Environmental Injustice: Why Coral Bleaching is Detrimental to Coastal Communities
I grew up in Florida and love the beaches more than anything. As a summer weather person, I would love to collect shells, rocks, and fragments of oceanic creatures as I strolled along the sand. The oceans that I played in were always pristine and crystalline in their surface beauty, yet underneath the turquoise waters, an epidemic of the marine ecosystem was, and is, dying.
The coral reefs are intricate systems that the land and sea alike depend on. Due to the abuse of our oceans, these precious coral reefs have an astronomically high projected loss rate by 2050 and already 93% of the Great Barrier Reef is bleached with the amount only rising. Though coral is not dead when bleached, there is an increased risk of mortality, disease, and stagnance in population growth. Coral reacts to outside stimulus stressors and releases the algae contained in their tissue leaving the coral white and weakened. With warming waters and contaminated seas, coral has been under great duress resulting in the disastrous situation seen today. One of the greater influential factors has been ocean acidification. The oceans absorb 25-30% of the carbon dioxide (CO2) in the air and with the rise in industrialization, the CO2 levels have risen tremendously. The oceans have become more acidic, decreasing the amount of carbonate ion present in seawater. Hydrogen ions are far more common than carbonate ions in acidic water, this change negatively correlates to the health of coral and shells. Carbonate ions are crucial components in sea shells and coral skeletons, without the ions present shells mal-develop and become deformed. Ocean acidification closely relates to coral bleaching as it raises water temperatures, a stressor to which coral reacts to. The rates of coral bleaching have risen exponentially in the past two decades, one of the largest mass coral bleaching phenomena happened in 2005 when water temperatures were the highest recorded in the 150 years past. Oceans absorb 98% of heat reflected from greenhouse gasses, we survive because of this yet with fast-paced industrialization the seas are bearing the burden.
From NBC News
Though it might seem like an isolated issue, coral reef damage is a problem which is eminent and devastating for coastal communities. Admired for their biodiversity, beauty, and role in marine ecosystems, coral reefs are irreplaceable in their importance. Coral reefs provide strong barriers against intense tidal activity and storms, they protect the shoreline from devastation and flooding greatly aiding economic development. The recent bleaching events have caused significant concern for places surrounded by water, in the US especially because of Florida. Florida, a Southern peninsula, has suffered greatly from this environmental tragedy and if the current rate of coral deterioration continually occurs, Florida is predicted to lose $823.6 million and increase the risk for 7,300. The reefs encompassing Florida provide support and shielding against frequent hurricanes; they act as a buffer. Coral reefs are not only defensive measures against disasters but organisms with incredible effects on social and economic structures. Caribbean communities suffer far harsher economic reproductions as large portions of revenue are a result of reef tourism and coral farming. The oceans provide 50% of all breathable air. When it- and subsequently the creatures who regulate it- suffer, so do we. Though it may not be present in numerous places globally, it still impacts cities, states, and countries especially that are underserved. Coral is not just pretty, it is an animal crucial to the safety and growth of coastal communities and it faces a plague of disease. Actions must be taken to save the coral reefs, not just for money but for the betterment of the planet and its people.