Geo 5 ucla coral reefs
The three last or smallest reefs from this list are measured by area due to their unusual shapes. As many barrier reefs are long ovals, most coral reefs are measured by length. The following is a list of the world’s nine largest coral reefs in order of size. Bleaching, the whitening and deterioration of a coral reef, occurs when the colorful algae that inhabit polyps leave their coral homes most often due to increasing water temperature and/or acidity. Ideally a coral reef manager will perform a detailed baseline survey that includes many measures or parameters that may or may not change over time. Water properties such as temperature and chemical composition tend to dictate the health of a reef. Each sedentary animal that is part of a reef possesses a hard exoskeleton that contributes to its strength and rock-like appearance, but it is the algae beneath the surface that gives each polyp its color.Ĭoral reefs vary greatly in size and type, but all are highly sensitive to changes in the water.
Algae, which live protected in coral polyps, make much of the food consumed by a reef. This hard substance is also found in many rocks and minerals.Ĭorals and algae have a mutually beneficial or symbiotic relationship. These sessile or immobile creatures cluster with other corals to form colonies and bind themselves together to form a reef by secreting calcium carbonate. Polyps are small marine invertebrates that are unable to move. As you will read, the Great Barrier Reef is the largest in the world by both length and area.Ī coral reef is a submerged oceanic structure made of many different polyps.
Nearly all of the world’s coral reefs, particularly the largest reefs, are located in the tropics. Covering only about one percent of the ocean floor, reefs are home to an estimated 25 percent of the world's marine species, from fish to sponges.