NATURAL THREAT ON CORAL REEFS Done by: The Reef Avengers

 Coral reefs are the most diverse and beautiful of all marine habitats. Large wave resistant structures have accumulated from the slow growth of corals. The development of these structures is aided by algae that are symbiotic with reef-building corals, known as zooxanthellae. Coralline algae, sponges, and other organisms, combined with a number of cementation processes also contribute to reef growth.

 A natural threat is a non-manmade incident caused by biological, geological, seismic, hydrologic, or meteorological conditions or processes in the natural environment.

 Bleaching  Global warming  Dust from the Sahara Desert

 This occurs when the warm temperatures kill the algae living in the coral polyp, causing the polyp itself to weaken, whiten and die.

 Global warming in the long term, will result in higher sea surface temperatures and the likelihood of bleaching. It can contribute to the melting of the polar ice causing sea levels to rise.

 It is believed that this dust can increase the incidence of drought and desertification in Africa bringing more dust to the Caribbean. This dust will lead to fungi which will de detrimental to some species in the reefs such as sea fans.

 Coral reefs are extremely important to the health of the oceans. They are hotspots for biodiversity, and while they cover less than 1 percent of the oceans, it is estimated that at least a quarter of all marine life spends at least part of their life on a coral reef. If we lose reefs, then we are losing not just the organisms that inhabit reefs but also those that indirectly depend on reefs for survival.

 Biological- deals with living things.  Geological-deals with the earth.  Seismic-relating to earthquake.  Hydrological-deals with the properties of water.  Meteorological- deals with the weather and atmosphere.  Global warming- is the increase in the overall temperature worldwide believed to be caused by the greenhouse effect globally.  Zooxanthellae- are single-celled plants that live in the tissues of animals.