De Silva, P. (2018, November 17). Saving the coral reefs. Retrieved November 17, 2018, from http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2018/11/18/saving-coral-reefs
Scientists are warning that coral reefs are in danger and if nothing is done to save them, will be destroyed. Coral across the world are being bleached due to global heating and ocean acidification, and over 800 coral species are extinct. Coral reefs have existed for 50 million years and have even survived the shift of tectonic plates, yet according to scientists there is a 99% chance that they will all be extinct in the next 50 years. If the ocean temperature rises even 1 or 2 degrees Celcius more, the algae that coral depend on will die and leave the coral bleached and with a more brittle structure.
Coral reefs are in a lot of danger, and they will all be extinct if nothing is done to combat global warming and ocean acidification. Coral reefs are very important ecosystems as they are home to numerous aquatic species. If coral reefs are extinct those species will be in danger of extinction as well. The destruction of coral reefs would also harm humans because fisheries and coastal communities will lose vital sources of income. Something needs to be done to help coral reefs and reverse the damage that has been done.
Wow- 99% chance they will be gone in our lifetime. That is disheartening to say the least. What do you think? They are obviously biodiversity hot spots… can you imagine them disappearing altogether? Sometimes the predictions are doom and gloom and may be overstated for shock and awe… did it seem like this article was like this, or more objective?
I think the article was a little doom and gloom, and trying to be a call to action for people to do something to prevent the loss of coral reefs. I also think that the statistic that there is a 99% chance they will be gone in our lifetime is if there isn’t anything done to protect the coral reefs. There are solutions that I have written other abstracts about such as the ban of sunscreen and the modification of coral in labs to be more resistant against bleaching, so I think solutions like these will lessen the 99% chance they will be gone.