what is coral reef ? coral reefs in India ? what is the bleaching of coral reefs and how it can be solved?

2. WHAT IS CORAL AND CORAL REEF ?
CORAL :- CORALS ARE MARINE INVERTEBRATES WITHIN THE CLASS ANTHOZOA OF THE PHYLUM
CNIDARIA. THEY TYPICALLY LIVE IN COMPACT COLONIES OF MANY IDENTICAL INDIVIDUAL POLYPS.
CORAL SPECIES INCLUDE THE IMPORTANT REEF BUILDERS THAT INHABIT TROPICAL OCEANS AND
SECRETE CALCIUM CARBONATE TO FORM A HARD SKELETON.
CORAL REEF:- A CORAL REEF IS AN UNDERWATER ECOSYSTEM CHARACTERIZED BY REEF-
BUILDING CORALS. REEFS ARE FORMED OF COLONIES OF CORAL POLYPS HELD TOGETHER BY CALCIUM
CARBONATE. MOST CORAL REEFS ARE BUILT FROM STONY CORALS, WHOSE POLYPS CLUSTER IN
GROUPS.
A CORAL OUTCROP ON THE GREAT BARRIER REEF, AUSTRALIA

3. LOCATION
• REEFS ARE CORAL ESTIMATED TO COVER 284,300 KM2 (109,800 SQ MI),[50] JUST UNDER 0.1% OF THE OCEANS’ SURFACE AREA. THE INDO-PACIFIC
REGION (INCLUDING THE RED SEA, INDIAN OCEAN, SOUTHEAST ASIA AND THE PACIFIC) ACCOUNT FOR 91.9% OF THIS TOTAL. SOUTHEAST ASIA
ACCOUNTS FOR 32.3% OF THAT FIGURE, WHILE THE PACIFIC INCLUDING AUSTRALIA ACCOUNTS FOR 40.8%. ATLANTIC AND CARIBBEAN CORAL
REEFS ACCOUNT FOR 7.6%.
• ALTHOUGH CORALS EXIST BOTH IN TEMPERATE AND TROPICAL WATERS, SHALLOW-WATER REEFS FORM ONLY IN A ZONE EXTENDING FROM
APPROXIMATELY 30° N TO 30° S OF THE EQUATOR. TROPICAL CORALS DO NOT GROW AT DEPTHS OF OVER 50 METERS (160 FT). THE OPTIMUM
TEMPERATURE FOR MOST CORAL REEFS IS 26–27 °C (79–81 °F), AND FEW REEFS EXIST IN WATERS BELOW 18 °C (64 °F).
• NO CORAL REEF ON WEST COASTS OF AMERICA AND AFRICA BECAUSE OF UPWELLING AND COLD CURRENT.
• FIG 1 :- LOCATIONN OF CORAL REEFS .
• FIG 2 :- THIS MAP SHOWS AREAS OF UPWELLING IN RED. (CORAL REEFS ARE NOT FOUND IN COASTAL AREAS WHERE
COLDER AND NUTRIENT-RICH UPWELLINGS OCCUR) .

4. IS CORALS ARE PLANTS OR ANIMALS ?
• A LOT OF PEOPLE MAY HAVE THE WRONG IMPRESSION THAT A CORAL IS A KIND OF “PLANT”
GROWING IN THE SEA. IN FACT, CORALS ARE ACTUALLY ANIMALS WITH COLONIES OF MANY
IDENTICAL INDIVIDUAL POLYPS. MOST OF THEM ARE TRANSPARENT. THE RIOT OF COLORS THAT
WE SEE COMES FROM THE ALGAE CALLED ZOOXANTHELLAE THAT PROVIDE PHOTOSYNTHETIC
NUTRIENTS AND FORM A SYMBIOSIS WITH THE CORALS.
• CORALS BELONG TO THE ANIMAL KINGDOM, AND ARE MEMBERS OF THE SAME GROUP OF
ANIMALS AS JELLYFISH AND SEA ANEMONES (PHYLUM: CNIDARIA). THE ACTUAL CORAL ANIMAL
OR “POLYP” IS SOFT BODIED, WITH TENTACLES LIKE A SEA ANEMONE.
• THE MAIN DIFFERENCE IS THAT CORALS SECRETE AN EXTERNAL CALCIUM CARBONATE
SKELETON AND SEA ANEMONES DO NOT. THIS HARD SKELETON FORMS THE FRAMEWORK OF
CORAL REEFS. THE TINY CORAL POLYPS OCCUPY LITTLE CUPS OR CORALLITES IN THE MASSIVE
SKELETON. CORALS CAN BE COLONIAL OR SOLITARY AND THERE ARE SEVERAL HUNDRED
SPECIES, SOME ARE LARGE AND BRANCHING AND GROW RAPIDLY AT A RATE OF UP TO 10CM PER
YEAR, WHILE OTHERS ARE MOUND SHAPED, GROWING SLOWLY AT ONLY 1CM PER YEAR.

