Coral Reef Pollution: How Serious is the Problem?
Coral reef pollution has become a serious problem worldwide. Scientists estimate that about twenty-five percent of the world’s total coral reefs have already been lost due to a combination of pollution, over-fishing, disease, and similar causes. For those of us who never get to experience the beauty of a coral reef, it’s easy to feel a sense of detachment from the problem. Unfortunately, many people have adopted a “Why should I care?” attitude which only contributes to the neglect that our oceans’ coral reefs are experiencing. In order for us to gain a better understanding of the impact that this loss can have on ocean life, we have to learn a little about these reefs and how they are succumbing to pollution.
Many people are a bit confused about what exactly coral reefs are. They are, in fact, some of the most fascinating and diverse ecosystems on the planet. The complexity of the structure makes it difficult to paint an accurate picture using words, but in technical terms a coral reef is a structure made up of the calcium carbonate (a rock-like substance) that corals produce. Corals of all species grow and live among these rocky underwater cliffs and attract over twenty-five percent of the world’s marine life—everything from fish to sponges! A majority of these great reefs date back to the last glacial period, a time when the melting ice caused the sea level to rise. This means most of the reefs that survive today are only about ten thousand years old. That seems like a ripe old age to us, and indeed I suppose it is, however it pales in comparison to the Earth’s estimated age of four and a half billions years.
Coral reefs are found all over the world, most of them in clusters. Many can be found around Central America, parts of South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia. As you can see, reefs follow a trend in that most are located in a boundary close to the equatorial line. The largest coral reef is the Great Barrier Reef located in Queensland, Australia. The second-largest is the Belize Barrier Reef that stretches from Mexico all the way down to the Bay Islands of Honduras.
While many coral reefs are estimated to experience some changes due to the environment, such as weather and temperature shifts, the reefs that are located near humans, such as the Great Barrier and Belize Barrier Reefs, have to deal with the added stress from man-made pollutants. It’s easy to think that recycling will cure the problem, but everyday garbage isn’t the sole cause behind coral reef pollution. We humans are finding coastal areas more and more popular places to settle, which means land development is required to make our coasts livable. As you can imagine, when land has been developed so close to the water, sediments, animal wastes and crop pesticides, as well as drainage from our sewer systems sometimes run off into the water. Petroleum-based products such as oil and gasoline, which are found wherever human settlements are located, also contribute to the coral reef pollution.
Some types of pollution are harder to control, such as sedimentation that flows out from rivers due to natural weathering and erosion. Others types of pollution, such as chemicals and fertilizers used for farming, are a little more within the everyday person’s control. If fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides absolutely must be used, we can make a huge difference by cutting back on the amount used, or simply using only as much as we absolutely need to. When crops are over-fertilized or too many chemicals are used, the result may not have a huge effect on the crops themselves, but the excess of these products is often carried away by rain water. –And where does it end up? In rivers which connect to the ocean.
Although our coastal areas are in definite need of monitoring when it comes to pollutants, that doesn’t mean that our mainland population doesn’t contribute to the coral reef pollution issue. Take for example the Mississippi River, which opens up to the Gulf of Mexico, near the second largest barrier reef in the world. Pollutants can be collected from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana before finally being dumped out into the Gulf of Mexico.
It’s up to us to make the changes necessary to keep what’s left of our world’s coral reefs. We’ve already lost a quarter of the coral reefs we used to have, and are in danger of losing the next two thirds. Let’s not wait until it’s too late.