Galoustian, G. (2021, August 3). What’s killing coral reefs in Florida is also killing them in Belize. Retrieved August 5, 2021, from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210803105534.htm
As of 2021, only 17% of the coral in the Belize Barrier Reef remains alive. As it was previously known as one of the most extraordinary reefs. Similarly, 2% remains in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. In the past, scientists have believed that the decline of coral was solely because of less grazing of algae due to overfishing. However, it has recently been found that a major factor is nitrogen enrichment from humans on land. Scientists want to use this information to help save what little is left of the Belize Barrier Reef.
This article explains a few of the possible reasons for the rapid decline of coral in reefs around the world, from places like Florida all the way to Belize. Even though it could be because of overfishing, nitrogen enrichment, or other factors, the main idea is that coral in the oceans are dying because of human impacts. I thought this article was very informative and more people should know about it. Our everyday routines and decisions are polluting our planet in so many ways. It is necessary researchers find out what exactly is causing this issue, so we can stop it before it is too late. After these scientists’ discoveries, we are one step closer to lessening the pollution of our oceans and preserving all coral reefs around the world.
I agree that we must keep these coral reefs healthy. How long do coral reefs take to form, or at least be repaired?
Coral grows very slowly, so it can take up to hundreds of thousands to millions of years for reefs to fully form. This is why destruction of it is so bad for our environment. Some coral can be repaired on its own and scientists are trying new ways of bringing dead coral back to life in labs. Both of these do take a long time and the coral is already dying at such a fast rate.