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| | | Coral Reefs |
Maintained by WRI |
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Text-only Printer-friendly version
| | What is a coral reef? | | |  Coral reefs are biogenic structures that are ancient even by geological standards; the oldest species of corals are 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. The new book "Reefs at Risk. Revisited" 2010 is now available.
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| | | Title | NOAA Reef Glossary
( WEBSITE )
| | Description | This glossary contains nearly 3,000 technical terms, with their definitions, explanations, and illustrative materials where apropos. The aim of the CoRIS glossary is to help the student or layperson, as well as the professional scientist and manager, to understand the complex language and terminology of coral reef ecosystem science when accessing any part of the NOAA Coral Reef Information System (CoRIS), including the scientific and technical literature and data. Habitats and communities adjacent to the coral reefs, such as sea grass meadows, mangrove forests and associated hard and soft substrate habitats are included within the scope of the coral reef ecosystem. The glossary contains terms concerned with ecology, biogeography, evolution, taxonomy, morphology, physiology, cell and molecular biology, genetics, mapping, development, fisheries, oceanography, geosciences, conservation programs, remote-sensing, physics, chemistry, and data and information management. | | Keywords |  CORAL REEF; GLOSSARY | | Geography Keywords | GLOBAL | | Content Language(s) | English | | Web Address (URL) | http://www.coris.noaa.gov/glossary/welcome.html | |
| Type of Website | Online encyclopedia | |
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| Related to Topics | Coral Reefs
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979 Topics - 5229 Related Knowledge - 11257 Members - 47 Editors |
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