Coral Reef Habitats Decline for Global Warming and Seawater Acidity

Coral reef habitats are on the brink of losing their existence for sea level’s rising temperature and acidic waters. The threatening effects could be too devastating to eliminate all the habitats by 2100. These are the challenges according to the researchers to start restoration projects in those places. The study report was shown at the Ocean Sciences Meeting 2020 in San Diego.

Climate change and pollution are the evergoing threats for the coral reefs. If we continue polluting the water bodies at the current pace, we are about to lose 70 to 90 percent of coral reefs within 20 years. To fight the imbalance, scientists are growing live corals in the lab and transplanting them to dying reefs. They think the new and fresh corals will heal the coral reefs’ health and survive for long.    

When the team started mapping restoration sites, they concluded only a few will remain in the upcoming decades by 2100. These two factors are the initial findings for determining such restoration sites and then act accordingly.

Renee Setter says, "By 2100, it's looking quite grim."  This biogeographer from the University of Hawaii Manoa will present the new studies.

The results of the study hint us that how global warming affects marine life. It is a well-known phenomenon that marine life is at risk, but the new study shows that coral reefs are at the top of the risk list.

Setter says, "Trying to clean up the beaches is great and trying to combat pollution is fantastic. We need to continue those efforts. But at the end of the day, fighting climate change is really what we need to be advocating for in order to protect corals and avoid compounded stressors."

How researchers project coral reefs horoscope?

The future of the coral reefs remains uncertain as oceans’ temperature is increasing day by day. When seawater turns warmer, it stresses the reefs. As a result, symbiotic algae inside those reefs get out of them. The coloured reefs remain colourful because of the algae. Without them, the reefs become white. This process is known as bleaching. Although bleaching does not kill any reef, the white ones become vulnerable to the risk of dying. Climate change is increasing the bleaching process within the reefs.  

As the coming decades are coming with new threats to the coral areas, Setter and her colleagues completed the new study and mapped some of the neediest sites for coral restoration efforts. Wave energy, sea surface temperature, pollution, the acidity of the water, are some of the most essential ocean environment conditions for the existing corals to survive. Human population density is the main reason behind overfishing and pollution. Besides this, land cover use is also a key factor in releasing a bulk amount of waste into the surrounding waters. 

It is alarming news that researchers found most of the coral areas will lose their ability to hold coral habitats by 2045 and in the worst-case scenario, all will be gone by 2100.

Setter says, "Honestly, most sites are out." By 2100, there will remain only a few like small portions of Baja California and the Red Sea. They are inappropriate locations for coral reefs as they have connections with rivers.  

Day by day, coral reefs are losing the habitats. The researchers held temperature rising and acidity in the ocean’s water for this. According to Setter, human pollution did not leave much for the coral reefs future because they have done their best in destroying their present. The remaining locations are too short to have an impact on them. The damage is grave enough and so the restoration process should call to action in no time.