On Corals of Andaman
On Corals of Andaman
On Corals of Andaman
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
TABLE OF CONTENT
SR. NO. 1 2 3 PARTICULAR INTRODUCTION TO ANDAMAN. ANDAMAN & CORAL REEFS . WHAT IS CORAL ? SLIDE NO. 4 7 9
10
11 13 14 18
ANDAMAN ISLAND
INTRODUCTION
Located in Bay Of Bengal. Geographical Area 8300 Sq Kms.
They consist of 350 islands, of which only 38 are inhabited along with a number of exposed islets and rocks. The principal of these are the North Andaman, Middle Andaman with Ritchies archipelago to the east, South Andaman, little Andaman, Baratang and Rutland island. Barren island lies to the east with Narcondum and other extinct volcanoes to the north (Reddiah, 1977).
The larger islands are mountainous and several are fully forested.
Mangroves form extensive coverage along the shores. Annual rainfall is about 3000 mm and salinity of the waters is around 33 ppt. The coral reefs are of fringing type and except for a few investigation reports the reefs of the area still largely remain unknown. A deep oceanic ridge along 10N separates the Andaman Group and the Nicobar group of Islands. The general orientation is north-south
The polyps are like tiny sea anemones, to which they are closely related.
But unlike sea anemones, coral polyps secrete hard carbonate exoskeletons which support and protect their bodies. Reefs grow best in warm, shallow, clear, sunny and agitated waters.
Most coral reefs were formed after the last glacial period when melting ice caused the sea level to rise and flood the continental shelves. This means that most coral reefs are less than 10,000 years old.
What is coral ?
Its a living organism!
It is an invertebrate 2 different types:
1. 2. Reef Building: Hermatypic Solitary: Ahermatypic
Coral is cousins to jellyfish and anemones (Cnidarians) Today we will talk mainly about reef building coral
3. Atoll: a ring of coral that surrounds a lagoon, often grows on a submerged mountain or volcano
Ribbon reef a long, narrow, possibly winding reef, usually associated with an atoll lagoon
Table reef an isolated reef, approaching an atoll type, but without a lagoon Habili - this is a reef in the Red Sea that does not reach the surface near enough to cause visible surf, although it may be a hazard to ships (from the Arabic for "unborn"). Microatoll certain species of corals form communities called microatolls. The vertical growth of microatolls is limited by average tidal height. By analysing growth morphologies, microatolls offer a low-resolution record of patterns of sea level change. Fossilized microatolls can also be dated using radioactive carbon dating. Such methods have been used to reconstruct Holocene sea levels. Cays are small, low-elevation, sandy islands formed on the surface of coral reefs. Material eroded from the reef piles up on parts of the reef or lagoon, forming an area above sea level.
Corals of andaman
PROTECTION TO COASTLINES
absorb energy of ocean waves reduce erosion of shoreline storm damage Flooding
ECONOMIC RESOURCES Fisheries for food Fisheries for jobs Tourism Building materials Aquarium trade
Biodiversity
The rainforest of the sea .
Genetic diversity . Pharmaceutical.
Overfishing
Thank You