-Coral reefs are among the oldest ecosystems on Earth.
-Coral reefs are the largest living structure on the planet.
-Although coral reefs cover less than 1% of the Earth’s surface, they are home to 25% of all marine fish species.
-500 million people rely on coral reefs for their food and livelihoods.
-Coral reefs form natural barriers that protect nearby shorelines from the eroding forces of the sea, thereby protecting coastal dwellings, agricultural land and beaches.
-Without the existence of coral reefs, parts of Florida would be under water.
-Coral reefs have been used in the treatment of cancer, HIV, cardiovascular diseases and ulcers.
-Corals' porous limestone skeletons have been used for human bone grafts.
-It is estimated that coral reefs provide $375 billion per year around the world in goods and services.
-If the present rate of destruction continues, 70% of the world's coral reefs will be destroyed by the year 2050.
source : http://www.nature.org/joinanddonate/rescuereef/explore/facts.html
Thursday, July 31, 2008
What are Corals Reefs anyway??
What are Corals Reefs?
-Coral reefs are actually aragonite which are carbonate mineral produced by living organisms, in marine waters with little or no nutrients in the water.
What if there are high nutrition levels in the marine water?
-High nutrient levels such as those found in runoff from agricultural areas can harm the reef by encouraging the growth of algae, thus contributing to crowding.
Accumulation of Skeletal Materials
-In most reefs, the predominant organisms are stony corals, colonial cnidarians that secrete an exoskeleton of calcium carbonate.
-The accumulation of skeletal material are broken and piled up by wave action and bioeroders produces a massive calcareous formation that supports the living corals and a great variety of other animal and plant life.
What are bioeroders?
-Bioeroders are erosions caused by hard ocean materials by living organisms by a number of mechanisms which can be caused by mollusks, polychaete worms, phoronids, sponges, crustaceans, echinoids, and fishes.
-It can occur on coastlines, on coral reefs, and on ships.
-Mechanisms of bioerosion include biotic boring, drilling, rasping, and scraping.
Where are corals specifically found.
-Corals are found both in temperate and tropical waters. Corals inhabit a wide range of habitats and regions.
-Shallow-water reefs are formed only in a zone extending at most from 30°N to 30°S of the equator.
-Tropical corals do not grow at depths of over 30 m (100 ft) and temperature has less of an affect on distribution of tropical corals but it is usually or generally accepted that they do not exist in water below 18 degrees celcius.
-Deep water corals can exist at greater depths and colder temperatures.
-Some of the solitary hard coral species are found in temperate and even in polar waters and live occur as far as 6000 meters below the surface of the water.
Coral reefs can take a variety of forms, defined in following:
-Fringing reef– a reef that is directly attached to a shore or borders it with an intervening shallow channel or lagoon.
-Barrier reef – a reef separated from a mainland or island shore by a deep lagoon.
-Patch reef – an isolated, often circular reef, usually within a lagoon or embayment.
-Apron reef – a short reef resembling a fringing reef, but more sloped; extending out and downward from a point or peninsular shore.
-Bank reef – a linear or semi-circular in outline, larger than a patch reef.
-Ribbon reef – a long, narrow, somewhat winding reef, usually associated with an atoll lagoon.
-Atoll reef – a more or less circular or continuous barrier reef extending all the way around a lagoon without a central island
-Table reef – an isolated reef, approaching an atoll type, but without a lagoon.
These are what some people thinks:
How does the coral reefs benefit us?
-They are part of a food chain involving the fishes and us, if they are wiped out or endangered, there would be lesser or no more food for the fishes and meaning lesser for us humans.
-Despite having lesser food, there would also be lesser species of corals for us to enjoy, admire or to research on.
-What if some of the corals have medicinal affects that might cure cancer or AIDs or maybe some corals known for their medicinal affects to cure people from fever or common flu, there would be lesser medicine and loss of beneficial cure.
-Coral reefs form natural barriers that protect nearby shorelines from the eroding forces of the sea, thereby protecting coastal dwellings, agricultural land and beaches. And if there was no coral reefs, parts of Florida would have already be under the ocean.
-Coral Reef is habitat of some species of marine animals and if the coral reefs are totally wiped out, there would be no place for the marine animals to live, even if they were to find one, the marine animals might not be able to adapt and die, become endangered or even on a long base scale , extinct!! So please save the corals!!!
source:wikipedia.org
-Coral reefs are actually aragonite which are carbonate mineral produced by living organisms, in marine waters with little or no nutrients in the water.
What if there are high nutrition levels in the marine water?
-High nutrient levels such as those found in runoff from agricultural areas can harm the reef by encouraging the growth of algae, thus contributing to crowding.
Accumulation of Skeletal Materials
-In most reefs, the predominant organisms are stony corals, colonial cnidarians that secrete an exoskeleton of calcium carbonate.
-The accumulation of skeletal material are broken and piled up by wave action and bioeroders produces a massive calcareous formation that supports the living corals and a great variety of other animal and plant life.
What are bioeroders?
-Bioeroders are erosions caused by hard ocean materials by living organisms by a number of mechanisms which can be caused by mollusks, polychaete worms, phoronids, sponges, crustaceans, echinoids, and fishes.
-It can occur on coastlines, on coral reefs, and on ships.
-Mechanisms of bioerosion include biotic boring, drilling, rasping, and scraping.
