Coral reefs are one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems on planet earth. They consist of corals, crustaceans, fish, sea turtles, sponges, mollusks, sharks, dolphins and much more. Coral reefs are very important in ways such as they provide coastal protection, are nurseries for many fish, they provide food for humans and other organisms, and they provide an income for many people. These beautiful ecosystems, and all of the organisms that call them home, are at risk. There are several reason for why coral reefs could soon become extinct. These include: mass bleaching, ocean acidification, over exploitation, many different kinds of pollution, disease, coastal development, climate change and overfishing. Many of these problems link together to cause an abundance of damage in coral reefs. For example, climate change leads to coral bleaching and ocean acidification. Bleached corals are weak and more susceptible to disease. Ocean acidification causes the corals to deteriorate. These are only a few examples of the many problems. I will be talking about why we need coral reefs, many more reasons for the extinction of coral reefs and what we can do to stop it. It is time to make a change and protect our earth’s coral reefs.

~TS

References
Wyk, Richard Van. (5 Feb. 2013). Coral Reefs & Climate Change.