Hawaiian Coral Reefs: A Dying Breed

The Hawaiian islands have over 410,000 acres of coral reefs on the main islands alone. But along with the rest of the world, it's a dying habitat thanks to human kind's touch. When it rains over the the farms on the mountain above, the pesticides used on the coffee plants get washed down into the ocean. On top of that, tourists snorkeling on the shores are not only blatantly stepping on and destroying the reefs, their killing them with your sunblock and body oils. Humans are raising PH levels and acidity in the water: causing the "bleaching process" in the coral, in which, it turns white from loss of nutrition and essentially dies. Global warming is not only melting the icecaps near the poles, but it's heating the ocean in general. Coral reefs get their color from feeding off of algae, which dies when the water is too warm. At this point, over 70% of coral reefs in the world are destroyed, and only about 5% is still in "good condition". If we continue to abuse such beautiful environments without considering the conciquenses, there will be none to enjoy for future generations. I attended middle school on the Big Island of Hawaii in 2009, and we went on a science field trip to the beach. This effected my views on nature majorly. I learned all this information and became aware of what I was doing to the environment. Hopefully in the near future others can be knowledgable to this horror going on.