Status of Caribbean Coral Reefs after Bleaching and Hurricanes in 2005 -

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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

Status of Caribbean Coral Reefs after Bleaching and Hurricanes in 2005 ( BOOK )

Author(s) / Editor(s)

Wilkinson,C.;

Souter,D.(eds)

Description

This book, Status of Caribbean Coral Reefs after Bleaching and Hurricanes in 2005, documents the devastating effects on coral reefs from the hottest year on record with its very high sea surface temperatures and record hurricane activity throughout the Caribbean and Atlantic basins. The development of this report has brought together 71 coral reef scientists and managers, predominantly from developing countries, to catalogue the impacts of the warming and storms during 2005 and subsequently in 2006. This detailed information is valuable for environmental managers and supporting agencies.
Available as a free pdf download (10.24 MB).

Keywords

CARIBBEAN;

CORAL REEF;

HURRICANES;

BLEACHING

Geography Keywords

CARIBBEAN

Content Language(s)

English

Web Address

http://www.iyor.org/PDF/GCRMN.pdf

Type of Book