Coral Reefs
Coral reefs in my opinion are the world's most beautiful habitats. Coral reefs have beencalled the rainforests of the oceans, because of the rich diversity of life they support. Scientistshave not yet finished counting the thousands of different species of plants and animals that use orlive in the coral reef. There are three types of coral reefs: fringing reefs, barrier reefs, and atolls. Fringing reefs are located close to shore, separated from land by only shallow water. Barrier reefslie farther offshore, separated from land by lagoons more than ten meters deep. Atolls, on theother hand, are formed far offshore and they make a ring-shaped reef that close a circular lagoon. Coral reefs are the largest biological structures on the planet, with the largest being the GreatBarrier Reef covering over 2000 kilometers along the east coast of Australia. The reef is said tobe 500,000 to 2,500,00 years old and is said to be visible from the moon. There is only one problem with this beautiful structure and that is the carelessness of man. Silt from deforested lands and pollution from crowded coastlines choke them, and overuse by coalminers, fisheries, and even tourists deplete and destroy co
Corals are animals, not plants,sunlight is they key to their survival. This teamwork is what allows the reef to survivein nutrient-poor tropical seas. Even the hotels and motels pollute the reefs by their drainage andsewage pipes. For example,Pacific Islanders obtain up to 90% or their protein from reef fish without affecting the reefs andsome of the world's largest oil and gas fields are ancient reefs. The studies also say that within onehundred years they could be completely destroyed. Everyone must work to gather to stop the pollutionand the destruction of our coral reefs and out environment. This is causing a big problem in coastal tourism which is the world's fastest growingindustry, worth over seven billion dollars annually in the Caribbean. Healthy reefs are thought to be among the most productive fisheries in the ocean,10 to 100 times higher per unit area that of the deep ocean. Pollution by humans have directly orindirectly caused the death of 5%-10% of the world's living reefs, according to marine biologistClive Wilkinson of the Australian Institute of Marine Science. Coral reefs are home to perhaps one-fourth of all marine species. One of the biggest threats to coral reefs are tourists. The pollution is caused by fisheries, oil spills,deforestation, tourists, and even reckless divers. Japan's coasts one of the most studied coral coast in the world. More promising testingis being done on other reef organisms to generate chemicals for cancer and AIDS research. There have been many studies on how long the coral reefs will last, and they all agree thatwithin fifty years, coral reefs existence will be cut in half.
Common topics in this essay:
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Pacific Islanders,
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Acceptance Essays