5. • CORALS ACTUALLY COMPRISE AN ANCIENT AND UNIQUE PARTNERSHIP, CALLED SYMBIOSIS. THAT
BENEFITS BOTH ANIMAL AND PLANT LIFE IN THE OCEAN. CORALS ARE ANIMALS, THOUGH, BECAUSE THEY
DO NOT MAKE THEIR OWN FOOD, AS PLANTS DO. CORALS HAVE TINY, TENTACLE-LIKE ARMS THAT THEY
USE TO CAPTURE THEIR FOOD FROM THE WATER AND SWEEP INTO THEIR INSCRUTABLE MOUTHS.
• IN INDIA, MAJOR CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEMS ARE SEEN IN GULF OF MANNAR, GULF OF KACHCHH,
ANDAMAN & NICOBAR, AND LAKSHADWEEP ISLANDS, WHICH EMBRACE ALL THE THREE MAJOR REEF TYPES
(ATOLL, FRINGING, AND BARRIER) AND INCLUDE DIVERSE AND EXTENSIVE REEF AREAS OF THE INDIAN
OCEAN.
• CORALPOLYP

6. TYPES OF CORAL REEF
• SCIENTISTS GENERALLY DIVIDE CORAL REEFS INTO FOUR CLASSES: FRINGING REEFS, BARRIER REEFS, ATOLLS, AND PATCH
REEFS.
• FRINGING REEFS GROW NEAR THE COASTLINE AROUND ISLANDS AND CONTINENTS. THEY ARE SEPARATED FROM THE
SHORE BY NARROW, SHALLOW LAGOONS. FRINGING REEFS ARE THE MOST COMMON TYPE OF REEF THAT WE SEE.
• BARRIER REEFS ALSO PARALLEL THE COASTLINE BUT ARE SEPARATED BY DEEPER, WIDER LAGOONS. AT THEIR
SHALLOWEST POINT, THEY CAN REACH THE WATER’S SURFACE FORMING A “BARRIER” TO NAVIGATION. THE GREAT BARRIER
REEF IN AUSTRALIA IS THE LARGEST AND MOST FAMOUS BARRIER REEF IN THE WORLD.
FRINGING REEF BARRIER REEFS

7. • ATOLLS ARE RINGS OF CORAL THAT CREATE PROTECTED LAGOONS AND ARE USUALLY
LOCATED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SEA. ATOLLS USUALLY FORM WHEN ISLANDS
SURROUNDED BY FRINGING REEFS SINK INTO THE SEA OR THE SEA LEVEL RISES
AROUND THEM (THESE ISLANDS ARE OFTEN THE TOPS OF UNDERWATER VOLCANOES).
THE FRINGING REEFS CONTINUE TO GROW AND EVENTUALLY FORM CIRCLES WITH
LAGOONS INSIDE.
• PATCH REEFS ARE SMALL, ISOLATED REEFS THAT GROW UP FROM THE OPEN BOTTOM
OF THE ISLAND PLATFORM OR CONTINENTAL SHELF. THEY USUALLY OCCUR BETWEEN
FRINGING REEFS AND BARRIER REEFS. THEY VARY GREATLY IN SIZE, AND THEY
RARELY REACH THE SURFACE OF THE WATER.
• ATOLL REEF PATCH REEF

