Reefs at Risk !!! (Revised 1)

Reefs at Risk

    Do you still remember the sensational “best job in the world” in 2009? Tens of thousands of outstanding candidates the world over participated in this fierce wild-card competition, merely to grasp this once-in-a-lifetime chance and experience--- to be an island caretaker and promote the remarkable World Heritage site, the Great Barrier Reef Islands in Australia, to the public. The ones who competed in getting the precious wild card would get the privilege to live in the high-end resort on the island for free and if chosen to be the winner, he would be paid fairly high. Although the criteria for the suitable promoter were extremely strict and tough--- the prerequisites, for instance, were advanced proficiency in English, enthusiasm in interpersonal relationship, outdoors activities, and excellent swimming and snorkeling skill, I still dreamed to be one of the impeccable candidates. Imagine myself immersed in the ambience of carefree islands, enjoying the bright warm sunshine, plunging into the turquoise crystal clear ocean and feasting my eyes with the wonderful splendid undersea world, along with colorful schools of fishes swimming by and corals swaying as beckoning. It is always my dream-to-realize, for I love the ocean so much! Nonetheless, I doubt if I have the chance to explore this spectacular wonder in the future.

    You must be curious about the underlying meaning I am referring to. Actually, not only the Great Barrier Reef but also other islands composed of reefs are at the brink of extinction. Take Republic of Kitibati, a petit country composed of reefs and located in the Pacific Ocean, for example, residents there are even forced to leave their hometown due to the sinking of the island. By pursuing the growth of economy, we are at the same time exhausting and devastating the nature. We devote ourselves to the development of the industry and simultaneously, we downplay the risk and cost we have brought to our mother Earth. The consequence is that our world is not as beautiful as before and many creatures are endangered, inclusive of the coral reefs. Like “rainforests on land” are facing the threats of logging and deforesting, those “rainforests of the sea” are doomed to deteriorate because of the excess use of natural resources. “Reefs at risk” has been an important issue nowadays because it affects the whole ecosystem. Reefs are home to millions of animals and they serve as a buffer holding back waves during hurricanes. By and large, they are the vital anchor that supports the entire system. As a consequence, once we lose these coral reefs, the eco-system breaks down and so in order to sustain biodiversity and keep this extraordinary beauty under the sea for future generations, we have to cut directly into the point and examine the key contributors that result to the coral’s deterioration. The causes of the coral’s demise are manifold but actually they derive from the same culprit--- human. It is we that make the condition worse. By sorting all the listed causes that would lead to massive coral killing, we could categorize them into the four main factors: Warmer oceans, pollution of the water supply, overfishing and carbon dioxide problem.

    Firstly, when it comes to global warming, it undoubtedly poses an extremely severe threat to the survival of the coral reefs. That is, the warmer the water, the whiter the corals. If we cannot stop the climate change and lowering the keep-rising temperature, the dazzling coral reefs would vanish forever. When the water heats up above a certain degree, the colorful algae inside the corals would be forced to expel out of the body and reefs would undergo bleaching process then die as soon as possible. Secondly, the excess emission of carbon dioxide is a fatal contributor as well. Carbon dioxide has a great impact on the entire earth. The unabated rising of carbon dioxide has turned the ocean more acidic. The corals’ limestone calcium carbonate skeleton would merge with carbon dioxide and thus breaking the intact formation of the corals. Thirdly, pollution of the ocean water brings about the eutrophication, caused by the enrichment of chemical nutrients from fertilizer or sewage. These toxic chemicals lead to the fast-growing of seaweed; hence, those seaweeds would cover the surface of the ocean and smother corals by blocking sunlight, which is a pivotal source for plants to produce nutrition. Another cause that results in water pollution is the oil contamination from the ships. The occasional oil spill would spread at a large scale and thus ruins the reef system and the entire marine life, destroying the biodiversity. Last but not least, the overfishing issue. Overfishing dwindles fish stocks. When the reef’s colorful grazers, the fish, are taken away, the seaweeds take over and thereafter isolate the underwater world from sunshine.

    Corals are indeed the dominant architectures of the gorgeous wonder of the ocean. In order to sustain this breathtaking amazing beauty, we have to take actions to protect the dying coral reefs. As far as practical aspect is concerned, being one of the members in the Earth, we could come up with some ways that we could actually put into practice: Do not purchase jewelries that are made from endangered corals. When we go scuba diving or snorkeling, do not touch corals because we might hurt the polyps within. Avoid eating fish that is vital in food chain otherwise it would break the balance and bring seaweeds. When we go swimming, apply biodegradable sunscreen of possible and wait for a while before jumping into the water because the ingredients contain chemicals that could boost viruses in seawater and block the sun corals rely on absorbing. With all these easy-to-do manners, I believe we could make a huge difference. After all, it is never too late to mend!