Page 184 - Hawaii: Diving, Surfing, Pearl Harbor, Volcanoes and More

oral reefs are dying around the world. western Caribbean to show the threat of affects their reproduction, while severe
C In particular, coral mining, agricul- factors such as coal-burning and volcanic bleaching kills them.
tural and urban runoff, pollution (organic eruptions.
and inorganic), overfishing, blast fishing, eneral estimates show approximately
disease, and the digging of canals and In El Nino-year 2010, preliminary reports G 10% of the world’s coral reefs are dead.
access into islands and bays are localized I show global coral bleaching reached its About 60% of the world’s reefs are at risk
threats to coral ecosystems. Broader threats worst level since another El Nino year, 1998, due to destructive, human-related activi-
are sea temperature rise, sea level rise and when 16% of the world’s reefs died as a ties. By the 2030s, 90% of reefs are expect-
pH changes from ocean acidification, all result of increased water temperature. In ed to be at risk from both human activities
associated with greenhouse gas emissions. Indonesia’s Aceh province, surveys showed and climate change; by 2050, all coral reefs
A study released in April 2013 has shown some 80% of bleached corals died. Scien- will be in danger.
that air pollution can also stunt the growth tists do not yet understand the long-term
of coral reefs; researchers from Australia, impacts of coral bleaching, but they do
Panama and the United Kingdom used coral know that bleaching leaves corals vulner-
records (between 1880 and 2000) from the able to disease, stunts their growth, and