Coastal Protection: Terrestrial animals and human communities rely on coral reefs to serve as natural barriers against erosion, waves and storms (EPA). With ocean acidification eroding coral reefs and the sea floor, coastal protection will be weakened. A study of five reef systems in the Florida Keys, Hawaii and US Virgin Islands projected that by 2100 reef erosion due to several factors, including ocean acidification, could increase water depths by two to eight times more than what has been predicted from sea level rise alone (USGS). Coral reefs are part of coastal protection, and without them the coast will be more prone to disintegrate, possibly displacing communities that live there and harming their livelihoods.
