New Study On Coral Reef Formations Lays To Rest Conflicting Theories
April Flowers for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online In the South Pacific, three types of coral reef island formations have fascinated geologists for ages. The coral of Tahiti forms a “fringing” reef, with a shelf growing close to the...
Latest Reef Stories
Brett Smith for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online When corals become stressed, they expel their symbiotic algae companions in a process known as “bleaching.” Corals can survive the bleaching, but it leaves them highly vulnerable and often results in die-off. As a changing climate threatens to bleach the corals of the world’s oceans on a massive scale, a team of researchers from Northwestern University has found that some corals facilitate bleaching through the light-scattering...
Series of cruises 'Down Under' feature 12 Collectors' Voyages and 10 itineraries SEATTLE, April 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Holland America Line's ms Oosterdam and ms Volendam will return to Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific islands for the 2013-14 season with a series of sailings that will visit more than 50 ports of call. During the voyages guests will have the opportunity to experience the region's incredible wildlife on land and in the sea, including Australia's legendary...
Brett Smith for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online Previous studies have shown that warming oceans and ocean acidification threaten to destroy the ocean’s coral reefs. Now, a new study from Australian researchers published in the journal Global Change Biology suggests that yet another threat could decimate these delicate ecosystems. “Our research shows that when seawater is both acidic and warm – which is predicted to happen under future climate scenarios – coral reefs could be...
[ Watch the Video: Picky Eater Fish Endanger Coral Reefs ] Peter Suciu for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online Few pet owners would expect their dog or cat to clean up the house, and anyone who has ever camped in places such as Yellowstone Park knows that bears can visit and will leave a campsite in worse shape than they found it. Fish on the other hand could actually be doing some good in cleaning up coral reefs. A recent study conducted in the Fiji Islands found that four species...
JUNO BEACH, Fla., Jan. 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Off the coast of St. Lucie County, divers and anglers can enjoy two new artificial reefs that were created through a donation of 130 concrete poles provided by Florida Power & Light Company (FPL). These new reefs, located east of Fort Pierce, are in addition to an artificial reef created in 2005 using FPL-donated material. To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click...
Lee Rannals for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online Scientists have discovered corals at Australia’s Great Barrier Reef at depths that were previously believed to be uninhabitable. A team of researchers with the University of Queensland's Seaview Survey has been working on a multi-year project to map out the Great Barrier Reef, and they recently announced that they have found corals in waters nearly as dark as night. The newly discovered corals sit at 410 feet below the surface at...
China’s coral reefs have suffered a devastating 80 per cent decline in recent decades, driven mainly by the country’s unrestrained economic development, according to a new international scientific study. The first comprehensive survey of the state of corals along mainland China and in the South China Sea reports a grim picture of decline, degradation and destruction resulting from coastal development, pollution and overfishing. A new study by Professor Terry Hughes and Matthew Young...
Lee Rannals for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online A new Endangered Species Act listings proposed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) would cover 66 coral species found in the Pacific and the Caribbean. NOAA said that in 2009, it received a petition to list 83 species of reef-building corals under the ESA from the Center for Biological Diversity. The organization found that the Center presented substantial information indicating a listing under the ESA may...
NEW YORK, Nov. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Artist Paul Hunt of Brooklyn, NY has launched a 30-day Kickstarter campaign which will run from November 27 through December 26. The purpose is to raise funds that will enable the completion of his multimedia installation art project. He hopes that his work will encourage people to gain an understanding of the importance of coral reefs, visit these impressive sea creatures for themselves, support programs that clean the ocean and influence...
Lawrence LeBlond for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral system in the world, so big that it can be seen from space, is one of the planet’s most remarkable natural wonders. But researchers from University of Queensland have now revealed this precious ecosystem is not faring so well. The problem: European settlement and extensive degradation on mainland Australia. The expansion of European settlement in Australia has been contributing...
Latest Reef 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...
Chalice Corals, are a family of stony corals in the Pectiniidae family. Members of this family are mostly colonial but at least one species, Echinomorpha nishihirai, is solitary. These corals are endemic to the Indian and Pacific oceans. Pectiniids have a number of different forms but are basically streamlined and smooth. Polyps are large and brightly colored and resemble those of members of the Mussidae family of corals. The polyps are only extended at night. Tentacles are translucent,...
Siderastreidae is a family of colonial, reef building stony corals. Members of this family include symbiotic algae in their tissues which help provide their energy requirements. The World Register of Marine Species lists 7 genera within this family: Anomastraea, Coscinaraea, Craterastrea, Horastrea, Psammocora, Pseudosiderastrea, and Siderastrea. Corals in this family vary in form and include massive, thickly encrusting, columnar, and irregular forms. Corallites are linked by flowing...
Horn corals, known as Rugosa or Tetracoralla, are an extinct order of coral that were abundant during the Middle Ordovician to Late Permian stages. They were known as horn corals because of a unique horn-shaped chamber with a wrinkled (rugose) wall. These mostly solitary corals often reached lengths of nearly 40 inches. However, some species could form large colonies. Rugose corals have a skeleton made up of calcite that is often fossilized. Like modern corals, rugose corals were...
Tabulata is a family of extinct tabulate corals. These corals lived entirely during the Paleozoic era, being found from the Ordovician to the Permian stages. There are about 300 known genera of tabulate corals, of which Aulopora, Favosites, Halysites, Heliolites, Pleurodictyum, Sarcinula and Syringopora are the most common in the fossil record. These corals were mostly found in the shallow waters of the Silurian and Devonian, after which, they became much less common. They became extinct...
