10 Interesting Facts about Coral Reef

What pop up in your mind when we talk facts about Coral Reef? A beautiful and colorful ecosystem will be the first thing appears in your head. Coral Reef is a diverse underwater ecosystems built by colonies of extremely small animals live in marine waters. To know more about the coral reef, here are ten interesting facts about it.

Facts about Coral Reef 1: Materials

Like its name, the coral reef is made up of coral skeletons. It is mostly made from intact coral colonies. The combination of calcium carbonat deposits, shell fragments, remains of calcareous algae also formed the coral reef.

Facts about Coral Reef 2: Types

There are three types of principal reef; Fringing reef, Barrier reef and Atoll reef. The fringing reef directly attached to a shore. While, Barrier reef separated from a mainland or island shore by a deep channel or lagoon. The last type Atoll reef is more or less circular or continuous barrier reef extends all the way around a lagoon without a central island.

Facts about Coral Reef 3: Zones

There are three major zones of coral reef are recognized; the Fore Reef, the Reef Crest and the Back Reef (the Reef Lagoon).

Facts about Coral Reef 4: Indicator of Changes in the Sea Surface Temperature

To know the changes in the sea surface temperature and sea surface salinity conditions of the ocean during the growth of the coral the climate scientists use the measurements of oxygen isotopic composition of the aragonitic sekeleton of coral reefs, such as Porites.

Facts about Coral Reef 5: Threats

Coral mining, urban runoff, pollution, overfishing, blast fishing are just some of the threats that can endanger coral reef.

Facts about Coral Reef 6: Coral Gardening

Coral gardening which is known as Coral aquaculture or coral farming is a potential effective tool for restoring coral reefs. The process bypasses the early growth stages of corals when they are most at risk of dying. Coral seeds are grown in nurseries, then replanted on the reef.

Facts about Coral Reef 7: Coral Restoration by Gene Therapy

Several ways are explored by the scientist to restore coral reef, one of the way is gene therapy. It can be done through infecting coral with genetically modified bacteria; it may be possible to grow corals that are more resistant to climate change and other threats.

Facts about Coral Reef 8: The Largest Coral Reef System in the World

The Great Barrier Reef is renowned as the world’s largest coral reef system. It is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia. It is the world’s biggest single structure made by living organism and it can be seen from outer space.

Facts about Coral Reef 9: The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority is used to protect the Great Barrier Reef. It contains Coral Reef Resilience Action Plan which consists of numerous adaptive management strategies, including reducing our carbon footprint, which would ultimately reduce the amount of ocean acidification in the oceans surrounding the Great Barrier Reef.

Facts about Coral Reef 10: Reefs in the Past

In the past, not all reefs were formed by corals. In the Early Cambrian, the reef was formed from calcareous algae and archaeocyathids. While in the Late Cretaceous, there are also found reefs formed by a group of rudists.

Hopefully those interesting facts will enrich your knowledge on facts about Coral Reef.