Reefs at Risk !!! (A2)

Do you still remember the sensational “best job in the world” in 2009? Tens of thousands of extraordinary candidates from the world around participated in this fierce wild-card competition, merely to get this once-in-a-lifetime experience--- to be an island caretaker and promote the remarkable World Heritage site, the Great Barrier Reefs in Australia. The one who competed in getting the 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, I still dreamed to be one of the candidates. Imagine myself immersed in the ambience of carefree island, enjoying the bright sunshine, plunging into the turquoise crystal clear ocean and feasting my eyes with the wonderful undersea world, along with colorful schools of fishes swimming by and corals swaying as beckoning. It is always my dream-to-realize. 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 Reefs but also other islands composed of reefs are at the brink of extinction. They are facing threats from human beings. By pursuing the growth of economy, we are at the same time devastating the nature. We devoted ourselves to the development of the industry and simultaneously, we downplay the risk and cost we have brought to mother Earth. The consequence is that our world is not as beautiful as before and many creatures are endangered, including the coral reefs, dubbed as the “rainforests of the sea”. “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 vital anchors that support 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, we have to cut directly into the point and examine the key contributors that result to the deterioration.

The causes of the coral’s demise are manifold but actually they derive from the same culprit--- human beings. It is us that make the condition worse---- exhausting natural resources. We could categorize the four main factors that lead to the massive coral-killing: Warmer ocean, pollution, 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 beautiful coral reefs would vanish forever. When the water heats up above a certain degree, the colorful algae inside the corals would forced to expel out of the body and then reefs would undergo bleaching process and die as soon as possible. Secondly, the excess emission of carbon dioxide is a fatal contributor as well. The unabated rising of carbon dioxide has turned the ocean even more acidic. The corals’ limestone 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 seaweeds and hence cover the surface of the ocean and smother the coral by blocking sunlight. 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 because the dwellers of the coral will weed out seaweeds and algae off the corals to reproduce.

    By playing host to a wealth of biodiversity, corals are the architectures of the gorgeous wonder of the ocean. To sustain this beauty for the upcoming generations, we have to take action to protect the dying coral reefs. After all, it is never too late to mend!