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Coral reefs aren't just beautiful underwater fixtures that make the ocean more colorful and vibrant-they're integral to the survival of many species of marine life. Widely known as the "rainforests of the sea," coral reefs are home to around 25 percent of the ocean's fish and other organisms, which is why their health is key to a robust and self-sufficient marine ecosystem.

As coastal construction increases and global temperatures rise, an estimated 33 percent of corals are now in danger of extinction. Marine studies have also shown an 80 percent decline in some forms of coral over the last decade, and thanks to climate change and certain destructive human practices, it's showing no signs of stopping any time soon.

What is Coral Reef Destruction?

Coral reef destruction is defined as the degradation (and potential mass death) of the ocean's corals. It is normally caused by illegal fishing techniques, pollution, careless tourism, other natural phenomena such as earthquakes and hurricanes, and of course, climate change-the culprit responsible for our warmer oceans and the main reason ( according to experts) behind the death of nearly half of the Great Barrier Reef's corals.

Corals are living organisms-they can get sick and die, just like any other plant or animal. Due to a variety of local and global factors, which can be either independent or interacting, more and more of the world's reefs are dying.

What are the Main Causes of Coral Reef Destruction?

The extinction of coral reefs can be particularly devastating for certain areas of the world that depend on them for their livelihood (through tourism or fisheries) or as their primary food source. But even if you don't live in any of these areas, coral reef destruction affects you, too. While it may not seem like it, we humans rely heavily on coral reefs (whether we know it or not) for food and other crucial resources.

The blatant and rapid destruction of coral reefs is no longer something we can continue to downplay or ignore, and the first step to knowing how to solve this global problem is by knowing what the main causes are. Coral reef destruction can be preventable, but awareness on a massive scale is necessary to implement changes that will be long lasting.

Reef Bleaching

Reef bleaching occurs when extreme water conditions cause corals to expel the internal microorganisms that give them their vibrant colors. Bleaching events are attributed to a number of factors, including pollution and extreme low tide, but the most common (and widespread) is the change in water temperature thanks to global warming. As the planet heats up, water temperatures tend to rise as well.

Thankfully, bleached corals are technically not dead yet. Coral reefs have been known to recover from a bleaching event, particularly when water temperatures cool during winter. However, when corals are in this state, they do become more vulnerable to disease and possible death, especially if they are continuously subjected to stress.

Poison or Dynamite Fishing

It is unfortunately common practice to use cyanide and other poisons to fish for coral reef dwelling creatures. The poison is not specific enough to necessarily kill a specific fish, but is used to stun fish that are then used in domestic saltwater aquariums. Although many fish can metabolize the cyanide and will only feel the effects temporarily, the same is not true for coral polyps. When cyanide gets in the nooks and crannies of the reef, the coral often dies in the cloud of poison.

In Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines and Indonesia, dynamite or blast fishing is still commonly practiced. As the name suggests, this is when fishermen use explosives-usually crude and homemade ones-to make it easier for them to catch more fish.

Water Pollution

Water pollution is perhaps the most obvious cause of coral reef destruction. Reefs are harmed when oil, fertilizer, and human or animal waste are dumped in the area. These elements can end up changing the chemical makeup of the water, but the waste can also block life-giving sunlight to the reef.

Floating trash can also cut young coral polyps off from the nutrients they need to grow into a thriving reef.

Sedimentation

Marine sediment is comprised of insoluble particles that are transported from land areas to the ocean. Human settlement and agricultural activities can contribute to the amount of particles that are washed off into the sea, but construction and mining along sea coasts can also create a great deal of silt and soil run-off.

When sediment enters the ocean, it can smother coral reefs, depriving them of sunlight and nutrients. Also, fish are unable to feed and coral polyps are unable to grow, leaving the area inhospitable to reef life.

Careless Tourism

Increased tourism is one of the major causes of the destruction of coral reefs. The following factors all contribute to coral reef damage:

Uncontrolled building and irresponsible business operations

Increased discharge of wastewater

Careless tourist behavior

Boats and other vessels used for recreational activities can damage coral reefs with carelessly dropped anchors or accidental grounding. Meanwhile, divers, snorkelers, and other sea lovers often inadvertently damage the reef by playing on them, stepping or sitting on them to rest, or simply by touching them and exposing them to their skins' oils.

Tourist activities have a direct impact on the marine ecosystem, and much of the coral reef destruction caused by tourism could be prevented with just a bit of education for those who want to explore these interesting natural creations.

What Happens if Coral Reefs Become Extinct?

Scientists around the world are scrambling to ensure the survival of the world's remaining coral reefs, as they're extremely vital to the continued well-being of the planet.

The forecasts, nevertheless, are dire: Even if global warming came to a complete halt today, scientists still expect more than 90% of corals to die by 2050. Without drastic intervention, we risk losing them all, and since we rely on them for so many things, the complete destruction of coral reefs could mean a different kind of world for future generations.

