature cities. They provide homes and sanctuaries for many animals. Corals are closely related to sea anemones. Coral reefs are a natural and renewable resource. Natural resources means that's occurring in nature now. A renewable resource means that it can be replaced by a natural process. Its not nonrenewable or inexhaustible, however. The reason why is because it can replace it self by a natural process as quick as we are using it. Coral is obviously not inexhaustible, or having an endless supply of something, because then it wouldn't have been endangered in the first place!
Here is what a coral looks like
Watch the video below, and watch the beauty of these cities unfold.
What do Coral Reefs do for us?
Like I said before, they are almost like cities. The provide homes and food for our favorite animals. Such as sea turtles, crustaceans, fish, sharks and many more! They help over one forth of all the ocean species, depending of the reef. Although you may not know it, but some elements of coral, are in our medicines. The medicines made from coral are in medicines for cancer, AIDS, and other diseases.
Some of the Biggest Threats to Coral Reefs
Bleaching
The reefs are extremely vulnerable to water.What kind? Warm and acidic water. When water is in this state, the algae in coral dies. Leaving the coral with a white, bleached color. Resulting in dead coral. The greenhouse affect is playing a role in bleaching. when the atmosphere grows warmer, so does the ocean.
Waste
When we dump random stuff in the ocean,like the bag in the photo, it can suffocate corals. The coral could mistake a tiny piece of plastic for food, and then accidentally eat it. Or it can just simply lay on top of corals, to where there is no more oxygen in the water inside the waste.
Boats and people
Believe it or not, many boats and scuba divers are one of the main reasons why the reefs are endangered. When propellers on the back of any boat move, they can sometimes shred coral. Coral alone takes hundreds upon hundreds of years to form. If these threats aren't enough, even scuba divers can harm these wonders. If a person so much lays a flipper or a piece of exposed skin, the coral can get diseases and die. However, if the don't die, it still makes them more vulnerable to other diseases. This is why you need to be careful with boats, and have a good trainer for diving.
How do we save these Marvelous Creatures?
First, we can make sure we don't litter in the ocean. We can also make sure that the fish in reefs, are good and healthy. Other wise, they could spread diseases. Another good thing is that we don't use too much fertilizer, that can run off into the ocean. As well as to keep invasive species, that can harm coral, out. We can also try to slow down the green house effect, or we can have bleached coral. Also, one last thing, do not touch the reefs!!!
What did I Learn about my Project?
I learned that many things, that may not be much to us, can kill beautiful pieces of art. We need to be careful with our endangered species, otherwise they may be extinct soon. People that dump toxic waste into the ocean, may lose their favorite sea creature. I never knew that there was bleaching or that coral can get diseases. We may lose the oceans entire beauty, unless we do something about it.