GEOG 5 Lecture 1: FINAL STUDY GUIDE
Document Summary
Lots of algae, mollusks, shells, and corals/limestone (marble when heated up) Barrier reef: far off shore in the dark blue, deep. Then fringe erodes and barrier appears and new layer of fringe. Left with atoll: lagoon with patch and barrier reef, just coral reef where island once was. Seamount: has no coral, just a little mountain under water. Commonly found in the tropics between n and s 30 degrees. Can live in cold water or hot water 65 to 91 degrees. Globally, coral reefs cover 360,000 square miles (= british columbia) Most in 3 countries: philippines: 22,450km (50% still alive, 10% in good condition, indonesia: 17,500km (overpopulated so most destroyed, fiji: 5,300km (very healthy, managed sustainably by chief) Zooxanthellae: algae living in the tentacles of polyps (gives color) Polyps give off o2 and algae gives off carbon dioxide, waste, and nutrients. Estimated degraded in next 50 years. Reasons to save: beautiful, buffers for islands, subsistence farming.
