Living masterpieces
- POSTED ON: 4 Dec, 2020
- TOTAL VIEWS: 388 Views
- POSTED BY: Bhavya Venkatesh
- ARTICLE POINTS: 100 Points
Coral reefs are diverse and complex marine ecosystems. They are underwater structures formed by the skeletons of marine invertebrates known as coral “polyps”. When these creatures die, they shed their skeleton, on which new polyps grow. Over the years, this leads to an accumulation of layers and layers of corals, forming massive features called coral reefs.
Coral reefs are found all over the world’s oceans. They cover less than one percent of all the ocean floor in the world but are home to an estimated one million aquatic species that live in and around them.
There are generally four types of coral reefs. Can you unravel the below pictures while learning about each type?
1. Fringing reefs
This is the most common type of coral reef. They are formed along the shore. Located very close to land, they are separated from the shore by shallow and narrow lagoons. The Ningaloo Reef, which stretches along the western coast of Australia, is the largest fringing reef in the world.
2. Barrier reefs
Barrier reefs are similar to fringing reefs but are separated from the coastline by deep and wide lagoons, which form large expanses of water. An example is the Great Barrier Reef, located in the Coral Sea off the coast of Australia. It is the world’s largest coral reef system and is composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,300 kilometres.
3. Atolls
An atoll is a circular system of reefs with a lagoon in the centre. They are usually formed when islands that are surrounded by fringing reefs sink into the sea. The fringing reefs continue to grow, forming a circle with a lagoon inside. Atolls are common in the Pacific Ocean. Examples can be found in the Lakshadweep Islands, French Polynesia, the Maldives, Seychelles, and so on.
4. Patch reefs
Patch reefs are small, isolated reefs that are found in the sea. They can sometimes be found between fringing reefs and barrier reefs, or in an atoll. They rarely reach the surface of the water.
So, which stunning coral reef are you going to explore?
Photos: Wikimedia Commons