 They also found that as the southernmost part of the reef receives the most sun, it is also the area that the sea life uses to make their food.Since its discovery, multiple environmental threats to the reef's ecosystem have been identified, including pollution and overfishing, and rising ocean acidification and temperature as a result of recent acceleration in climate change, which also affects various reefs around the world.A more immediate threat, however, are the numerous oil exploration projects operating nearby or on the reef itself.