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Puerto Rico is home to over 5,000 square kilometers of shallow coral reef ecosystems. Puerto Rico's coral reefs and associated ecosystems have an average economic value of nearly $1.1 billion per year. [132] The U.S. Virgin Islands’ coral reefs and associated ecosystems have an average economic value of $187 million per year. [133]
The CRCP's priority threats are climate change, unsustainable fishing practices and pollution. Monitoring the effects of these threats on the condition of U.S. coral reef ecosystems is the primary responsibility of the CRCP. Each year NOAA divers survey coral reefs at nearly 1600 sites to monitor these effects. [1]
Coral reefs are among the more productive and diverse ecosystems on the planet, but one-fifth of them have been lost in recent years due to anthropogenic disturbances. [14] [15] Coral reefs are microbially driven ecosystems that rely on marine microorganisms to retain and recycle nutrients in order to thrive in oligotrophic waters.
The Great Barrier Reef accounts for around 10% of the world’s coral reef ecosystems. The network of more than 2,500 reefs covers 348,000 square kilometers (134,000 square miles). Show comments
Current coral reef ecosystems are threatened by several factors including rising sea temperatures. [2] Many have been damaged by destructive fishing practices, which involve the use of dynamite and trawl nets. Others, on the continental shelf, have been blanketed by silt from erosion inland. Pollution from coastal cities and agriculture can ...
A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate . [ 1 ] Most coral reefs are built from stony corals , whose polyps cluster in groups.
The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System is considered critically endangered according to the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems. [5] [1] Over the past 50 years, this ecosystem has faced numerous threats, including hurricanes, rising surface water temperatures, ocean acidification, pollution, overfishing, invasive species such as lionfish and disease outbreaks of corals and urchins.
Ocean acidification is a global threat to coral reef ecosystems. [26] Based on the biodiversity in the Coral Triangle area, damage will come to many sectors, because the coral reef is a fundamental ecosystem in the coastal area. Started by rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, the calcium carbonate decrease then enhances bioerosion and ...