Latest Coral reefs Stories
A team of researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology is using the Aquarius underwater laboratory off the coast of Florida to study how the diversity of seaweed-eating fish affects endangered coral reefs. The research mission, which began Sept. 13, may provide new information to help scientists protect and even restore damaged coral reefs in the Caribbean. Led by Mark Hay, a Georgia Tech professor of biology, the 10-day mission includes two Ph.D. students and a postdoctoral...
Earthquake underscores need for conservation planning to take into account infrequent natural disasters Earth's coral reefs have not been faring well in recent decades, facing multiple threats from pollution, disease, elevated water temperatures, and overfishing. Often referred to as the "rainforests of the Sea," coral reefs support a wide variety of marine life, help protect shorelines, and contribute significantly to tourism and the fishing industry. A new study looks at a rare but...
Vital clues to coral reef recovery have been identified in a remarkable research project in which three scientists labored to hand-build 30 coral reefs from hundreds of tons of rock and gravel. Working in a shallow, sandy area of Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea, the team constructed their artificial reefs over several weeks, with just a boat and their bare hands, to find out whether it is possible to rescue a damaged coral reef from obliteration and restore its richness. “When a...
Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has been rising due to the burning of fossil fuels. Increased absorption of this carbon by the oceans is lowering the seawater pH (the scale which measures how acidic or basic a substance is) and aragonite saturation state in a process known as ocean acidification. Aragonite is the mineral form of calcium carbonate that is laid down by corals to build their hard skeleton. Researchers...
The record-breaking cold weather experienced in Florida last year resulted in large losses among coral reef species, researchers from the University of Miami have discovered. Reporting in this month's edition of the journal PLoS One, scientists at the school's Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science discovered a "catastrophic loss of corals within the Florida Reef Tract, which spans 160 miles (260 kilometers) from Miami to the Dry Tortugas and is the only living barrier...
US researchers said on Wednesday that human sewage is causing a disease that is killing elkhorn coral. This coral was listed as endangered several years ago due to a massive die off. The coral lives in waters off south Florida and the Bahamas and was once the most prevalent in the Caribbean but has been vanishing due to white pox disease, caused by the bacterium Serratia marcescens that is found in human and animal waste. Researchers analyzed bacteria from a wastewater treatment facility...
TAU researcher discovers that endangered soft corals are also building blocks of coral reefs Scientists have long believed soft corals, one of the many endangered elements of marine life, are only minor contributors to the structure of coral reefs. But that's not true, says new research from Tel Aviv University "” and the preservation of soft corals is essential to the health of our seas. Joint research by Tel Aviv University and the Academia Sinica, the National Museum of Natural...
Wildlife Conservation Society leads global assessment showing where climate stresses on reef systems will be and places to focus management Marine researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society and other groups have created a map of the world's corals and their exposure to stress factors, including high temperatures, ultra-violet radiation, weather systems, sedimentation, as well as stress-reducing factors such as temperature variability and tidal dynamics.The study, say the authors, will...
Last month, NOAA scientists used acoustic sonar to map several areas of the outer continental shelf edge off the coast of Florida. The team, on the latest mission of the research expedition "Extreme Corals 2011," found and explored new coral mounds north of the Oculina Bank. With the help of a remotely operated vehicle"”basically, an underwater robot"”the team determined that the nearly 100 deep-sea coral mounds are Oculina varicosa. This is a branching stony coral species that builds...
Climate change and acidifying ocean water are likely to have a highly variable impact on the world's coral reefs, in space, time and diversity, international coral scientists cautioned recently.The picture that is emerging from studies of past coral extinctions and present impacts on today's reef systems is complex and subtle and will demand much more sophisticated management to preserve reefs intact, the team of scientists said in a paper in the international journal Science."New research...
Latest Coral reefs Reference Libraries
Coral reefs are submerged structures consisting of calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of small animals found in marine waters that enclose few nutrients. The majority of coral reefs are constructed from stony corals, which then consist of polyps that come together in groups. The polyps are like small sea anemones, to which they are very closely related. Unlike the sea anemones, coral polyps secrete hard carbonate exoskeletons which provide support and protections...
Knotted Fan Coral, (Melithaea ochracea), is a species of colonial soft coral that is found in tree-like fans on shallow reefs in the South China Sea between Taiwan and Indonesia, including Singapore and Malaysia. In Taiwan, it is the most widespread coral in its family Gorgonacea. It is found on the higher parts of reef fronts where its numerous small polyps can feed at water flow rates varying from 1.6 to 16 inches per second. This species usually grow to about 8 inches in length, with...
Leaf Plate Montipora, (Montipora capricornis), also known as Vase Coral, Cap Coral, or simply Montipora, is a species of stony coral found in the Indian and Pacific oceans. It is also found in reefs in the Red Sea. It usually inhabits the top half of the reef where photosynthesis can occur. It branches out from the foundation into an area with adequate sunlight. This species forms flat, plating colonies. The colonies expand by adding to their foundations and further spreading out....
Nephtheidae is a family of soft corals known as carnation corals, tree corals or colt soft corals. These corals are very striking and show a wide range of rich colors including red, pink, yellow and purple. These corals are mainly tree-like in that they branch out and have little knobs on the end of their rubbery branches. Another name given these animals are broccoli corals, due to the fact that their polyps retract in the daytime, giving them the resemblance of the vegetable. The polyps...
Fungia scutaria is a species of mushroom coral in the family Fungiidae. It is found in the Indo-Pacific oceanic region. It occurs on upper reef slopes especially where there is considerable water movement. It is typically found on sand beds or coral fragments. It lives as a single individual rather than as a colony and is detached from the seabed. It has an elongated shape and can grow quite large. The polyp can be up to 6.7 inches long and is embedded in a cup-shaped hollow known as a...
