Coral reef
hideCoral reefs are aragonite structures produced by living organisms, found in marine waters containing few nutrients. In most reefs, the predominant organisms are stony corals, colonial cnidarians that secrete an exoskeleton of calcium carbonate. The accumulation of skeletal material, broken and piled up by wave action and bioeroders, produces a calcareous formation that supports the living corals and a great variety of other animal and plant life.
Coral reefs most commonly live in tropical waters, but deep water and cold water corals exist on a much smaller scale.
Globally, coral reefs are under threat from climate change, ocean acidification, overuse of reef resources, and harmful land-use practices. High nutrient levels such as those found in runoff from agricultural areas can harm reefs by encouraging excess algae growth.
For more information about Coral reef, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with coral reefs
Caribbean, Gulf spared widespread coral damage
Nov 06, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Lower-than-feared sea temperatures this summer gave a break to fragile coral reefs across the Caribbean and the central Gulf of Mexico that were damaged in recent years, scientists said Thursday.
Coral reefs inspire rare consensus -- just save them
Nov 05, 2009 |
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One of the first set of studies to examine what tourists and recreation enthusiasts actually think about coral reef ecosystems suggests they are a rare exception to controversies over human use versus environmental ...
Corals 'could starve in high CO2'
Oct 05, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- As human activity pumps more and more carbon into the atmosphere, a new threat has emerged to the world's coral reefs - starvation.
Combining sun, sand and science in the Bahamas
Sep 29, 2009 |
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It is well known that people from all over the world come to the Bahamas to enjoy the pristine waters, spectacular coral reefs and great fishing. Tourism produces approximately 55 % of the gross domestic product ...
Hawaii researchers explore previously unseen coral
Sep 09, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Scientists over the past month explored coral reefs in the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands that until recently were considered too deep for scuba divers to reach.
Great Barrier Reef under serious threat: report
Sep 02, 2009 |
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Australia's Great Barrier Reef is in serious jeopardy as global warming and chemical runoff threaten to kill marine species and cause serious outbreaks of disease, a report warned Wednesday.
Protection plan deep-sea coral reefs considered
Aug 18, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Deep beneath the crystalline blue surface of the Atlantic Ocean off the southeastern U.S. lies a virtual rain forest of coral reefs so expansive the network is believed to be the world's largest.
Venomous sea snakes play heads or tails with their predators
Aug 06, 2009 |
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In a deadly game of heads or tails venomous sea snakes in the Pacific and Indian Oceans deceive their predators into believing they have two heads, claims research published today in Marine Ecology.
Hawaii protecting coral reefs with big fines
Aug 02, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Wrecking coral will cost you in Hawaii. A Maui tour company is paying the state nearly $400,000 for damaging more than 1,200 coral colonies when one of its boats sank at Molokini, a pristine reef and popular diving ...
Scientists to unlock Great Barrier Reef genome
Jul 30, 2009 |
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Australian scientists on Thursday announced a ground-breaking genome-mapping project that could help the Great Barrier Reef fight off the twin threats of climate change and toxic farm chemicals.
Humans 'damaging the oceans': research
Jul 29, 2009 |
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Mounting evidence that human activity is changing the world's oceans in profound and damaging ways is outlined in a new scientific discussion paper released today.
Overfishing and evolution
Jul 20, 2009 |
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Using snorkelers and SCUBA divers is not the best way to monitor fish populations, if we want to know the evolutionary effects of overfishing.
New research decodes the secret language of the sea
Jul 09, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Even parasite-eating fish recognise the benefits of good advertising, UQ research has found.
Coralline algae in the Mediterranean lost their tropical element between 5 and 7 million years ago
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Jul 07, 2009 |
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An international team of researchers has studied the coralline algae fossils that lived on the last coral reefs of the Mediterranean Sea between 7.24 and 5.3 million years ago. Mediterranean algae and coral ...
Loss of coastal seagrass habitat accelerating globally
Jun 29, 2009 |
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An international team of scientists warns that accelerating losses of seagrasses across the globe threaten the immediate health and long-term sustainability of coastal ecosystems. The team has compiled and analyzed the first ...
