Henry T.

Coral Reefs

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. How Are Coral Reefs Made?   
3. Threatening Coral Reefs
4. Why Are Coral Reefs Dying?
5. Glossary

Introduction

There are many interesting things about coral reefs.There also many dangers that are hurting reefs. There also cool and interesting ways that they are formed.

How Are Coral Reefs Made?

This is how the coral reef is formed.

The first thing that will happen to a reef is healthy coral floats in the water.  It will get stuck on rocks. Over the course of about a million years, it will grow and grow, until fish find it and it will become a feeding ground for fish.They will eat away all the algae in the reef and that is good for the reef because it keeps the reef healthy.  That lets it keep growing and it won’t stop growing until it is so large it has about a million different fish and coral living in it.

Threatening Coral Reefs

There are many ways people are threatening coral reefs.  The first way, is if someone drops a bottle in the water it could float into the reef, and a fish could eat it, and it would die.  It could pollute the waters and that is not good for the environment, and if more people do that, it could really harm the reef.

The second way reefs are dying is from oil leaks, because if one boat leaks a little oil it can spread fast.  If a fish is in that area, it can harm the fish and then more boats come it can start to hurt the coral.  It won't happen fast, but  the reef could start to get sick and so will the fish in it.That is how the reefs are dying so quickly.

Why Are Coral Reefs Dying?

There are several ways coral reefs are dying. The first way is over-fishing because there are too many people going out on boats and catching over the limit.   What that means is they are catching too many fish and that is killing fish fast and without fish, coral reefs can not survive.

The second way coral reefs are dying is people taking coral from the reef.  Not only is that disrespectful but it is also very harmful to the reef.  Those corals took thousands of years to develop and grow.  Then some people will sell them at gift shops and that is just not right to do to the reef.  Another way people have harmed the reef is sometimes people drive their boats into reefs.  Sometimes they can hit the coral or knock it down and the coral can break and crack.  Those are just some of the ways the reefs are dying.

The third way coral reefs are dying is

spearfishing because some people will go out without a license. Some people go spearfishing and kill endangered fish and then just sell them for money, and not care what they are doing to the reefs.  If people keep this up there won’t be many fish left.

The biggest reason coral reefs are endangered is global warming. As the water gets warmer it's harder for the coral to survive and all of the other problems get worse.  It just makes it hard for things to get better after all the problems with coral reefs, like over-fishing and pollution.

Glossary

Over-fishing-deplete the stock of fish in (a body of water) by too much fishing.

Leak oil-Oil that can leak from a boat or a ship.      

Endangered-Put (someone or something) at risk or in danger.

Healthy coral-Coral that is healthy

Feeding ground-A place where fish and other animals can find food to eat 
Global warming-A gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth's atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and other pollutants.

Algae-A simple nonflowering plant of a large group that includes the seaweeds and many single-celled forms. Algae contain chlorophyll but lack true stems, roots, leaves, and vascular tissue..

Pollute -Contaminate (water, air, or a place) with harmful or poisonous substances.