Coral reefs cover three fourths of the earth’s surface, but has home to a quarter of well known marine life.They describe coral reefs as the rain forests of the seas. Human activities can affect coral reefs in many different ways. Some ways that humans can threaten coral reefs by overfishing, agriculture, urban development, oil spills, pollution, coastal development, not a lot of nutrients, rising acidity and bleaching. Coral reefs are also at risks because of climate change. Coral reefs, are extremely sensitive to changes in the temperature and acidity of which they form.

Several scientific studies have found out that many of the world’s coral reefs are close to total destruction. A report from the World Resources Institute (WRI) in 1998 suggested that 60 percent of the earth’s coral reefs are threatened by human activity. Scientists said that 95 percent of Jamaica’s reefs are dying or dead. It is believed that almost all species of corals were affected by high sea surface temperatures during 1998, which resulted in global coral bleaching. Coral bleaching results in white, dead-looking coral.Scientists say that some coral reefs are expected to vanish by 2020.”It is certainly the worst coral die off since 1998. It may prove to be the worst event known to science.”A scientist quotes.

Sophie Bouzianis and Lyla Bagdas