8. • THE MAJOR REEF FORMATIONS IN INDIA ARE RESTRICTED TO THE GULF OF MANNAR, PALK BAY, GULF OF
KUTCH, ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS AND THE LAKSHADWEEP ISLANDS. WHILE THE LAKSHADWEEP
REEFS ARE ATOLLS, THE OTHERS ARE ALL FRINGING REEFS. PATCHY CORAL IS PRESENT IN THE INTER-
TIDAL AREAS OF THE CENTRAL WEST COAST OF THE COUNTRY.
IMPORTANCEOFCORALREEFS
• THESE ARE INDICATIVE OF THE HEALTH OF MARINE ECOLOGY.
• THESE ARE THE SOURCE OF THE PRIMARY FOOD CHAIN IN THE MARINE ECOSYSTEM.
• CORAL REEFS SUPPORT A WIDE NETWORK OF BIODIVERSITY. THUS, THEY ARE ALSO KNOWN AS
RAINFORESTS OF THE MARINE ECOSYSTEM.
• ALL MANNERS OF CREATURES INHABIT, BREED, FEED, AND AVOID ENEMIES IN CORAL REEFS,
WHICH NATURALLY FORMS A RICH ECOSYSTEM. THERE CAN BE AS MANY AS 1,500 TYPES OF
FISH WITHIN CORAL REEFS. THAT’S WHY IT IS DUBBED THE “TROPICAL RAINFOREST IN THE
SEA.”
• THEY ARE ALSO IMPORTANT FOR THE TOURISM INDUSTRY AND ARE A SOURCE OF RAW
MATERIAL FOR CONSTRUCTION AND HANDICRAFTS WORK.
• PROTECT COASTLINES FROM THE DAMAGING EFFECTS OF WAVE ACTION AND TROPICAL
STORMS

9. WHAT IS CORAL BLEACHING?
• CORAL IS THE LONGEST-LIVED ANIMAL, AS LONG AS THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS ARE GOOD ENOUGH,
IT CAN GROW FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS. THEREFORE, THE DEATH OF CORAL COLONIES IS USUALLY DUE TO
THE DEPRESSING LIVING ENVIRONMENT OR THE DESTRUCTION OF OTHER CREATURES.
• CORALS ARE EXTREMELY SENSITIVE TO THE SURROUNDING. CHANGES IN ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS,
SUCH AS WATER TEMPERATURES, PH VALUES, AND TURBIDITY WILL DIRECTLY AFFECT THE SYMBIOTIC
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CORALS AND ZOOXANTHELLAE. WHEN THE LIVING ENVIRONMENT IS NOT OPTIMAL,
THE SYMBIOTIC ZOOXANTHELLAE WILL GRADUALLY LEAVE THE CORALS OR BE EXPELLED BY THE CORAL, AND
THE CORALS THAT LOSE THEIR COLOR SOURCES WILL GRADUALLY BLEACH.
• WHEN CORALS ARE IN STRESS, THEY EXPEL ZOOXANTHELLAE AND THAT WHY TO APPEAR WHITE. ULTIMATELY,
DUE TO LACK OF FOOD, CORALS ALSO DIE.
• DISCOLOURATION OF CORAL REEFS DUE TO THE DISTURBED SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CORAL
POLYPS AND ALGAE AND ADVERSE CHANGES IN THE MARINE ECOSYSTEM AND ECOLOGY DUE TO HUMAN
INTERFERENCES IS KNOWN AS CORAL BLEACHING.

10. FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR CORAL BLEACHING
• GOBAL WARMING: RISING TEMPERATURE OF OCEANIC WATER DUE TO GLOBAL WARMING.
• OCEAN ACIDIFICATION: ADVERSE CHANGES IN PH VALUE OF OCEANIC WATER DUE TO ACID RAIN
AND ATMOSPHERIC ABSORPTION OF CO2 BY OCEANS.
• MARINE POLLUTION: RISING MARINE POLLUTION AND OIL SPILLS.
• USE OF EXPLOSIVES FOR THE MINING.
• OZONE DEPLETION RESULTING IN AN INCREASE IN SOLAR RADIATION.
• ALGAL BLOOM.
• INCREASE IN SEDIMENTATION IN SEAS AND OCEANS FROM RIVERS DUE TO DEFORESTATION.
• DISEASES OUTBREAK IN CORAL REEFS ALSO AFFECT THE CHANCES OF THEIR SURVIVAL.