But what can we do about it? While it may seem like whatever one person does is nothing but a drop in the bucket, that drop will certainly not go unnoticed.

You can help save the coral reefs by volunteering your time to local conservation programs, supporting reef-friendly businesses, conserving water to reduce your wastewater production, using less plastic, being a more responsible tourist, and most importantly, by spreading awareness and educating others.

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Coral Reef Destruction: 5 Common Causes of Coral Degradation

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Coral reefs aren't just beautiful underwater fixtures that make the ocean more colorful and vibrant-they're integral to the survival of many species of marine life. Widely known as the "rainforests of the sea," coral reefs are home to around 25 percent of the ocean's fish and other organisms, which is why their health is key to a robust and self-sufficient marine ecosystem.

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Coral reef experts have grown wary of summer months because if temperatures get too hot in July or August, whole reefs can get wiped out.

Since 2000, global temperatures have been breaking records almost annually and reefs have been dying en masse, undergoing a process known as "coral bleaching," when the organisms that live on coral, providing nutrients and vibrant color, get cooked alive, turning coral a bone-white.

Bleaching events have accelerated in recent years and scientists predict that nearly all coral reefs could be destroyed by this phenomenon by 2050.
Take Action: Stand Up for the Arctic
Coral reefs are also threatened by industrial pollution, invasive species, overfishing, plastic pollution, and ocean acidification, which is when the oceans absorb too much carbon dioxide from fossil fuel emissions and acidify.

Losing coral reefs would have a profound impact on the global environment and human society, according to UNESCO.

Reefs foster vast ecosystems, providing food, shelter, and breeding grounds for thousands of marine creatures.

They provide natural buffers for coastal communities, preventing waves from destroying shorelines. The many types of fish swimming throughout their lattices, meanwhile, offer a ready supply of food for people.
Read More: Plastic Is Causing Coral Reefs to Get Sick and Die
They're also visual wonders that generate billions of dollars in tourism revenue annually for countries that neighbor them.

"[Coral reefs] are facing existential threats, and their loss would be devastating ecologically and economically," Dr. Mechtild Rossler, Director of the World Heritage Centre, said in a statement. "These rainforests of the sea protect coastal communities from flooding and erosion, sustain fishing and tourism businesses, and host a stunning array of marine life."

Global Citizen campaigns on sustainable ocean management and you can take action on this issue here.

Here are five of the most endangered reefs in the world

Seychelles Coral Reefs

The archipelago nation of Seychelles lost up to 90% of its coral reefs after a catastrophic bleaching event in 1998. In 2016, another massive bleaching event struck and reversed the recoveries that had been made in the intervening years.

Now, the Seychelles government is in a race against time as it tries to protect its lucrative, beautiful, and ecologically essential reefs from being eliminated entirely, according to ABC News.
Read More: Leonardo DiCaprio Helped Pay Off Seychelles Debt to Protect Oceans
Within one reef, for instance, local conservationists have recovered, nurtured, and transplanted 50,000 coral fragments to promote a longer-lasting recovery, according to ABC.

Kingman Reef in Hawaii

As ships travel the world, they carry species on their hulls. Sometimes, these species get deposited in foreign waters and cause mayhem by disrupting food chains and ecosystems.

Known as invasive species, these creatures are a major threat to the world's coral reefs.

In Hawaii, the Kingman Reef is suffering from invasive algae species that are blotting out various forms of life and turning corals a dark green or black.

Great Barrier Reef

Visible from space and stretching 1,400 miles in length, the Great Barrier Reef is one of the world's most splendid natural wonders.

But for all its grandeur, these reefs are just as threatened as coral found elsewhere. In 2016, bleaching affected 90% of corals throughout Australia's waters.
Read More: Underwater Sculptor's Coral Bleaching Exhibit Is One Everyone Needs to See
The Great Barrier Reef is also being damaged by coral-eating starfish, which have been responsible for half of the reef's decline between 1985-2012.

Caribbean Coral Reefs

Although coral reefs are a main draw for tourism in the first place, tourism is one of the main drivers of the decline of coral reefs throughout the Caribbean.

As cruise ships travel throughout the Caribbean, ferrying tourists from island to island, massive amounts of waste are being poured into the water, polluting reef habitats and causing them to die.

Southeast Asian Coral Reefs

There could be more pieces of plastic in the world's oceans than fish by 2050. Nowhere is this frightening prospect more apparent than throughout the coral reefs of Southeast Asia, according to the World Resources Institute, where a potent mix of plastic pollution and overfishing are changing reef dynamics throughout the waters of various countries.
Read More: Scientists Are Still Discovering the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill's Longlasting Effects on Coral Reefs
When a coral reef is confronted by plastic, its rates of disease and death skyrocket, according to an analysis by researchers at Cornell University. That's because plastic can suffocate or puncture corals or block sunlight or nutrients from reaching them.

This is being compounded by overfishing in the region, where 95% of reefs are currently at risk.

