【龙腾网】如果所有的珊瑚礁消失了的话会发生什么?

What if all the coral reefs disappeared?

如果所有的珊瑚礁消失了的话会发生什么?

The beautiful turquoise waters of the Caribbean, the South Pacific and other oceans have become popular travel destinations for scuba divers and snorkelers partly because of the variety of fish drawn to the coral reefs in these areas.

拥有美丽的、蓝绿色的海水的加勒比海、南太平洋和其它大洋已经成为了受潜水爱好者们的旅行目的地，因为那里有丰富多样的鱼类何美丽的珊瑚礁。

So what is coral? A living creature, coral can be hard or soft. The coral reefs that we see in the oceans are formed by colonies of little critters called coral polyps, distant relatives of sea anemones and jellyfish. Hard coral is made when coral polyps extract calcium from seawater and turn it into external limestone shelters. Other coral polyps convert the calcium into internal skeletons and create soft corals. And when many colonies of coral polyps get together and create a larger home, we call it a coral reef [source: Teach].

那么什么是珊瑚呢？作为一种活着的生物，珊瑚可以是硬的也可以是软的。我们在大洋中看到的珊瑚礁是由很多小小的珊瑚虫构成的，它们是海葵和水母的远亲。硬珊瑚的形成是因为珊瑚虫从海水中提取出了钙，然后将其转变成了自己外部的石灰石保护层。其它的珊瑚虫将钙转变为了自己身体内部的骨骼，孕育出了软珊瑚。当许多这些珊瑚虫的“居所”聚集到一起后，就形成了它们的更大的家，我们把这叫做珊瑚礁。

Not only do coral reefs draw snorkelers and divers, but they also support the highest marine biodiversity in the world. While they cover less than 1 percent — and falling — of the Earth's surface, coral reefs are vital to more than 500 million people who depend on them for food, jobs and recreation — with an estimated economic impact of $375 billion a year [source: IUCN Coral].

珊瑚礁不仅仅吸引着潜水爱好者们，而且对于维持世界海洋生物多样性起着重要的作用。珊瑚礁的分布总面积不到地球表面面积的1%，但是它对于依赖它获取食物、工作和进行休闲娱乐的5亿多人来说是至关重要的。

This what-if question is not some farfetched scenario. The threats to coral and coral reefs — which include climate change, pollution, coastal development, fishing and the creation of jewelry and souvenirs — are very real. In fact, live, growing coral on Caribbean reefs has declined to just 8 percent of the reefs' composition, compared with more than 50 percent in the 1970s [source: IUCN Facts].

这个“如果怎么样就会怎么样呢”的问题不是一个遥不可及的问题。珊瑚和珊瑚礁所面临的威胁包括了气候变化、污染、海岸开发、渔业发展和珠宝、纪念品等的创造等等，这些威胁是真实存在的。事实上，加勒比海的珊瑚礁上的活着的、正在生长的珊瑚虫面积已经锐减至珊瑚礁面积的8%，在20世纪70年代的时候，这一数字高达50%以上。

So what happens if the coral reefs vanish completely? Some experts predict hunger, poverty and political instability as the livelihoods of the peoples of entire countries disappear. Once the coral is dead, the reefs will also die and erode, destroying important marine life spawning and feeding grounds. Animals that rely on coral for protection and cover, such as grouper, snapper, oysters and clams, would also be negatively impacted. And because this marine life is a vital staple in many peoples' diets, the death of the coral reefs would exacerbate the problem of feeding these groups [source: Skoloff].

那么如果珊瑚礁完全消亡的话会发生什么事情呢？一些专家预测会发生饥饿、贫穷和政治不稳定，所有国家的人的生计来源都会丧失殆尽。珊瑚一旦死去，珊瑚礁也会死亡和消失，继而破坏掉海洋生物的产卵和觅食地。那些依赖珊瑚礁庇护的海洋生物，比如石斑鱼、甲鱼、牡蛎和蚌类等，都会受到消极的影响。海洋生物是许多人餐桌上的主要菜品，珊瑚礁的死亡对这些饮食爱好者而言是晴天霹雳。

The ocean fishing industry, which employs 38 million people worldwide, would collapse. Caribbean island nations that depend on tourism dollars would see those disappear. Finally, the health of people around the world, not just in coral reef areas, would suffer, since coral is used in many medicines [source: Skoloff].

海洋渔业给世界上的3800万人创造了就业机会，而这个产业将会毁灭。加勒比海的依赖从旅游业赚取美钞的岛国将会失去经济的主要来源。最终，全人类的健康会面临威胁，不仅仅是对于那些生活在珊瑚礁地区的人来说，要知道，珊瑚在医药领域被广为使用。

And these are just the results that scientists can predict with near certainty — though many point out they can't predict everything that might happen if the coral reefs disappear. The disruption to the food chain and biodiversity of the oceans could lead to additional problems that we can't begin to fathom.

这些只是科学家们比较拿的准的预测的结果，很多人指出这些科学家并不能准确地预测出在珊瑚礁消失后会发生的所有的事。海洋生态系统食物链的断裂和生物多样性的减少会导致我们无法理解的附加问题的产生。

There are actions we can take to help maintain coral reefs. Many offer other benefits to the environment, such as using alternative means of transportation like walking or biking, which decreases the use of pollutants like oil and gas; volunteering with beach and reef cleanup organizations; and reducing the use of pesticides and fertilizers that can end up in oceans [source: Bardroff]. So with a little awareness and a commitment to conscientious choices, you can help keep coral — and the biodiversity coral nurtures — around for the next generations to enjoy.

有一些举措能够有助于保护珊瑚礁。这当中有许多条能够给环境保护带来好处，比如在交通出行方面选择步行和骑自行车、减少石油和汽油等污染物的使用，组织志愿者来清扫海滩和珊瑚礁，减少杀虫剂和化肥的使用，因为这些物质最终会流向海洋。只要你有一点点意识、一点点出自于良心的责任感，你就能够在保护珊瑚和靠珊瑚养育的生物的多样性方面做出贡献，这样我们的下一代才能继续看到美丽的珊瑚和美好的世界。