How does losing coral affect the ecosystem?

How does losing coral affect the ecosystem?

As the coral reefs die, coastlines become more susceptible to damage and flooding from storms, hurricanes, and cyclones. Without the coral reefs the ocean will not be able to absorb as much carbon dioxide, leaving more CO2 in the atmosphere.

How does coral affect the environment?

The coral provides a protected environment and the compounds zooxanthellae need for photosynthesis. In return, the algae produce carbohydrates that the coral uses for food, as well as oxygen. The algae also help the coral remove waste.

Why are corals important to the environment?

Coral reefs provide an important ecosystem for life underwater, protect coastal areas by reducing the power of waves hitting the coast, and provide a crucial source of income for millions of people. Coral reefs teem with diverse life. Thousands of species can be found living on one reef.

What will happen if coral reefs are destroyed?

So what happens if the coral reefs vanish completely? Some experts predict hunger, poverty and political instability as the livelihoods of the peoples of entire countries disappear. Once the coral is dead, the reefs will also die and erode, destroying important marine life spawning and feeding grounds.

Why is coral reef destruction a problem?

Pollution, overfishing, destructive fishing practices using dynamite or cyanide, collecting live corals for the aquarium market, mining coral for building materials, and a warming climate are some of the many ways that people damage reefs all around the world every day.

How does coral reef destruction affect humans?

In many places, the loss of coral reefs would amount to an economic disaster, depriving fishermen of their main source of income, forcing people to find more expensive forms of protein and undermining the tourism industry. Some of the countries most dependent on coral reefs are also among the largest polluters.

What are the threats to the coral reef environment nowadays?

Coral reefs face many threats from local sources, including: Physical damage or destruction from coastal development, dredging, quarrying, destructive fishing practices and gear, boat anchors and groundings, and recreational misuse (touching or removing corals).

How do coral reefs help climate change?

Shallow and jagged reefs are the most effective barriers, the study shows, making them invaluable natural resources as man-made climate change swells sea levels by up to 3 feet and boosts the number of category 4 and 5 hurricanes over the next century. These reefs can only save us from ourselves if we let them, though.

What are natural threats to the corals?

Coral reefs are sometimes disturbed by natural forces, such as extreme rain events that dilute seawater, waves associated with hurricane-force winds, volcanism, earthquakes, and thermal stress from unusually warm water (such as El Niño events).

How does coral reef damage negatively affect the land?

Damaging activities include coral mining, pollution (organic and non-organic), overfishing, blast fishing, the digging of canals and access into islands and bays. Other dangers include disease, destructive fishing practices and warming oceans.

What can be done to help the coral reef?

Preliminary recommendation towards the coral reef recovery is to create an integrated coastal zone management where there should be greater regional cooperation to regulate overfishing, destructive fishing and commercial fishing on coral reefs, especially those of subsistence importance.

How are natural disasters affecting the coral reef?

Coral breakage and dislodgement of massive corals were common events. In many areas, strong currents had moved rubble and sand, accumulating in reef gutters and sometimes scarring or burying corals, and exposing previously buried reef. Beds of rubbles or fields of massive boulders came to rest on soft sediment on the leeward sides.

How does heavy rainfall affect the coral reef?

Terrestrial runoff resulting from heavy rainfall can also influence the nearshore reef ecosystems, smothering corals with sediment and other debris, as well as increasing nutrients (including those in fertilizers) that influence growth rates of algae, lowering salinity, which can stress corals.

How does sand mining affect the river banks?

Although this balance is naturally maintained, humans interfere causes excessive erosion and thus the retreat of beaches. By removing too much sediment from rivers, sand mining also leads to the erosion and shrinking of river banks. Deltas can recede due to sand mining.