EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -An estimated 75 per cent of the world’s coral reefs are threatened by local human activity, including over-fishing, coastal development and pollution, and global pressures such as climate change, warming seas and rising ocean acidification, according to a United Nations-backed report unveiled today.

Detailed explanation-2: -Coral reefs are believed by many to have the highest biodiversity of any ecosystem on the planet-even more than a tropical rainforest. Occupying less than one percent of the ocean floor, coral reefs are home to more than 25% of all marine life.

Detailed explanation-3: -Across the world, the area that coral reefs occupy has fallen by 50% in the half century from 1957. Their ability to carry out key roles, such as food provision and locking away carbon, has fallen too.

Detailed explanation-4: -About 70-90% of all existing coral reefs are expected to disappear in the next 20 years due to warming oceans, acidic water and pollution, said scientists from the University of Hawaii Manoa, who presented their findings Monday at an ocean sciences conference.