Coral reefs in Southeast Asia blunt tsunami's
03 Dec 2018
As coral reefs are dying from rising ocean temperatures, increasing ocean acidity, and direct
human damage, their importance to local communities can no longer be ignored. Consider the
2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. In Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka, where offshore coral reefs are protected
through a marine park, the damage extended only 50 meters inland. In nearby Peraliya, where coral
mining had degraded the reefs, the damage extended 1.5 kilometers inland. A recent study suggests
that, compared to a dead coral reef, a healthy coral reef provides communities up to 2 times more
protection from natural hazards like tsunamis.