233
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to
Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
S. J. Culver (ed.), Troubled Waters, Springer Climate,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52383-1_14
Chapter 14
What Is Happening to the World’s Coral
Reefs?
Pamela Hallock
Abstract Coral reefs are in decline worldwide. Rising atmospheric CO 2 concentrations, which are causing ocean acidification and warming oceans, are clearly major
threats to the future of coral reefs, but certainly not the only threats. Indeed, the
range of threats increases with ever-increasing human populations. The consequences of local and regional activities are vast, including the ever-expanding
impacts of environmental pollutants, coastal development, land-use in the watersheds, and even desertification in distant places that result in dust and smoke plumes
that cross oceans and carry microbes. If a diversity of coral species and other reefdwelling organisms is to persist and thrive in warming seas, humans must truly
“think globally and act locally” to mitigate the compounding environmental damage that we continue to cause; the consequences of which are amplified by natural
events such as major storms, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes.
Keywords Bleaching · Nutrient pollution · Algal symbiosis · Climate change ·
Ocean warming · Ozone depletion · Photo-oxidative stress · Ocean acidification ·
Anthropocene
Troubled Paradise
In September 2018, I had the opportunity to dive in the Maldives, a group of islands
in the Indian Ocean southwest of India and Sri Lanka. Here, 26 atolls hosting more
than 1000 tiny islands extend north to south, topping an ancient oceanic ridge that
is now mostly submerged. Away from the vicinity of the densely populated capital
island, Male, some islands host exclusive resorts, accessible by boat or seaplane
P. Hallock (*)
College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL, USA
e-mail: pmuller@usf.edu
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to
Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
S. J. Culver (ed.), Troubled Waters, Springer Climate,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52383-1_14
Chapter 14
What Is Happening to the World’s Coral
Reefs?
Pamela Hallock
Abstract Coral reefs are in decline worldwide. Rising atmospheric CO 2 concentrations, which are causing ocean acidification and warming oceans, are clearly major
threats to the future of coral reefs, but certainly not the only threats. Indeed, the
range of threats increases with ever-increasing human populations. The consequences of local and regional activities are vast, including the ever-expanding
impacts of environmental pollutants, coastal development, land-use in the watersheds, and even desertification in distant places that result in dust and smoke plumes
that cross oceans and carry microbes. If a diversity of coral species and other reefdwelling organisms is to persist and thrive in warming seas, humans must truly
“think globally and act locally” to mitigate the compounding environmental damage that we continue to cause; the consequences of which are amplified by natural
events such as major storms, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes.
Keywords Bleaching · Nutrient pollution · Algal symbiosis · Climate change ·
Ocean warming · Ozone depletion · Photo-oxidative stress · Ocean acidification ·
Anthropocene
Troubled Paradise
In September 2018, I had the opportunity to dive in the Maldives, a group of islands
in the Indian Ocean southwest of India and Sri Lanka. Here, 26 atolls hosting more
than 1000 tiny islands extend north to south, topping an ancient oceanic ridge that
is now mostly submerged. Away from the vicinity of the densely populated capital
island, Male, some islands host exclusive resorts, accessible by boat or seaplane
P. Hallock (*)
College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL, USA
e-mail: pmuller@usf.edu