Coral Reefs

Resources and Energy – Coral Reefs

Coral reefs are hidden beneath the ocean water and cultivate a rich ecosystem. Many sea creatures rely on reefs for their survival. Coral reefs are known to be beautiful and fascinating, and should be preserved as much as possible. Despite the fact that corals look like rock or plants they are marine animals. Corals life begins in tropical water as floating larvae. After a short period of time the larvae attaches itself to a hard surface and becomes a polyp. Corals are related to the jellyfish and some people say that a coral looks like a jelly fish upside down, due to a coral having many tiny polyps. A single coral polyp may be as large as a saucer or small as the top of a pinhead. There are billions of polyps working together in a cooperative colony, generation after generation creating a limestone skeleton that forms the framework of the beautiful coral reefs. Coral Reefs grow very slowly. It could take up to a hundred years for a reef to grow 3ft. (Best&Bornbusch, 2001)

Coral Reefs have been in existence for over 215 million years and are located in tropical waters. The earth’s ocean floors cover more than 70% of our planet's surface and 97% of that water is found in the ocean (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, 2010). The two ions found in seawater are chloride and sodium. The salt in the ocean's water contains many chemicals, such as potassium, magnesium sulfate, and calcium. When it rains inland the rain contains some dissolved carbon dioxide from the surrounding air which causes the rain water to have an acidic carbon. The rain physically erodes the rock with the acid chemically breaking down the rocks and carrying minerals along in a dissolved state as ions. At this point the ions are carried through the waters eventually flowing into the ocean. Many organisms in the ocean and the dissolved ions are removed from the water; however, what is not used are left for a long period of time where their...