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5 Of The World's Coral Reefs That Are Dying Today

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Coral reef experts have grown wary of summer months because if temperatures get too hot in July or August, whole reefs can get wiped out. Since 2000, global temperatures have been breaking records almost annually and reefs have been dying en masse, undergoing a process known as "coral bleaching," when the organisms that live on coral, providing nutrients and vibrant color, get cooked alive, turning coral a bone-white.

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The world's coral reefs, from the Great Barrier Reef off Australia to the Seychelles off East Africa, are in grave danger of dying out completely by mid-century unless carbon emissions are reduced enough to slow ocean warming, a new UNESCO study says.

And consequences could be severe for millions of people.

The decline of coral reefs has been well documented, reef by reef. But the new study is the first global examination of the vulnerability of the entire planet's reef systems, and it paints an especially grim picture. Of the 29 World Heritage reef areas, at least 25 of them will experience twice-per-decade severe bleaching events by 2040-a frequency that will "rapidly kill most corals present and prevent successful reproduction necessary for recovery of corals," the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization concluded. In some areas, that's happening already.

"These are spectacular places, many of which I've visited. Seeing the damage being wrought has just been heartbreaking," says Mark Eakin, a reef expert with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and a lead author of the new report. "We're to the point now where caction is essential. It's urgent."

Mass Bleachings

By 2100, most reef systems will die, unless carbon emissions are reduced. Many others will be gone even sooner. "Warming is projected to exceed the ability of reefs to survive within one to three decades for the majority of the World Heritage sites containing corals reefs," the report says. ( UN announces new biosphere reserves, while U.S. removes some.)

Reefs, often referred to as the rainforests of the oceans, occupy less than one percent of the ocean floor, but provide habitat for a million species, including a fourth of the world's fish. They also protect coastlines against erosion from tropical storms and act as a barrier to sea-level rise.

"It is terrifying to think of the repercussions of the global and large scale loss of reefs," says Ruth Gates, director of the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology in Kaneohe, Hawaii. "The reduction in food supplies, the lack of coastal protection as the reef collapses and subsequent land erosion will make some places unlivable and people will have to move. And that's not even mentioning the collapse of reef-related tourism."

In the past three years, 25 reefs-which comprise three-fourths of the world's reef systems- experienced severe bleaching events in what scientists concluded was the worst-ever sequence of bleachings to date. The Great Barrier Reef was especially hard hit. Other reefs that experienced severe bleaching include the Seychelles, New Caledonia, 750 miles (1,210 kilometers) east of Australia, and the United States, off Hawaii and Florida.

"The last three years have been extremely depressing for me," Eakin, with NOAA, says. "We're seeing truly catastrophic damage to many reef systems around the world. The Great Barrier Reef damage we've seen is greater than anything we've seen in the past 20 years."

The consequences are already being felt by some people, and will quickly grow more severe, says Eakin's NOAA colleague and co-author Scott F. Heron. Low-lying islands such as Kiribati, a string of 33 coral atolls in the central Pacific Ocean, already see saltwater inundating freshwater drinking sources. Higher tides and crumbling reefs are causing more storm surges. Soon, loss of coral, especially when combined with global overfishing, will translate to fewer fish-and local protein shortages.

"These are real things that real people are experiencing," Heron says. "I've met these people. They've been to my house. This is happening."

Heron also notes that despite skepticism in some corners about climate change, even the crudest of models from two decades ago predicted just the type of reef damage seen today.

"If what the models projected back then has started to come true, even with all of their issues, then we should have good faith in the science of the current projections," Heron says. "And those projections say if we don't act there will be many, many serious impacts."

Time to Act

Most World Heritage sites are managed locally to control pollutants from farm runoff or overfishing. Now, the "ubiquitous global threat" to reef systems has become so great, Eakin and Heron say, that local protections are not enough. They hope their new, bleak assessment will help the world's nations to realize that unless they move faster to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, these special places-and the people who rely on them-will suffer greatly, far sooner than expected.

"When someone needs help, the overwhelming majority of us will stretch ourselves to help out-it's a human trait. It's what makes us people," Heron adds. "That the people most impacted by these changes are not necessarily people we encounter in our day-to-day lives does not remove our responsibility to help them."

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World Heritage reefs will die of heat stress unless global warming is curbed, a new UN study finds.

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Why are coral reefs in peril and what is being done to protect them?

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Coral reefs can be damaged by natural processes, such as storms, but they are increasingly at risk from human activities. Oil spills and pollutants can threaten entire reefs. Excessive nutrients from land sources, such as sewage and agricultural fertilizers, promote the growth of algae that can smother corals.

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‘Chasing Coral’ documents destruction of coral reefs

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In the new documentary "Chasing Coral," a team of photographers, divers and scientists analyze more than 650 hours of underwater footage to illustrate the real-time effects warming seas. NewsHour Weekend's Saskia De Melker talks to Jeff Orlowski, the director of the film, about the challenges of showing these rarely-seen effects of climate change.