By Nature Foundation St. Maarten
Welcome back to the Nature Foundation series about coral reefs, if you missed the previous entries on corals, visit The Daily Herald’s website to catch up! In the last issue, we learned about all of the amazing things corals do for us, like provide food, jobs and protection from storms, and keep our island healthy. Some can even be used to make medicines.
Now we’ll discuss what challenges they are facing, and why each year there are fewer and fewer corals in the ocean.
Climate Change
The increase in water temperature world-wide is a very big problem for corals! These are sensitive creatures, and many of them can only handle very small temperature change. If the water becomes too warm, it can cause the corals to be stressed and weak. This makes it very difficult for them to survive, and it causes coral bleaching!
Pollution
Pollution can come in many forms: plastic, oil spills, chemical discharge, and other debris all negatively affect coral reefs. For example, a plastic bag can get wrapped around a coral head and smother the coral polyps. St. Maarten struggles in particular with plastic debris ending up in the water, as well as many other forms of pollution.
Sunscreen
There are several chemicals that are used in sunscreens that are toxic to corals! Even if you don’t come in contact with a coral directly, the residue can accumulate in the water and affect the marine ecosystems!
Hurricanes
Large storms, like Hurricane Irma, can cause damage to corals in several ways. There can be physical damage due to strong waves breaking pieces off of the coral; or sand that is picked up by surge/swell can settle on top of the polyps and smother them. Hurricanes can also bring a lot of debris from the land into the water, causing even more damage.
Coral Disease
Corals can get diseases just like humans do! Normally, these diseases affect only a few coral species, but recently a new disease called Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) has begun to affect the St. Maarten’s coral reefs. SCTLD affects over 20 different species of corals and is very deadly.
Wastewater
Wastewater comes from many different places. This is water that has some type of pollutant in it, like sewage or chemical run off. When this water enters our ocean, it takes the pollutants with it. Something you might not know is that wastewater can be very high in nutrients. While this might sound like a good thing, it is not! High nutrient levels cause the algae and seaweed in the water to grow. Large amounts of algae and seaweed both compete with corals for space and light underwater. This causes the corals to slowly die off as they lose access to light (to make food) and space to grow.
As you can see, corals are very sensitive creatures that can be easily affected by many things! Now that you have learned what corals are, why they are so important, and the threats facing them, it is time to learn what you can do to help protect them! Join us in the next issue of the KID’S Herald to learn ways you can help save St. Maarten’s Coral Reefs! Photo by Leslie Hickerson of Nature Foundation.
