Coral reefs around the world are dying at an alarming rate. Lining 60,000 miles of shoreline along 109 countries, reefs and their related fisheries, marshlands and lagoons are vanishing. Home to more than a quarter of all fish species on Earth, an estimated 25% of coral reefs have already disappeared and an estimated 67% of all coral reefs are at risk today. In Southeast Asia, 88% of the reefs are at risk and an estimated more than 90% of the reefs in the Florida Keys have lost their living coral cover since 1975. In a recent study by the crew of our research vessel, Heraclitus, 100% of the corals in Kanton Island lagoon (Phoenix Islands in the remote South Pacific) were observed dead due to global warming. Threatened by pollution, disease, over-fishing, dynamite and cyanide fishing, as well as bleaching most likely caused by rising ocean temperatures, coral reefs are now endangered on a planetary scale. 1
Coral reefs are also an integral part of the earth system biogeochemical processes, including primary production, carbon and calcium storage, and geological formations that facilitate water flow and upwelling. Research has demonstrated that coral reefs respond more quickly than any other ecosystem to environmental changes - even to the slightest changes in water temperature - because of their extremely high sensitivity. For this reason, they are considered an indicator or early warning system for the world's oceans, and perhaps a 'canary in the coal mine' for all of the other ecosystems on Earth.
Despite their importance - both as an ecosystem and barometer for environmental change - relatively little is known about coral reefs today. Remarkably, there is no comprehensive global baseline map of living coral reefs. Scientists do not even know the location of many of the world's reefs, much less their present condition or which species inhabit them. For example, in the Pacific, which has the greatest concentration of coral reefs in the world, it is estimated that 90% of these reefs have never been assessed. 1 Given the paucity of data, it is impossible to measure the rate at which the reefs are disappearing with accuracy. By contrast, scientists know exactly how much rainforest is left and how much is being destroyed every day because there is a very detailed rainforest baseline provided by satellite imagery. A comparable baseline for coral reefs is urgently needed. Until this is achieved, we will not have the information we need to address the coral reef crisis on a global scale.
Source:
http://www.pcrf.org/reefsincrisis.htmla
The reefs in the world NEED OUR help!!
~ Sunday, September 07, 2008 ~
Built over millions of years, coral reefs are home to more than 25 percent of marine species, making them the most biologically diverse of marine ecosystems. Corals produce reefs in shallow tropical and sub-tropical seas and have been shown to be highly sensitive to changes in their environment.
Researchers identified the main threats to corals as climate change and localized stresses resulting from destructive fishing, declining water quality from pollution, and the degradation of coastal habitats. Climate change causes rising water temperatures and more intense solar radiation, which lead to coral bleaching and disease often resulting in mass coral mortality.
Shallow water corals have a symbiotic relationship with algae called zooxanthellae, which live in their soft tissues and provide the coral with essential nutrients and energy from photosynthesis and are the reason why corals have such beautiful colors. Coral bleaching is the result of a stress response, such as increased water temperatures, whereby the algae are expelled from the tissues, hence the term "bleaching." Corals that have been bleached are weaker and more prone to attack from disease. Scientists believe that increased coral disease also is linked to higher sea temperatures and an increase in run-off pollution and sediments from the land.
Researchers predict that ocean acidification will be another serious threat facing coral reefs. As oceans absorb increasing amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, water acidity increases and pH decreases, severely impacting corals' ability to build their skeletons that form the foundation of reefs.
The 39 scientists who co-authored this study agree that if rising sea surface temperatures continue to cause increased frequency of bleaching and disease events, many corals may not have enough time to replenish themselves and this could lead to extinctions.
"These results show that as a group, reef-building corals are more at risk of extinction than all terrestrial groups, apart from amphibians, and are the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change," said Roger McManus, CI's vice president for marine programs. "The loss of the corals will have profound implications for millions of people who depend on coral reefs for their livelihoods."
Coral reefs harbor fish and other marine resources important for coastal communities. They also help protect coastal towns and other near-shore habitats from severe erosion and flooding caused by tropical storms.
Staghorn (Acroporid) corals face the highest risk of extinction, with 52 percent of species listed in a threatened category. The Caribbean region has the highest number of highly threatened corals (Endangered and Critically Endangered), including the iconic elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) which is listed as Critically Endangered. The high biodiversity "Coral Triangle" in the western Pacific's Indo-Malay-Philippine Archipelago has the highest proportions of Vulnerable and Near-Threatened species in the Indo-Pacific, largely resulting from the high concentration of people living in many parts of the region.
Corals from the genera Favia and Porites were found to be the least threatened due to their relatively higher resistance to bleaching and disease. In addition, 141 species lacked sufficient information to be fully assessed and were therefore listed as Data Deficient. However, researchers believe that many of these species would have been listed as threatened if more information were available.
The results emphasize the widespread plight of coral reefs and the urgent need to enact conservation measures. "We either reduce our CO2 emission now or many corals will be lost forever," says Julia Marton-Lefèvre, IUCN Director General. "Improving water quality, global education and the adequate funding of local conservation practices also are essential to protect the foundation of beautiful and valuable coral reef ecosystems."
