The Threatened Life Of Coral Reefs
Coral supplies our oxygen, why aren’t we taking better care of it?
Global warming is starting to choke the life out of the oceans. This is, of course, a matter of grave importance to plant and animal life as well as the economies the oceans support. More urgently, though, it’s of grave importance to we humans who get 50–85 percent of our oxygen from ocean plant life.
Coral, a marine invertebrate that grows like a polyp and often forms into coral reefs that harbor algae and other plant life responsible for most of this oxygen, are under threat from climate change and other factors. According to recent studies, we’ve already lost 50 percent of our coral reefs and 75 percent of what’s left is endangered due to local and global causes like global warming, overfishing, pollution, tourism, and natural circumstance.
The world is getting hotter and overpopulated, there's more plastic pollution in the ocean, and ocean acidification is rising due to the vast amount of carbon dioxide that is being produced by fossil fuel emissions. One of the biggest threats to coral reefs is bleaching. Healthy coral looks green and plantlike because algae lives in its tissue. When ocean waters get too warm (or, on occasion, too cold), coral expels the algae, which increases its mortality. If things keep up, it is predicted that by 2050 almost all reefs will be in danger.
If we lose our coral reefs, more than 500 million people in over 100 countries will lose out on food and resources. Barrier reefs also protect coastlines by reducing the impacts of waves. Without them, some 200 million people are at risk of tidal destruction. Reefs also attract tourists who dive and snorkel among their rich biospheres, which bring in jobs and support fisheries that provide one fifth of the world's protein. By some estimates, we’d lose 1.5 million jobs and $36 billion from the global economy without coral reefs. Not to mention, we need them for the air we breathe.
Bleaching has affected coral reefs around the world, including in Oahu. Unlike many other coral reefs, though, Oahu’s Kane’ohe Bay reef is heavily monitored and cared for by the Hawai’i Institute of Marine Biology. The institute’s mission is to conduct research and educate in all fields of marine biology in order to help conserve marine ecosystems as well as restore the reef. The institute focuses its research on topics such as symbiosis, climate change, data analysis and management and monitoring reef ecosystems. Which is all done at their laboratory that is adjacent to the coral reef on coconut island in the Kane’ohe bay.
The institute not only has a laboratory near the reef to directly study the coral’s habitat and biodiversity, but it also offers a hands-on experience of interning or volunteer for those who want to learn more or help the reef. Maile Wallace, who has worked with the institute, tells of how the “viability of the reef changed as you approach closer to the shore, showing how detrimental human activities were to the species.”
Wallace also discussed the role the reef plays in the local economy. “The reef is important because it is the backbone of Hawai’i’s economy and tourism and it is food and shelter for many other ocean species and it also gives off the majority of the oxygen that many rely on,” says Wallace. “There needs to be stricter environmental laws in order to help this reef from further damage.”
Having grown up in Oahu and around the reefs, I’m aware of the need to sustain these ecosystems. Little things help, such banning certain sunscreen brands to eliminate chemicals from entering the marine environment. It’s also imperative to cut back on carbon emissions. If our oceans continue to absorb large amounts of CO2, the ocean will get warmer and lead to thermal distress which causes coral bleaching and infectious disease on living tissue that can lead to the death of the colony.
We learned that we must treat it with care like we do each other.
From a young age, I remember that being in the ocean made me feel safe and grateful as I had the experience of exploring this reef and seeing the different species that live within the reef. Snorkeling in waters near the reef, I can see the damage — the coral now turning white in certain patches over the years and the noticeable decrease in marine life.
Reefs are formed by coral polyps held together by attaching themselves to rocks then laying a foundation of thousands of colonies to form the structure of a reef to which algae can grow and produce oxygen and serve as food for fish and bottom feeders. They provide nutrients and habitat to the fish we sell and eat. If there is no coral-reef habitat, the overfishing crisis increases because the fish population is going down.
Oahu has 1.4 million visitors annually. As more and more people come to the islands to see the beautiful beaches and the vibrantly green landscapes of mountains and native plants there should also be a concern about the valuable ecosystem that the coral reef provides. Most of the damage to Kane’ohe Bay’s coral reef are closer to the shoreline which can be the product of kicking, touching, or standing on the coral reef. Along with boats dropping anchor near shallow coral. Another recent study is sunscreen exposure since sunscreen holds chemicals such as oxybenzone which kills coral.
As a child, my family would journey out with our snorkeling gear to see the different fish species and all the marine organisms, amazed by what the ocean held in its very own ecosystem. I remember learning from a young age that when swimming over coral you should never step on it nor stand because it’s very easy to cause harm to the reef which acts as a habitat to marine organisms and supports and protect humans as well. We learned that we must treat it with care like we do each other. When it comes to the ocean and the coral reefs, we must look to Hawai’i’s saying of “Malama ka Aina” (respect our home, our land).