Where are corals specifically found.
-Corals are found both in temperate and tropical waters. Corals inhabit a wide range of habitats and regions.
-Shallow-water reefs are formed only in a zone extending at most from 30°N to 30°S of the equator.
-Tropical corals do not grow at depths of over 30 m (100 ft) and temperature has less of an affect on distribution of tropical corals but it is usually or generally accepted that they do not exist in water below 18 degrees celcius.
-Deep water corals can exist at greater depths and colder temperatures.
-Some of the solitary hard coral species are found in temperate and even in polar waters and live occur as far as 6000 meters below the surface of the water.
Coral reefs can take a variety of forms, defined in following:
-Fringing reef– a reef that is directly attached to a shore or borders it with an intervening shallow channel or lagoon.
-Barrier reef – a reef separated from a mainland or island shore by a deep lagoon.
-Patch reef – an isolated, often circular reef, usually within a lagoon or embayment.
-Apron reef – a short reef resembling a fringing reef, but more sloped; extending out and downward from a point or peninsular shore.
-Bank reef – a linear or semi-circular in outline, larger than a patch reef.
-Ribbon reef – a long, narrow, somewhat winding reef, usually associated with an atoll lagoon.
-Atoll reef – a more or less circular or continuous barrier reef extending all the way around a lagoon without a central island
-Table reef – an isolated reef, approaching an atoll type, but without a lagoon.
These are what some people thinks:
How does the coral reefs benefit us?
-They are part of a food chain involving the fishes and us, if they are wiped out or endangered, there would be lesser or no more food for the fishes and meaning lesser for us humans.
-Despite having lesser food, there would also be lesser species of corals for us to enjoy, admire or to research on.
-What if some of the corals have medicinal affects that might cure cancer or AIDs or maybe some corals known for their medicinal affects to cure people from fever or common flu, there would be lesser medicine and loss of beneficial cure.
-Coral reefs form natural barriers that protect nearby shorelines from the eroding forces of the sea, thereby protecting coastal dwellings, agricultural land and beaches. And if there was no coral reefs, parts of Florida would have already be under the ocean.
-Coral Reef is habitat of some species of marine animals and if the coral reefs are totally wiped out, there would be no place for the marine animals to live, even if they were to find one, the marine animals might not be able to adapt and die, become endangered or even on a long base scale , extinct!! So please save the corals!!!
source:wikipedia.org
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Information about corals. Their doom, their properties and their lives!
Something about Corals
-Thousands of corals exist worldwide.
-When the corals are growing , reefs provide structural habitats for hundreds to thousands of different vertebrate and invertebrate species.
Conditions for corals
-The water must be warm, clear, and saline for corals to live.
-These waters are almost always nutrient-poor as well.
- Physiologically and behaviorally, corals have evolved to take advantage of this unique environment and thrive there.
Hazards to Coral Reefs
-Coral reefs face numerous hazards and threats, when human populations and coastal pressures increase, reef resources are more heavily exploited, and many coral habitats continue to decline.
The affects dealt by human populations, coastal pressures, hazards and threats to the corals.
- 10 percent of all coral reefs are degraded beyond recovery.
-20 percent are in critical condition and may die within 10 to 20 years.
-Experts predict that if current pressures are allowed to continue unabated, 70 percent of the world’s coral reefs may die completely by 2050.
-Most scientists too believe that coral reef degradation occurs in response to both natural and human-caused stresses.
Some thoughts of people:
-Since there are thousands of corals existing worldwide, why should we care?
10 percent of all coral reefs are already degraded beyond recovery, 20% of the corals is in critical condition and will just die in within 10-20 years time. Experts have also predicted that 70% of the world’s coral reefs will wiped out completely by 2050 if current pressures are allowed to continue unabated.
(Meaning almost half of the population of corals has been affected and in the future the remaining of the population of the corals might also get wiped out. )
source : google.com
-Thousands of corals exist worldwide.
-When the corals are growing , reefs provide structural habitats for hundreds to thousands of different vertebrate and invertebrate species.
Conditions for corals
-The water must be warm, clear, and saline for corals to live.
-These waters are almost always nutrient-poor as well.
- Physiologically and behaviorally, corals have evolved to take advantage of this unique environment and thrive there.
Hazards to Coral Reefs
-Coral reefs face numerous hazards and threats, when human populations and coastal pressures increase, reef resources are more heavily exploited, and many coral habitats continue to decline.
The affects dealt by human populations, coastal pressures, hazards and threats to the corals.
- 10 percent of all coral reefs are degraded beyond recovery.
-20 percent are in critical condition and may die within 10 to 20 years.
-Experts predict that if current pressures are allowed to continue unabated, 70 percent of the world’s coral reefs may die completely by 2050.
-Most scientists too believe that coral reef degradation occurs in response to both natural and human-caused stresses.
Some thoughts of people:
-Since there are thousands of corals existing worldwide, why should we care?
10 percent of all coral reefs are already degraded beyond recovery, 20% of the corals is in critical condition and will just die in within 10-20 years time. Experts have also predicted that 70% of the world’s coral reefs will wiped out completely by 2050 if current pressures are allowed to continue unabated.
(Meaning almost half of the population of corals has been affected and in the future the remaining of the population of the corals might also get wiped out. )
source : google.com
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