By: Lexie Cardine

“I’m actually getting to the stage where places I traveled to for the first time in the early 1990s are now unrecognizable. I go to coral reefs that I went to ten years ago when they were swarming with fish and sharks, and now they are barren deserts,” says Steve Backshall, a wildlife expert and conservationist.¹ Severe pressure has piled up on coral reefs all throughout the ocean. A major effect of this distress is coral bleaching, a process the species undergo in reaction to stressful conditions. Through this the coral releases a symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) that lives within its tissues, leading to complete discoloration.² A study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association showed that from 2014 to 2017 around 75% of tropical reefs experienced situations stressful enough to trigger bleaching.³ This number alone demonstrates the high level of vulnerability this ecosystem lives under.

What’s arguably Earth’s biggest existential threat also ranks as the primary cause of coral bleaching: climate change. The increase that climate change imposes on atmospheric temperatures also occurs in the oceans. This warmth prompts corals to initiate the bleaching process, eventually leaving them white. Other driving causes include runoff/water pollution, overexposure to sunlight, and extremely low tides.² In other words, any abrupt or unusual change in temperature, light, or nutrients will do the job. Luckily corals can recover from bleaching, but only if their conditions are able to return to normal. In order to ensure this normality returns and stays in place, the human population has to band together. Individuals can do little but effective things such as controlling runoff in their area, using more sustainable options, and even by spreading awareness. This being said, such a huge concept like climate change needs immediate, world wide action from organizations and governments. For example, the Coral Reef Alliance, based out of California, works with local partners to monitor water quality, restore ecosystems, and create land-based pollution solutions.⁴

It’s important to remember that all species on Earth are linked to one another, forming a web of reliability. If coral reefs continue down the path they are on, a domino effect will arise. Tens of thousands of species depend on them for habitat, food supply, protection, etc. Without healthy coral, masses of smaller marine life will experience a decline in their health quality. Then, larger species relying on the smaller ones will be hit by this downtrend, and so forth. It is an incredibly more complex system, but the underlying point remains the same: a loss of coral reefs would mean a loss for the entire planet.