A Disappearing Underwater World

This article was written by Mark Hay, a biology professor from Georgia Tech. he is investigating the coral seaweed relationship and competition in the coral reefs of  Viti Levu, Fiji. This village of Fiji was chosen for the site of a small lab because the  villagers that live in the area are proactive in, "establishing and protecting an area of their reef " which happens to be a Marine Protected Area. The coral reefs of the world are disappearing at a large rate. In twenty years the Great Barrier Reef in Australia  has lost about 50 percent of its coral and the Caribbean reef  which was covered by 50 to 60 percent of live coral is now depleted to 5 to 10 percent. The reefs are converted to  seaweed meadows that do not support biodiversity of species. This disappearance effects the villagers in a large way by losing fish (food security), protection from storm surges and even income from tourists. Along with this the article states growing environmental  issues such as: overfishing, global change, ocean acidification, pollution, coral disease.  Hay's work  can help the village to coexist in a way that preserves reef presence and function as well as the villages presence and function.