A Reef in Time. The Great Barrier Reef from Beginning to End -

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Coral Reefs

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What is a coral reef?

Coral reefs are biogenic structures that are ancient even by geological standards; the oldest species of corals is over 450 million years old. The spectacular longevity of corals is a testament to the adaptability of the coral animal, as it has survived gradual but radical climatic and geologic changes during their long tenure on earth. The reef structure itself is the product of biologically mediated calcium carbonate production of the small, individual coral polyp. Text courtesy of IOC See More...

Photo title: Corals

Photo credit: NOAA

The coral reef ecosystem

Coral reefs flourish in shallow, tropical waters that are clear and nutrient poor (oligotrophic). "Occurring almost exclusively between 30 deg N and 30 deg S, they are concentrated in four large tracts: the Red Sea and the western Indian Ocean, the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean, the south Pacific Ocean, and the Caribbean Sea and western Atlantic Ocean " (Coral World, National Geographic, 2000). Despite the oligotrophic waters, coral reefs create a highly productive, and very efficient, ecosystem. From the photosynthetic algae that live symbiotically within the coral polyps, to the sharks that hunt fish along the reefs, coral reefs support an extremely biodiverse community of marine life. Text courtesy of IOC See More...

Photo title: Coral reef

Photo credit: NOAA

Threats to Coral Reefs

Although coral reefs have survived in the earth's oceans for over 450 million years, they remain highly sensitive to rapid climatic changes and anthropogenic pressures. Presently, the biggest threats to coral health are: global warming, and corresponding sea level and sea temperature rise (which can result in coral bleaching), sedimentation and pollution, overfishing and unsustainable and destructive extraction techniques. Furthermore, coral reefs are very valuable not only ecologically, but to the human population as well. Text courtesy of IOC. See More...

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Institutional Contact (2)

Title

A Reef in Time. The Great Barrier Reef from Beginning to End ( BOOK )

Author(s) / Editor(s)

Veron,J.E.N.

Description

Like many coral specialists fifteen years ago, J. E. N. Veron, the former Chief Scientist at the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), thought Australia's Great Barrier Reef was impervious to climate change. "Owned by a prosperous country and accorded the protection it deserves, it would surely not go the way of the Amazon rain forest or the parklands of Africa, but would endure forever. That is what I thought once, but I think it no longer." This book is Veron's Silent Spring for the world's coral reefs.
Veron presents the geological history of the reef, the biology of coral reef ecosystems, and a primer on what we know about climate change. He concludes that the Great Barrier Reef and, indeed, most coral reefs will be dead from mass bleaching and irreversible acidification within the coming century unless greenhouse gas emissions are curbed. If we don't have the political will to confront the plight of the world's reefs, he argues, current processes already in motion will become unstoppable, bringing on a mass extinction the world has not seen for 65 million years.
Our species has cracked its own genetic code and sent representatives of its kind to the moon--we can certainly save the world's reefs if we want to. But to achieve this goal, we must devote scientific expertise and political muscle to the development of green technologies that will dramatically reduce greenhouse emissions and reverse acidification of the oceans. (taken from Harvard University Press)

Keywords

GEOLOGY;

Geography Keywords

AUSTRALIA;

GREAT BARRIER REEF

Content Language(s)

English