Source:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080710142935.htm
The reefs in the world NEED OUR help!!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
~ Tuesday, August 26, 2008 ~
Ah yes! Welcome to the blog which we build using our hands I mean our computers. This blog was made especially for the Iyor 2008 in support for conserving the great coral reefs! You must be thinking what the hack this coral reefs are. Besides you must have lived half your life not knowing what these things are. Well I’m not blaming you but its time you learned something bout them or you will really be wasting your time reading this now. You see, coral reefs are important habitats for thousands of species of marine life. Not only do these skeletal things provide shelter for the underwater species, orals are also at the base of the food chain and they provide food for the rest of the reef community which include commercial, recreational and subsistence fisheries. Coral reefs are also an important focus of tourism to tropical places. Imagine going scuba diving and you get the shock of your life when you tour guide points to you something like a thousand dulled colored mosses and says that those are coral reefs. Pretty shocking A? Well, you get the idea. Coral reefs harbor thousands of marine species and we can learn a great deal about our living world by studying these species. Research on reef organisms has provided insights into human reproductive cycles and potential cures for cancer as well as the large-scale cycling of carbon which may control climate change. Of course the most important value of coral reefs is the beauty and wonder they provide for us everyday. Reefs are an endless source of personal inspiration and must be preserved for future generations.
Source: UNKNOWN :)
The reefs in the world NEED OUR help!!
Thursday, August 7, 2008
~ Thursday, August 07, 2008 ~
Coral Reefs make up less than 0.2 % of the world's oceans, mostly in tropical areas, yet are the home of over one forth of all marine life. Over 1 million species of fishes and invertebrates make their homes and feed off of the coral reef system. Coral reefs provide food for animals and ultimately for us because we eat those animals. The tiny creatures that make coral feed by filtering the water, which is why water is usually so clear where reefs are located. Coral have other organisms living inside them in a form of symbiosis. The green *zooxanthella gets protection in exchange for food, which it can create the same way plants do. Corals create massive outer structures at a rate of one inch a year of hard limestone providing homes for sea creatures and buffering coastal areas from storms. The result is a beautiful reef packed with diverse life, built slowly over the course of centuries.
Unfortunately, we seem to be doing our best to destroy all that. Reefs, being the oasis for life in the ocean, tend to be over the best fishing paradise, sometimes by using dangerous fishing methods involving explosives or cyanide poisoning. Sewage and agricultural run-off into the coastal areas promote algae blooms, where masses of the single celled plant-like organisms float on top of the water, preventing coral from getting the sunlight it needs to supplement its food. Without light, the corals will eventually die off. To make matters worse the very people who find the reefs so attractive often cause damage as well. Breaking off pieces of coral for souvenirs, treading on live coral with swim fins, and dragging anchors across the reefs are all taking their toll on the health of the coral reef system.
Any one of these aspects might be able to be tolerated alone, but in combination they are taking a disastrous toll on the coral population. A coral reef is built by a living creature, taking several years to build height and when these corals are stressed they often fall prey to disease. Bacteria can kill the coral and cause it to lose its color. This is known as coral bleaching. Some coral bleaching also occurs during high temperature which also stress the creatures. 16% of reefs were lost due to the El Nino phenomenon warming the oceans. In totality over 27% of all reef structure is lost. Some may be able to recover, but structural damage from blast fishing and tourism can take decades. Those infected by disease may not recover at all.
* any of various symbiotic dinoflagellates that live within the cells of other organisms (as reef-building coral polyps)
source
The reefs in the world NEED OUR help!!
Saturday, August 2, 2008
~ Saturday, August 02, 2008 ~
Ever wondered what the world's largest reef is? The Great Barrier Reef is the largest reef on Earth at the present day! It can even be seen in space.Stretching over 2000 kilometers along the northeast coast of Australia, the Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral system that has ever existed. It is made up of about 2,900 reefs with at least 350 different species of coral, though only about six percent are coral reefs. Underlying sediments, twice as old as the reef itself, indicate that the region was once above sea level. Geological evidence shows that the reef began growing more than 25 million years ago.The reasons whhy it's so large and old is because of the very stable geological setting of the Australian platform, and the favorable oceanic circulation. Coral cannot exist at temperatures below 21° centigrade (70 ° Fahrenheit). The warmth of the waters of the Australian continental shelf varies little with depth because of the stirring action of the southeast trade winds. These winds pound the outer edge of the reef for nine months of the year, and this also keeps the reef supplied with seawater rich in the organic material needed by the growing coral.
Source
The reefs in the world NEED OUR help!!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
~ Tuesday, July 29, 2008 ~
Help save the coral reefs! Even the largest coral reefs might soon be wiped out! The biologists have seen the future, and their message could not be clearer: Living coral reefs are the foundation of marine life, and thus a crucial support for human life, yet all over the world they are dead or dying because people are destroying them—killing them—at a catastrophic rate. Already 10 percent are lost, and scientists say 70 percent of all corals on the planet will be destroyed in 20 to 40 years unless people stop doing what they're doing—pollution, sewage, erosion, cyanide fishing, clumsy tourism—and get serious about saving the coral reefs now. There's hope yet: Reefs are resilient and they bounce back quickly when protected.
It's protection that's the real trick—and it's ordinary people who are making it happen. Government efforts in much of the world have been frankly pathetic: late, weak, underfunded, unenforced. Persian Gulf oil states pass toothless pollution laws then ignore them. Indian Ocean poachers outwit and outnumber British Royal Navy patrols. Ecuador stalls for decades while tourism explodes in the delicate Galapagos, only to enact a plan that makes it worse. The status quo scarcely wavers: relentless destruction of coral reefs. In those bright spots where people are changing the way they treat the reefs, you'll find fishermen, students, divers, biologists, concerned citizens of all stripes transformed into activists and volunteers, taking matters into their own hands to protect the coral reefs that are dear to them and vital to us all.
Source
The reefs in the world NEED OUR help!!