https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2018/03/21/why-is-so-much-of-the-worlds-coral-dying

 

The biggest cause of coral reefs decline is the warm temperature. The heat of the water results for corals to become significantly vulnerable to many other viruses. In a closer look, warming can provoke a damage in the symbiosis between the coral and its main food. The microalgae over produce sugars and toxins, these microalgae live inside the tissue of the coral reef. Also leading for coral polyps to spit them out. But because the polyps need these microalgae in order to survive, without them they turn white, a process knowns as bleaching. The bleaching does not fully kill the coral but it does increase their possibility of soon dying. Finally, the continuous build-up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere also causes an increase in acidity of seawater, which makes it harder for coral to generate the calcium carbonate it needs for its own skeletal structure.

This article relates to environmental science because of the effects that coral reefs have on the entire marine ecosystems. Because of how major the impact of extinct coral reefs is on marine ecosystems it is categorized as a major problem. One of the roles of reefs it is that it builds support for the entire marine ecosystems. In other words, it provides the marine life with homes, food, etc. It can be considered as the main resource for some organisms that are apart of the marine life. Due to the amount of harm that coral reefs are being exposed, humans should make it one of their priorities to put at as many restrictions as possible in order to help them survive and not go extinct. The fact that a fifth of all coral in the world has died in the past three years is upsetting and difficult to process. Knowing that we ourselves are putting these animals in constant danger should be used to motivate humans to help reefs survive and stop the cruelty.