Fig. 1 Great Barrier Reef

I believe I can speak for most people when I say that I find the Great Barrier Reef and other coral reefs to be beautiful. The great expanse of colors and wide variety of marine life provides a scenery like no other, but the Great Barrier Reef and other reefs across the world are dying. Our shallow marine life has been on a downward spiral towards complete obliteration, threatening to rid us of this natural beauty completely. Sea temperatures have had sudden increases in recent times, causing a “bleaching” effect on the coral of the reefs. The coral reefs become stressed by their environment and end up expelling the algae on their surfaces, turning them a white color but having drastic effects on their health. The algae on their surfaces were their main food supply, and with most of it gone, the coral have essentially starved to death. This also affects future coral populations, because if the current coral is dead, it cannot reproduce, leaving residual effects on the population. These bleaching events have been happening more and more frequently, causing many marine biologists to worry about the future of the beloved Great Barrier Reef.

Fig. 1 Normal Coral vs. “Bleached” Coral

These bleaching epidemics are expected to increase as global warming continues to escalate. Currently, less than half of the Great Barrier Reef is left alive, which makes this situation extremely dire. The Great Barrier Reef was seen as the last reef thought possible to be harmed in such a way, due to its high protection and isolation by the Australian Government, but this sudden decrease in population proves that no ecosystem, especially one as fragile as a coral reef, can escape the truly disastrous clutches of climate change. If carbon emissions continue the way they are, the mass bleaching events are predicted to occur twice a decade from 2035 onward and after 2044 will occur annually, guaranteeing certain death for the Great Barrier Reef. These bleaching events occurring so quickly after one another leave no time for the reef to recover before another one strikes, and soon the reef will no longer be able to keep up and one of the most beautiful and unique ecosystems on the planet will be lost forever.

If the largest reef on the planet cannot survive the changing climate, what does that indicate for the other reefs across the globe? What does that indicate for other ecosystems in the sea and on land? The balance the planet created is being tipped, and this is why actions must be taken soon to ensure the survival of all creatures on this planet, large and small.