coral reef damage
Marine ecosystem degradation
Coral reef damage refers to the degradation or destruction of coral reef ecosystems through various causes—bleaching from warming waters, ocean acidification, pollution, destructive fishing practices, or physical impacts from storms and anchors.
The phrase appears frequently in environmental and marine biology contexts: Scientists are tracking coral reef damage across the Caribbean.
Damaged reefs lose biodiversity and the protective barriers they provide to coastlines.
- bleachingChemical color removal
- pollutionEnvironmental harm from waste
- acidificationIncrease in hydrogen ions
- ocean warmingRising marine temperatures
- overfishingUnsustainable marine harvest
warming · dying · whitening · dead zones · algae · crown of thorns · erosion · runoff · sediment · plastic · marine debris · degradation · stress · disease · hurricane · anchor · dynamite · tourism