Coral Bleaching Essay

1027 Words5 Pages

Throughout history, the beach has been one of the mainstream vacation destinations across the globe. People from all over the world travel to experience the natural beauty that is the ocean. But more and more tourists are starting to realize that the amount of marine life in coal rees has decreased significantly. Currently, it’s like an underwater desert. Coral bleaching has been around for a long time. However, it is more in the recent years the the issue has become so impactful. Now is the time to work towards a solution for coral bleaching before the reefs die, erode, and are gone forever. Scientists have been researching the effect coral bleaching has on marine life, the ecosystem, tourism and the economy. Due to the amount of non-biodegradable …show more content…

Once again, it’s a domino effect. The reefs bleach, marine life dies, and the food chain is thrown off balance. But there is a bigger issue. Reefs protect the global environment by acting as carbon sinks. Carbon sinks absorb carbon dioxide that would otherwise add to global warming. If the carbon sinks disappear, the level of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere would increase. Thus, causing global warming to get worse than it already is.
Coral Bleaching is anything but an easy problem to solve. It’s a big issue that needs to be brought to attention globally. Although as of right now there isn’t one set solution, there are a lot of little ways people can help prevent it. They can buy and use biodegradable sunscreen brands or wear rash guards and board shorts to limit sun exposure. But the biggest way to aid in the prevention of coral bleaching is to just be aware. Be aware of what you are putting into the ocean and what effect it is going to have on marine life.
In conclusion, the amount of oxybenzone going into the ocean is devastating. It bleaches the corals, which then harms marine life, upsets the ecosystem, and effects the economy. Even though we may not realize or appreciate them, coral reefs provide so much to our world. Without them, people would have a difficult time going about their day to day lives and would struggle to get