Global warming and widespread coral mortality: Evidence of first coral reef extinctions

Abstract

Coral reefs cover 255,000 square kilometers of the earth's surface (Spalding and Grenfell, 1997) and likely harbor more than a million species globally, perhaps as many as 3 million (Reaka-Kudla, 1997; Small et al., 1998). Coral reefs benefit humankind in numerous ways. They provide ecosystem services and advantages to tropical human communities, including coastal protection, nurseries and sources of nutrition for fisheries, tourism, and great stores of genetic material and species (biodiversity). In addition, a less tangible benefit relates to the esthetics of coral reefs-the sheer beauty and wonders of these diverse ecosystems offer inspiration to lay persons and scientific investigators alike.