Nothing Special   »   [go: up one dir, main page]
Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 48 views

    Coral Leef

    Uploaded by

    Deepraj Verma
    Small colonies of coral polyps bind together through calcium carbonate to form coral reefs, which comprise just 0.1% of the ocean's surface but are home to 25% of marine species. Coral reefs are most commonly found in shallow, clear, tropical waters less than 150 feet deep. There are three main types of coral reefs: fringing reefs which form around islands, atolls which are ring-shaped reefs surrounding a central lagoon, and barrier reefs which are the largest and form off coastlines. Coral reefs provide important habitat for marine life and help protect coastlines from waves and storms.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Coral Leef

    Uploaded by

    Deepraj Verma
    48 views2 pages
    Small colonies of coral polyps bind together through calcium carbonate to form coral reefs, which comprise just 0.1% of the ocean's surface but are home to 25% of marine species. Coral reefs are most commonly found in shallow, clear, tropical waters less than 150 feet deep. There are three main types of coral reefs: fringing reefs which form around islands, atolls which are ring-shaped reefs surrounding a central lagoon, and barrier reefs which are the largest and form off coastlines. Coral reefs provide important habitat for marine life and help protect coastlines from waves and storms.

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Small colonies of coral polyps bind together through calcium carbonate to form coral reefs, which comprise just 0.1% of the ocean's surface but are home to 25% of marine species. Coral reefs are most commonly found in shallow, clear, tropical waters less than 150 feet deep. There are three main types of coral reefs: fringing reefs which form around islands, atolls which are ring-shaped reefs surrounding a central lagoon, and barrier reefs which are the largest and form off coastlines. Coral reefs provide important habitat for marine life and help protect coastlines from waves and storms.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    48 views2 pages

    Coral Leef

    Uploaded by

    Deepraj Verma
    Small colonies of coral polyps bind together through calcium carbonate to form coral reefs, which comprise just 0.1% of the ocean's surface but are home to 25% of marine species. Coral reefs are most commonly found in shallow, clear, tropical waters less than 150 feet deep. There are three main types of coral reefs: fringing reefs which form around islands, atolls which are ring-shaped reefs surrounding a central lagoon, and barrier reefs which are the largest and form off coastlines. Coral reefs provide important habitat for marine life and help protect coastlines from waves and storms.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    You are on page 1of 2

    Small colonies of living animals called coral reefs can be found in seas.

    Coral polyps are bound


    together by calcium carbonate to build underwater structures. In addition to being referred to as
    the ocean's tropical rainforest, coral reefs comprise just 0.1 percent of the ocean's surface yet
    are home to 25% of marine species. In shallow waters less than 150 feet deep, they are most
    commonly encountered. Some coral reefs, on the other hand, reach depths of up to 450 feet.On
    the calcium carbonate exoskeletons of its predecessors, coral polyp is a single coral. Although
    coral reefs may be found in all seas, they are most abundant in the clear, shallow waters of the
    tropics and subtropics, where they can grow to enormous sizes. The Great Barrier Reef in
    Australia, the world's biggest coral reef system, is 1,500 miles long.

    Important factors affecting Coral Reefs:

    1. As a general rule, the water temperature should not be lower than 20°C. Coral reefs develop
    best at temperatures between 23°C and 25°C. There should be a maximum temperature of 35
    degrees Celsius.
    2. Salinity levels between 27 and 40 percent are required for corals to thrive.
    3. In shallow water, less than 50 metres deep, coral reefs develop better. There should be a
    maximum depth of no more than 200m.

    Types of Coral Reefs :


    According to their structure, nature, and manner of occurrence, coral reefs fall into three types.

    1.FRINGING CORAL REEFS:


    Fringing coral reefs are coral reefs that form a shallow lagoon known as the Boat Channel.
    Fragmentary reef systems form in shallow waters around islands and continental edges of the
    ocean. Their seaward side slopes sharply into the deep sea as they rise from the ocean's deep
    bottom. Of the three types of coral reefs, the fringe reefs are the most prevalent. For example,
    Sakau Island in the New Hebrides, or the South Florida Reef in the Bahamas.

    2. Atolls:
    As a reef that is generally round and surrounds a big central lagoon, atolls can be described.
    With a depth of 80150 metres, this lagoon is primarily deep and secluded. In an elliptical
    pattern, atolls are located away from deep sea platforms and are found surrounding islands or
    on undersea platforms. In the Maldives, for example, Suvadivo Atoll and Funafoothis Atoll of
    Ellice.

    3. Barrier Reef:
    Barrier reefs are the biggest, tallest, and broadest of the three types of coral reefs found in the
    world. Developing in an uneven ring, they are found off the coast. In addition to covering
    100kms in length, they are many km broad. Among the many examples of a barrier reef is
    Australia's Great Barrier Reef, which extends 1,200 miles in length.

    Importance of Coral Reefs:

    1.Wave activity and tropical storms may cause serious damage to coasts.
    2.Coral reefs are also important markers of the health of the world's ecosystems. In the event
    that climate change is not quickly handled, they serve as an early warning sign of what may
    happen to other less sensitive systems, such as river deltas.
    3.Coral reefs are also vital to the fishing sector. In this area, many fish breed, and juvenile fish
    spend time there before venturing out into the wide ocean. Over 1.5 billion dollars are generated
    yearly by the Great Barrier Reef for the Australian economy. India's Coral Reef Palk Bay is a
    fishing and tourism hotspot.
    4.Coral reef research is crucial for establishing reliable climate records during the past million
    years.
    5. In addition to providing habitat, they also provide as a refuge for a wide variety of marine life.
    Among other vital nutrients, they are the source of nitrogen in the marine food webs. Assist in
    the fixation of carbon dioxide and nitrogen They aid in the recycling of nutrients.They

    You might also like