Bunfight at the OK Coral

It has been suggested that environmental changes will lead to the extinction of many important coral species within the next 50 years (http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2011/jan/11/worlds-most-important-corals). This is a serious problem as much of the ocean's biodiversity is located within coral reefs (much of this life is of great economic importance- quite apart from being photogenic and a powerful ecotourism pull factor). In deed, it has also be claimed that reefs per se may cease to exist by 2100. Specifying in years is a way of generating an impactful headline (and perhaps generating funding) but it is not an exact science.