Habitats are places where living beings live. If the habitat is lost, we will certainly have to look for a new habitat. And no one guarantees that the new habitat will be suitable. Habitat is not only a place to live, but also a place to search for food. A habitat that affects the food chain within it. Let's take an example from the marine habitat of the coral reef. The coral reef has become a habitat and also a food source for some small fish. This small fish is being eaten by a larger fish.
Then the bigger fish is eaten by the shark. Maybe we just see that the coral reef only affects the small fish. But there is another harm that can be caused by the destruction of coral reefs. Yes, the domino effect in the upper food chain can be disrupted or even disappear because we damage the smallest part.
We cannot simply blame the human who has become the greatest threat. But we also can't blame Mother Nature for natural disasters. Both have subsidized threats to our marine life. And here in this article I want to tell you more about it.
Also see:
- Ways to protect marine life
- Ways to save the ocean
1. Natural Disaster
Hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and storms are some of the many natural disasters that can damage marine habitats. Let me explain a few more of them to you. When the tsunami happened, it means there is a strong earthquake under the sea. This earthquake shakes the entire sea and causes something to have a new location. Let's just explain how an earthquake can move an object to another location. The earthquake can also kill the coral reef because the reef itself is no longer attached to the sea sand.
So that became a threat to the marine habitat because the earthquake destroyed it. When a tsunami comes after an earthquake, many marine animals and plants are carried ashore, to a place that is not their habitat. When the water recedes, most marine animals and plants stay on land. Sea plants like algae and kelp that became producers in the sea are death. And so a natural disaster can damage the marine habitat.
Also see:
- marine disasters–Effects of La Nina
- greenhouse effect
- Causes and effects of the tsunami
2. Climate change
Water can absorb up to 30% heat. This is bad because the sea and ocean water temperature can change rapidly. The temperature change is affecting some marine life that cannot endure the heat. They cannot adapt to temperature changes as quickly, which can lead to their death. Climate change is also responsible for coral bleaching. Corals can only live at a certain temperature and have become one of the most delicate creatures in the sea. Almost all coral reefs in the world are damaged and in some areas the damage is up to 70%.
All living things are different, for example cacti and reefs. The habitat of cacti is the desert, a place where the temperature is high. In addition, the habitat of reefs is in the sea and ocean, where the temperature is medium to low. If we change the habitat, surely both species will die. This is why climate change can destroy marine habitats as each habitat certainly has the requirements like pH, temperature etc. to keep it alive.
Also see:
- sea weather
- Coral Reef Ocean–protection of coral reefs
- Protection of the Great Barrier Reef
3. Pollution
Water pollution, air pollution, soil pollution and even noise pollution happen in our lives. Without us realizing it, this pollution is having a huge impact on our marine habitat. Water pollution can come from the water cycle on land that has carried it to the sea. There may be groundwater contamination on the farm due to pesticides. It can also come from factory waste thrown into the sea. Residues and pesticides contain some chemicals that can change the pH of seawater.
Direct water pollution can also result from the ship sailing in the sea. Oil droplets can damage the reef because its liquid is thick and sticky. The oil damages the reef and renders the reef unable to carry out its normal activity because it is covered in oil. Air pollution from vehicles, factories, fires, etc. basically subsidizes a large amount of carbon dioxide that pollutes the air.
Also see:
- Endangered animals in the ocean
- Endangered Species in the Atlantic Ocean
- Endangered species in the Pacific Ocean
- How to prevent or El Nino
- sea weather
4. Overfishing
Overfishing has also become a threat to marine habitats. It has become a threat not only to marine animal populations but also to their habitat. There are so many methods that the fisherman uses. Most of them use the method beneficial to them and let them catch a large amount of catches. The use of drugs that can change the pH of seawater is made more difficult when the fisherman uses a pump to make catching fish easier. The problem is that if the bomb destroys the coral reef population, the coral reef cannot heal itself quickly.
Also see:
- overfishing in the ocean
- Ways to stop overfishing
- Effects of sea level rise
- tension liquid surface
- Curiosities of the Dead Sea
- volcano under the ocean
5. Mining
Offshore mining and deep-sea mining are operated at sea. This industrial activity can also destroy marine habitats just because they extract oil and gas from the Earth's interior to the sea. You build the complete mining building with the drill to do the mining. Of course, before you construct a particular building, you will calculate many things, such as the angle of inclination, so that the foundation will remain strong and last a long time. When offshore mining occurs in the coral reef habitat, the builder must replace the reef. But if the tilt angle is still not suitable to build the construction in the sea, we need to level the seabed.
6. Recovery and Development
Maybe you know the restaurant under the sea. Yes, just that kind of exotic and expensive restaurant that offers you a new dining experience while contemplating the seascape. Of course, to make it easier and more accessible for people, the restaurant will not be in the deep sea, but in the shallow sea, where there are many coral reefs. So the owner who built the restaurant has to replace a large amount of coral reef in another place. Besides the development of recreation places like the restaurant, there is also the port development, which can also destroy the marine habitat if the development process does not pay attention to the environment.
Also see:
- deep sea ecosystems
- global warming in the ocean
- Facts about sea salt
- Ways to protect marine life
- Facts about the whale shark
7. Coastal development
As the last few years have become a year where travel has become so viral, many people are visiting new places. For the entrepreneur and entrepreneur, this kind of opportunity should not be missed. So they invest their money to build a development in the coastal area. Development can include resorts, private beaches and even airports. If they trade the mangrove forest for the tourist facility, they destroy a habitat. We know that the mangrove itself has so many functions, such as preventing erosion and abrasion, that it has also become a habitat for some animals. So by moving the mangrove to the tourist facility, we're trading a lot of benefits for just one benefit.
Also see:
- sea abrasion
- Maritime Erosion
- marine sediments
- oceanic layers
8. Land Restoration
Land reclamation is an act of gaining new land. The example of land reclamation can be found in Pluit, North Jakarta. The government has new land by adding some sand and other materials to the coastal area to make it land. This is the other threat to marine habitat as it shifts habitat to the coastal area. As land reclamation progresses ever further, the sea itself will be disturbed in terms of habitat and may disrupt the entire system including the food chain.
Also see:
- marine protection
- Threats to marine biodiversity
- Fish in the Atlantic Ocean
- Biggest fish in the Amazon
Thank you for reading this article to the end. Don't forget to update the latest deep sea article with us. I hope this article on threats to marine habitats can inspire you to do more.
creatureecosystemshabitatsmarine habitatsthreats