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1. Natural causes may be due to the outbreak of reef destroying mechanisms, “bleaching” and depletion of essential symbiotants.
2. Anthrogenic causes - may be due to chemical pollution (pesticides, cosmetics, etc), industrial pollution, mechanical damage, nutrient loading or sediment loading, Dredging, shipping, tourism, mining or
collection, thermal pollution, intensive fishimg,etc.
♤ Coral reef ecosystems world-wide have been subject to unprecedented degradation over the past few decades. Disturbances affecting coral reefs include anthropogenic and natural events. Recent accelerated coral reef decline seems to be related mostly to anthropogenic impacts (overexploitation, overfishing, increased sedimentation and nutrient overloading. Natural disturbances which cause damage to coral reefs include violent storms, flooding, high and low temperature extremes, El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events, subaerial exposures, predatory outbreaks and epizootics.
♤ Coral reef bleaching is a common stress response of corals to many of the various disturbances mentioned above.