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Coral reef populations are declining at a rapid pace in the wake of climate change.

In the Florida Keys and the Caribbean, 80 percent of coral reefs have been wiped out during the past three decades. Due to the rapid decline in population, scientists predict that all Caribbean coral reefs could disappear in the next 20 years. In 2016, a warm spell attributed to El Niño and climate change, caused bleaching of one-third of the Great Barrier Reef (a 1,600 mile coral reef along the eastern coast of Australia, that is 5,000 to 10,000 years old). Though coral reefs make up less than 2 percent of the ocean floor, they support 25-40 percent of all the fish worldwide. This relationship provides economic and geological support to island communities through fishing and tourism and protects them from surging wave action during severe storms.

In honor of Earth Day, KCETLink is exploring coral reefs, one of the most valuable ecosystems on Earth. KCET and Link TV present a special installment of American television's longest running environmental investigative series "Earth Focus." Titled "Vanishing Coral," the episode uncovers the devastating effects of coral bleaching. Show less