An underwater world full of vibrant colors and wonderful creatures. They can be considered the most beautiful ornaments that Earth and Nature offers.

This is the environment of coral barriers, ecosystems that develop thanks to very small organisms, called coral polyps, that work tirelessly to create calcium skeletons that then become the corals we know. But not only corals, under the spell of crystal waters, small algae also live in harmony, which help them to prosper and grow.

Coral barriers, in addition to being home to an infinite variety of marine creatures, also have an essential role in the balance of the oceans.

In every corner of our extraordinary planet, colorful coral barriers can be explored, such as in the Maldives, or Hawaii, where undoubtedly the most magnificent is the one found off the coast of Australia, the Great Barrier Reef.

This complex is an incomparable wealth of marine life, with 3 thousand different systems and 900 islands, extending into the Pacific Ocean for about 2300 km, covering an area of about 350 thousand km². It is one of the largest tourist attractions in the world, also one of the countries and one of the 7 natural wonders of Planet Earth.

It can be admired from space and is the largest structure created by billions of living organisms. It has an incomparable biodiversity, where we currently know about 1,500 species of fish and 50 birds, and a great wealth of plant life and marine animals. For this reason, since 1981 it has been declared the Heritage of Humanity and a large part of it is protected, to limit the human impact, as a result of mass tourism.

Most of the coral barriers were created on land after the last ice age, making them less than 10 thousand years old. Since the beginning of time, they have been created away from continental platforms, around oceanic islands, most of which are of volcanic origin.

Coral barriers or coral reefs are marine bioconstructions typical of coastal waters of oceans and tropical seas. Corals reproduce in two forms, sexual but also asexual. These environments are unique, where calcified corals in symbiosis with algae are the cradle of a diverse biodiversity for many other species.

Also, coral barriers create islands and lagoons in deep seas, modifying both the bottom and the coasts, which are usually typical with very fine sand, the result of marine erosion on the corals.

Despite the fact that these structures are very large in surface, they occupy only 0.1% of the bottom or the ocean floor, but they are the shelter of 25% of all marine species of our planet.

These massive coral formations are very much in need of sunlight and that is why they are almost all located in the tropical and subtropical belt, as they need it for photosynthetic functions. Corals grow as far as sunlight reaches, so below the surface of the water they can reach a depth of 15–25 m, with a maximum in some cases of 40–50 m. Without the necessary light, photosynthesis cannot be carried out, reducing the capacity of corals to carry out their construction and calcification. Of course, the temperature is also connected to the light, which should usually be constant, on average 20 degrees Celsius, and can withstand up to 32 degrees Celsius.

In the Mediterranean, America, Africa, corals do not form and grow, as the climate does not allow it, due to the presence of cold sea currents, with a temperature well below 18 degrees Celsius.

In 2016, the great coral barrier suffered a massive bleaching, as a consequence of climate change and the El Niño phenomenon, which increased temperatures by 4 degrees. This brought devastating consequences, causing the death of 20% of the corals, while in the northernmost areas about 2/3 of the coral formations disappeared.

Coral barriers are a source of life, diversity and habitat for many species, being placed in the first place for the wealth of life forms. They are also a form of protection for the coasts and a source of food for humans. But not only that, corals also greatly affect the tourism economy and it is estimated that the value they generate globally is around $300 billion per year.

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Source: prizrenpost