This is the peak tourist Belize popular destination for scuba diving and snorkeling and pulled her nearly half from 260,000 visitors, and vital to the fishing industry.
Charles Darwin described it as "the most remarkable reef in the West Indies" in 1842.
Belize Barrier Reef is home to a large diversity of plants and animals, one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world:
* 70 types of hard coral
* 36 species of soft corals
* 500 species of fish
* hundreds of species of invertebrates
With 90% of coral still need to be investigated, it is estimated that only 10% of all species have been found.
Andaman Sea is located on the east bank of the Indian Ocean, the west is bordered by the arc of islands stretching from North Sumatra to the Irrawaddy delta. Coral reefs are abundant in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (India), Mergui Archipelago (Myanmar), Thailand and Malaysia's west coast and northwestern Sumatra (Indonesia). Most never been visited by scientists because of political constraints, so that this region is one of the most studied areas of coral reefs in the world. Many inshore reefs occur in tidal and turbid settings, while the offshore coral reefs in the waters clearer. Regardless of the severity of physical, high coral cover and generally display a high diversity of corals. Andaman Sea has a complex geological history, sea floor topography varies, a highly dynamic oceanographic and large tidal range (2-5 m) combined with periodic sea surface depression. It is also a major sink for sediments from the Irrawaddy, the fifth largest river in the world in terms of suspended sediment load. Man-made influence is limited; sedimentation from land reclamation and dredging is a major negative factor although sea surface temperatures is a major threat. Nature of damage results from exposure to air at low tide, negative sea level anomalies, earthquakes and tsunamis. The dynamic nature of the Andaman Sea and stress resilience of the built-in many shallow-water reef areas can lead to a 'protection' is important during the era of global warming.
Coral barrier reef is the third largest in the world. These extend the distance of 142 miles along the east coast of Andros Island. It separates Andros from the tongue of the sea two thousand-foot drop-off point in the sea. Barrier reef is about one half mile from the beach. Some of the most diverse marine creatures can be seen here. Not only the beautiful cliffs, are very sensitive to environmental conditions. Water temperature should remain around 74 degrees for the coral to survive.
Coral reefs throughout consisting of heads, and to demonstrate biodiversity in coral barrier, a study done to see what was found in ten foot diameter coral head. The following is a list of fish and coral reefs found in the head.
Red Sea coral reefs are found throughout the northern Indian Ocean basin. Most of the Red Sea coast is surrounded by shelves of large shallow sea that supports a wide edge of the reef system, which is by far the main dominant species of coral reefs found here.
Reef platform is more than 5000 years, and extend along about 2,000 km (1240 miles) of coastline. Most consist mainly of branching corals from the genera Acropora and Porites.
Some fringing reef system grew directly from the shoreline (see photo, left).
In such cases, more active coral reef grows from the face are connected to shore by a very shallow reef flat contains scattered small colonies of living coral.
In other areas fringing reef system is getting rather far from the beach, and attach a well-developed protected back reef zone (lagoons), complete with coral patches, seagrass, and mangrove.
Many offshore islands are surrounded by tiny little coral reefs are present in some areas. Red Sea also contains many offshore coral reefs against the classical categorization of types of coral.
Included in this category, capturing all is a ring-like coral atolls, coral mountains sweep the sudden rise of a fairly large depth on both sides, and the pattern of typical reef complex odd shape (see photo, left: Courtesy of NASA).Like the Red Sea coral reef formations that are almost certainly the result of active force and unusual tectonic who has worked here for thousands of years and continue today.
There are some true atoll in the Red Sea (some off the coast of Sudan), but there is no true coral reef barrier.
Red Sea coral reefs have developed unusually high tolerance to extreme temperatures, salinity, and turbidity occasionally (which is caused by large seasonal dust storms) that occur in the region. Conditions that would kill or severely damage most hard corals are found in other parts of the Indo-Pacific region or in the Caribbean.
Water clarity is exceptional because of the lack of river discharge and low rainfall did not lead to dissipation of the suspension and fine sediments such as those found in many other parts of the tropical oceans of the land border.
Red Sea coral reefs are particularly well developed in northern and central parts (off the coast of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Sudan), a large complex with a large coral reef offshore contains many islands, fringing reefs, and coral reef habitats (see photo , above).Farther south, a little coral growth is inhibited by the inclusion of nutrient laden water where the Indian Ocean into the Red Sea. This surface water is more southern regions are also subject to much greater mixing with more water caused by strong winds coming from a high mountainous coast.
In general, marine biota of the Red Sea coral reefs are characterized by high endemism. For example, from 1200 or more species of coral reef fish are recorded, about 10% are endemic (found nowhere else).
About 300 species of hard corals have been recorded from the Red Sea as a whole. Egypt beach itself supports some 200 species of reef building owned nearly 50 genera. This represents about four times the diversity of hard corals are found on Caribbean reefs, and coral diversity comparable to that found in the Maldives and Seychelles in the Indian Ocean.
However, biodiversity is not the Red Sea coral reefs rivals that the richest part of the Indo-Pacific region
The New Caledonia Barrier Reef is located in New Caledonia in the South Pacific, and is the second-longest double-barrier coral reef in the world, after Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
New Caledonia Barrier reef around Grand Terre, New Caledonia's largest island, and the Ile des Pins and several small islands, reaching a length of 1,500 kilometers (930 miles). Coral wrap lagoon of 24,000 square kilometers (9300 sq mi), which has an average depth of 25 meters (82 feet). Coral lie up to 30 kilometers (19 miles) from shore, but extend almost 200 kilometers (124 miles) to the Entrecasteaux reefs in the northwest. Northwest extension wrap Belep Islands and other sand cays. Some parts of the open to the sea. Part Boulari, which leads to Noumea, the capital and main port of New Caledonia, is marked by Amédée lighthouse.
Coral has a diversity of species with high endemic levels, and is home to the endangered dugong (Dugong dugon), and is an important nesting site for Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas).
Most of the reefs are generally considered to be in good health. Some reefs have been damaged by waste east of nickel mining in Grand Terre. Sedimentation from mining, agricultural, and grazing have affected the reef near the mouth of the river, which has been exacerbated by the destruction of mangrove forests, which help to retain sediment. Some reefs have been buried under several meters of mud.
In the New Caledonia lagoon there are many aquatic species ranging from plankton to fish a larger and even sharks.
