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Coral Reefs

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Coral Reefs By: Alica Majercinova Geography 12 What is Coral Corals are tiny animals, called polyps Each coral has a stony cup of limestone around itself as a ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Coral Reefs


1
Coral Reefs
  • By Alica Majercinova
  • Geography 12

2
What is Coral
  • Corals are tiny animals, called polyps
  • Each coral has a stony cup of limestone around
    itself as a skeleton
  • As they grow, the polyps divide and form coral
    colonies
  • These colonies build up on top of each other and
    form coral reefs
  • These reefs are found in warm
  • tropical waters mostly between the
  • Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn

3
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4
Why is Coral Important
  • Coral reefs are considered to be one of the most
    beautiful, natural habitats in the world
  • They are homes to large numbers of different
    species both plants and animals
  • More species of fish are found on reefs than
    anywhere else in the ocean, ranging from large
    sharks to tiny gobies

5
Why is Coral Important
  • These animals provide much of the local food and
    new medication
  • They have the second greatest diversity of
    species after the tropical rainforests
  • Important for tourism and local economy
  • They provide costal protection

6
Types of Reefs
  • Fringing or Apron reefs
  • Barrier reefs
  • Atoll reefs
  • Patch reefs
  • Ribbon reefs
  • Table reefs
  • Bank reefs

7
Fringing (Apron) Reefs
  • They lie around islands and they are attached
    directly to the shore
  • It is separated from the shore by narrow shallow
    lagoons which usually have a sandy bottom and
    sometimes sea grasses
  • Shorter fringing reefs that are more sloped are
    often called apron reefs

8
Barrier Reefs
  • They grow on the edge of continental shelves and
    are not attached to the shore
  • It is separated from the mainland by deep and
    wide lagoons
  • These reefs are the largest in the world and
    include the Great Barrier Reef in Australia,
    which is about 2000 km long, and the Belize
    Barrier Reef in the Caribbean

9
Atoll Reefs
  • Atolls form when islands (usually the tops of
    underwater volcanoes) surrounded by fringing
    reefs sink into the sea or when sea level rises
    around them
  • The fringing reefs keep growing and eventually
    form circles with lagoons inside
  • Most atolls are found in the Pacific, some in the
    Indian Ocean and a few in the Caribbean

10
Patch Reefs
  • They are much like barrier reefs but form small
    patches of coral reefs instead of one large piece
  • Patch reefs are often circularly shaped and
    surrounded by a lagoon

11
Ribbon Reefs
  • These reefs are fairly winding
  • Most ribbon reefs are thin and long
  • They are usually connected to an atoll lagoon

12
Table Reefs
  • A small, isolated organic reef which has a flat
    top
  • They are future atolls but they are not yet
    connected to a lagoon.

13
Bank Reefs
  • Look like the patch reefs but they are larger
  • Often have a hemispherical shape

14
Coral Reefs are Threatened
  • They are one of the worlds least protected
    natural habitats
  • Nearly 60 of the worlds's coral reefs are
    threatened by human activity
  • ranging from coastal development,
    overexploration, overfishing, and inland
    pollution

15
Causes
  • Climate change and global warming
  • Pollution
  • Sedimentation
  • Toxic runoff

16
Impacts
  • Coral bleaching is caused by increased water
    temperatures
  • Coral is completely dependent on zooxanthellae,
    which is a microscopic algae that lives in the
    coral tissue and provides it with most of its
    nutrients
  • The coral expels its microscopic algae that is
    responsible for its color
  • The coral cant get nutrients easily without its
    algae and dies

17
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18
Impacts
  • Sedimentation is when sediment from rivers and
    large amounts of erosion flow into the sea and
    carry the pollutants and fertilizers from the
    farms and factories
  • This sediment covers the coral reefs and affects
    the coral itself and all the species
  • Overuse of fertilizers adds nitrogen to the ocean
    and increases algae growth, which takes oxygen
    and blocks coral from sunlight

19
Impacts
  • Runoff has a very dangerous impact on the reefs
  • The waste that runs into the oceans from
    industries and farms contains toxic chemicals
    that can weaken and kill coral and other
    organisms
  • An increase in chlorophyll in the water leads to
    a larger crown-of-thorns starfish population
  • This type of starfish eats the coral and can do
    very much damage

20
Why is This a Problem
  • The natural habitat is being destroyed having a
    large impact all over the world
  • Most of the species are threatened
  • The local economy, costal development and tourism
    is at risk
  • The medication that is only made from coral might
    not be available in the future-marine species are
    a major focus for new cancer research

21
What Can be Done?
  • creating marine parks that, in turn, create new
    jobs
  • treating sewage before it reaches the reefs
  • well-managed marine protected areas system is one
    of the most effective ways for assuring healthy
    reefs, while generating tourism with good
    business and maintaining the nearby fisheries.

22
I Think
  • Coral reefs are very important and it is up to us
    to decide if we want the coral reefs to survive
  • We all need to contribute by just a little to
    make a big difference

23
The End
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