Coral Reefs - A Thing of the Past?

According to a study commissioned by Australia's government of Queensland, 95% of the living coral along the Great Barrier Reef will be gone by 2050 due to warming ocean temperatures (projected +1.5 degrees Celsius)! That's less than 50 years from today.

How can this be? Well, coral reefs are particularly sensitive to changes in water temperature. They consist of tiny animals that live in colonies constructed of hard calcium carbonate and have a symbiotic (mutually beneficial) relationship with algae called zooxanthellae. Coral reefs may able to weather a few warmer years and bounce back from the effects of "bleaching," what happens when the corals lose much of their symbiotic algae. But "an increase in frequency of coral bleaching may be one of the first tangible environmental effects of global warming," says Dr. Arnold Dekker of Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization. In other words, too many bleaching events and the affected coral reefs don't bounce back.

In 1998 when tropical sea temperatures where at record highs, 16% of the world's coral reefs were severely threatened if not irreparably harmed. And in 2002, even warmer sea temperatures bleached some 60-95% of individual reefs along the Great Barrier Reef.

So what can be done? Well, the stark reality is that climate change is underway, like the coming rains of autumn. Evidence all over the planet points towards a warming trend. However, we should definitely continue to research and better understand this complicated and vital ecosystem of the sea. According to some researchers, there is new technology being developed that may even allow us to moderate some of the ill effects of climate change on corals.

Learning, appreciating and enjoying the colors, diversity and variety of coral reefs isn't and shouldn't be limited to scientists. In fact, it is the income generated by the beach going public to these parts of the world that indirectly funds much of the research and protection afforded by local governments to the coral reef populations they border.

So go and visit the coral reef destination of your dreams! And do so through resorts and hotelsthat put a premium on protecting these wonders of the sea. Not all beach accommodations are the same. Be sure to understand how your resort or hotel interacts with these delicate ecosystems and the local communities that depend on them for tourist income and a healthy marine habitat year after year.