11. • HUMAN ACTIVITIES ARE A CULPRIT :-IN ADDITION, TERRESTRIAL AND MARINE POLLUTANTS DUE TO
HUMAN ACTIVITIES CAN EASILY CAUSE HARMFUL IMPACTS ON CORAL REEFS, SUCH AS
AGRICULTURAL PESTICIDES FLOWING INTO RIVERS, INDUSTRIAL AND HOUSEHOLD WASTEWATER
DISCHARGED INTO THE SEA, AND EVEN SUNSCREEN PRODUCTS BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN
CHEMICALS LIKE BENZOPHENONE AND OCTYL METHOXYCINNAMATE THAT WILL DISRUPT THEIR
REPRODUCTION AND GROWTH CYCLES.
• MARINE ECOSYSTEMS ARE HIT HARD:- THE DESTRUCTION AND DEATH OF CORAL REEFS HAS DEALT A
MAJOR BLOW TO THE MARINE ECOSYSTEM. IN FACT, THE GROWTH RATE OF CORALS IS VERY SLOW.
THEY ONLY GROW ABOUT ONE CENTIMETER A YEAR. THEREFORE, THE CORAL REEFS WE SEE IN THE
SEA ARE OFTEN THE RESULTS OF DECADES OR EVEN CENTURIES. ONCE THEY’RE DAMAGED,
THEY’LL NEED THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME TO RESUME THEIR ORIGINAL SIZE.
• IN ADDITION TO CONSERVING DIVERSE MARINE LIFE, A HEALTHY CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEM ALSO
SUPPORTS VARIOUS HUMAN NEEDS. IT NOT ONLY PROTECTS THE ADJACENT COASTLINE FROM
OCEAN EROSION BUT ALSO HAS HIGH ECONOMIC VALUES. IT CAN GENERATE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS
IN TOURISM REVENUE. THEREFORE, THE DECLINE OF THE ECOSYSTEM CAUSED BY CORAL
BLEACHING WILL INEVITABLY AFFECT THE LIVELIHOODS OF INDUSTRIES THAT DEPEND ON CORAL
REEFS, SUCH AS TOURISM AND FISHERY.

12. HOW TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF CORAL BLEACHING ?
• ENERGY-SAVING AND CARBON REDUCTION TO SLOW DOWN GLOBAL WARMING :- IN THE FACE OF THE UNUSUAL INCREASE IN SEAWATER TEMPERATURE
CAUSED BY CLIMATE CHANGE, MORE AMBITIOUS CARBON REDUCTION TARGETS SHOULD BE SET TO REPLACE FOSSIL FUELS WITH SUSTAINABLE ENERGY.
• CHOOSE SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD.
• CONSERVE WATER. THE LESS WATER YOU USE, THE LESS RUNOFF AND WASTEWATER THAT EVENTUALLY FIND THEIR WAYS BACK INTO THE OCEAN.
• VOLUNTEER. VOLUNTEER IN LOCAL BEACH OR REEF CLEANUPS. IF YOU DON'T LIVE NEAR THE COAST, GET INVOLVED IN PROTECTING YOUR WATERSHED.
• CORALS ARE ALREADY A GIFT. DON'T GIVE THEM AS PRESENTS. IT TAKES CORALS DECADES OR LONGER TO CREATE REEF STRUCTURES, SO LEAVE THEM
ON THE REEF.
• LONG-LASTING LIGHT BULBS ARE A BRIGHT IDEA. ENERGY EFFICIENT LIGHT BULBS REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS. CLIMATE CHANGE IS ONE OF THE
LEADING THREATS TO CORAL REEF SURVIVAL.
• IF YOU DIVE, DON'T TOUCH. CORAL REEFS ARE ALIVE. STIRRED-UP SEDIMENT CAN SMOTHER CORALS.
• CHECK SUNSCREEN ACTIVE INGREDIENTS. SEEK SHADE BETWEEN 10 AM & 2 PM, USE ULTRAVIOLET PROTECTION FACTOR (UPF) SUNWEAR, AND CHOOSE
SUNSCREENS WITH CHEMICALS THAT DON’T HARM MARINE LIFE.
• BE A MARINE CRUSADER. IN ADDITION TO PICKING UP YOUR OWN TRASH, CARRY AWAY THE TRASH THAT OTHERS HAVE LEFT BEHIND.
• DON'T SEND CHEMICALS INTO OUR WATERWAYS. NUTRIENTS FROM EXCESS FERTILIZER INCREASES ALGAE GROWTH THAT BLOCKS SUNLIGHT TO CORALS.
• PRACTICE SAFE BOATING. ANCHOR IN SANDY AREAS AWAY FROM CORAL AND SEA GRASSES SO THAT THE ANCHOR AND CHAIN DO NOT DRAG ON NEARBY
CORALS.

