The health state of an ocean gives a wide range of benefits to people worldwide. Recently, the health state has been declining at a faster rate than before. The ocean bodies are facing various threats resulting from pollution, climate change, overfishing, increasing temperatures and large amounts of carbon emission. Ocean health has been taken for granted by human even though oceans help to reduce the effects of global warming. Already, there are several living creatures in the ocean that are which risk extinction caused by increasingly warm temperatures in the ocean. Estuaries and coral reefs greatly contribute to the health life of the oceans. However, they have been affected by pollution, siltation, bad fishing practices and high ocean temperatures. Coral reefs have more importance to the overall health of the ocean compared to estuaries.
Coral reefs are important to the ocean environment since they support more species as compared to estuaries. Most species in the ocean depend on coral reefs for food, hiding places from predators, shelter and nursery as opposed to estuaries that only provides meeting point for the ocean and rivers. Coral reefs ensure survival for the living ocean creatures hence increase in their number. They protect the ocean from erosion by providing suitable conditions for mangrove tree habitation, and this prevents waves from damaging the shorelines (Chin, 2011).
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Since there are threats to the health of the ocean, coral reefs opt to be protected to ensure survival of ocean life. For instance, garbage should be properly disposed to reduce pollution in the water that can have effect on the coral reefs hence interfering with living ocean creatures. Water conservation measures should be put in place, so as to check on the contamination of oceans by improperly managed waste water. Planting trees reduces high temperatures in the environment hence also reducing warming in the ocean, protecting coral reefs and ocean species in general. With protection of coral reefs, global ocean health is improved (Grimsditch & Salm, 2006).
References
Chin, J. (2011). Coral reefs. New York: Roaring Brook Press.
Grimsditch, G. D., & Salm, R. V. (2006). Coral reef resilience and resistance to bleaching. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN, The World Conservation Union.
