What happens if all the coral dies?

Learn why coral reefs are so special and why it is so important in Life Noggin's short animated video

We are currently facing the most unusual coral bleaching in history, but what will happen if all the coral reefs disappear? We lose 50% of the world's corals and we may lose more. If the world loses all coral reefs, the result will be bad. This is a video transcript.

In the past three years, one fifth of the world's coral reefs died. Some experts believe that the number of corals in the ocean is only half as much as 40 years ago. Since 2015, one-third of coral reefs in the northern Great Barrier Reef have lost more than a third. Corals are animals, not rocks or plants. These are made up of thousands of small invertebrates called polyps, which range from a few millimeters to several centimeters. Because that coral reef supports the entire marine ecosystem, its decline is a big problem. What on earth is going on?

It is already happening. In recent years, large coral reefs all over the world have been whitened and two thirds of Australia's Great Barrier Reef are affected by coral whitening. Seaweed grasslands, seaweed beds, mangroves are the most productive habitat on the planet and store large amounts of carbon - but they are also most threatened. The most serious mangrove deaths recorded in 2015 and 2016 occurred near the coast of Australia. Approximately 700 species of marine organisms have been found in plastics, from the microscopic plankton to the whale, more seeds ingest it, digest food, maintain physical condition, give birth to healthy young people I will impair. Sustained organic pollutants were found 10 km away from the Mariana Trench and were ingested by living organisms there.