13. EVERYONE CAN SAVE THE CORAL
• BEAUTIFUL CORALS PROVIDE HABITAT FOR DIVERSIFIED MARINE CREATURES. HOWEVER,
VARIOUS HUMAN ACTIVITIES, EXCESSIVE COASTAL DEVELOPMENT, OR THE UNUSUAL INCREASE
IN SEAWATER TEMPERATURES DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE HAVE PUT GREAT PRESSURE ON
CORALS. AS HUMAN BEINGS GET TO KNOW THE IMPORTANCE OF CORAL REEFS, THE RELATED
PRESERVATION WORK CAN BE STARTED ON THE INDIVIDUAL LEVEL.
• A HEALTHY CORAL REEF CAN BRING UPON HIGH ECONOMIC VALUES,” . “IT’S AN ASSET TO
GENERATE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN REVENUES FROM TOURISM. AND IT PROTECTS THE
COASTLINE FROM OCEANS WEATHERING. IF THE ENTIRE ECOLOGY IS DAMAGED, THE TOURISM
AND FISHERY INDUSTRIES WILL BE OBVIOUSLY AFFECTED AS WELL.”
• GREENPEACE EAST ASIA URGED POLICYMAKERS TO DECLARE A CLIMATE EMERGENCY, PUTTING
CLIMATE-RELATED RISK DISCLOSURE AND CARBON REDUCTION TARGETS ON THE AGENDA IN
ACCORDANCE WITH THE PARIS AGREEMENT.

14. ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE TRYING TO HELP SAVE CORAL REEFS
• CORAL REEF ORGANIZATIONS ARE FOLLOWING :-
• CORAL CAY.
• COUNTERPART INTERNATIONAL.
• U.S. CORAL REEF TASK FORCE (CRTF)
• NATIONAL CORAL REEF INSTITUTE (NCRI)
• US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE’S NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION
(NOAA): CORAL REEF CONSERVATION PROGRAM (CRCP)
• NATIONAL CENTER FOR CORAL REEF RESEARCH (NCORE)
• REEF BALL.

15. ORGANIZATION WORK IN INDIA
• REEF WATCH MARINE CONSERVATION :- REEF WATCH IS A MARINE CONSERVATION NGO BASED
OUT OF MUMBAI, MAHARASHTRA, AND FOUNDED IN 1993 BY PRAHLAD AND MITALI KAKKAR. TODAY,
NAYANTARA JAIN SPEARHEADS ITS WORK.
• THE ORGANISATION IS INVOLVED IN RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND OUTREACH ACTIVITIES WITH THE
SOLE INTENT OF MAKING CITIZENS AWARE ABOUT THE NEED TO PRESERVE MARINE LIFE. IT
WORKS TOWARDS PROTECTING, RESTORING, AND REHABILITATING CORAL REEFS IN THE
ANDAMAN ISLANDS
• WILDLIFE TRUST OF INDIA :- THIS IS ONE OF INDIA’S LEADING NATURE CONSERVATION TRUSTS,
ESTABLISHED IN 1998 IN NEW DELHI. IT ALSO HELPS PROTECT MARINE LIFE.
• LAUNCHED IN 2008, THE CORAL REEF RECOVERY PROJECT WAS A JOINT VENTURE OF WTI AND THE
GUJARAT FOREST DEPARTMENT, SUPPORTED BY TATA CHEMICALS LIMITED (TCL). IT SOUGHT TO
DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT APPROPRIATE STRATEGIES FOR THE CONSERVATION OF THE MITHAPUR
REEF, SITUATED 12 KILOMETRES SOUTH OF THE GULF OF KUTCH IN GUJARAT.