Page 160 - (DK) Ocean - The Definitive Visual Guide

158 SHALLOW SEAS

INDIAN OCEAN NORTHWEST in this area surround offshore islands,
and there are fewer steep dropoffs.
Red Sea Reefs The southern Red Sea also receives
a continuous inflow of water from
TYPE Fringing, patch, the Gulf of Aden to its south that is
and barrier reefs; atolls high in nutrients and plankton, making
AREA 6,300 square miles the waters more cloudy, which restricts
(16,500 square km) reef development. Live coral cover
CONDITION Localized throughout the Red Sea reefs is
areas of severe damage generally high, at about 60–70 percent,
LOCATION Red Sea coasts of Egypt, Israel, Jordan, as is the diversity of stony and soft
Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Eritrea, and Yemen corals, fish (including the famous
Red Sea lionfish), and other reef
The Red Sea contains arguably the organisms. More than 260 species
richest, most biologically diverse, and of stony coral have been identified
most spectacular coral reefs outside in the central Red Sea.
Southeast Asia. The coral reefs in the Although many reef areas are healthy,
northern and southern areas of the others have been damaged by intensive
sea differ considerably. In much of diving tourism and deposition of
the northern section, the coasts shelve untreated sewage. In 2010, a major coral
extremely steeply and there are few bleaching event, linked to raised water
offshore islands. The coral reefs here temperatures, affected the central Red
are mainly narrow fringing reefs, with Sea. Coral predation by the crown-of-
reef flats typically only a few yards thorns starfish has also been a problem.
wide, and slopes that plunge steeply
toward the sea floor. In the south, off GULF OF AQABA REEF
Eritrea and southwestern Saudi Arabia, Groups of little red fish of the genus Anthias
is a much wider area of shallow fluttering around hard coral heads, or colonies,
continental shelf. Many of the reefs are a familiar sight on Red Sea reefs.

limestone structures forming its rim, a severe coral bleaching event in
INDIAN OCEAN NORTHWEST INDIAN OCEAN WEST
which originated from coral reefs, have 1997–98, its external reefs are in a
Aldabra Atoll grown into four islands that protrude near-pristine state. They are rich in Bazaruto Archipelago
as much as 27 ft (8 m) above sea level. marine life, featuring large schools of
TYPE Atoll Situated on top of an ancient volcanic reef fish, green and hawksbill turtles, TYPE Fringing reefs,
AREA 60 square miles pinnacle, the islands enclose a shallow forests of yellow, pink, and purple patch reefs
(155 square km) lagoon, which partially empties and sea-fans, groupers, hammerhead sharks, AREA 60 square miles
CONDITION Excellent, then fills again twice a day with the and barracuda. The atoll’s inner lagoon (150 square km)
although it has suffered tides. Because of its remote location, contains numerous healthy patch CONDITION Generally
some coral bleaching and its status as a Special Nature reefs, is fringed by mangrove swamps, good; some damage
LOCATION Western extremity of the Republic of Reserve and (since 1982) UNESCO and is inhabited by turtles, parrotfish, LOCATION Southeastern coast of Mozambique,
Seychelles archipelago, northwest of Madagascar World Heritage Site, Aldabra has and eagle rays. northeast of Maputo
escaped the worst of the stresses that On land, Aldabra is famous for its
At 20 miles (34 km) long and 9 miles human activities have placed on most giant tortoises, rare exotic birds such The Bazaruto Archipelago is a chain
(14.5 km) wide, Aldabra is the largest of the world’s coral reefs. Although, in as the flightless rail, and giant robber of sparsely populated islands on the
raised coral atoll in the world. The term common with many Indian Ocean crabs, which have claws big enough coast of Mozambique, formed where
“raised” refers to the fact that the locations, the atoll was affected by to crack open coconuts. sand was deposited over hundreds of
thousands of years by the Limpopo
River. A Marine National Park,
established in 2001, covers most of the
archipelago, protecting its impressive
fringing reefs and kaleidoscopic range
of marine life. More than 2,000 fish
species, 100 species of stony corals,
and 27 dazzling soft-coral species,
including unusual “green tree” corals,
are found on Bazaruto’s reefs, as well
as eagle rays, manta rays, and five
species of turtles. The archipelago is
also a refuge for one of the remaining
populations of dugongs (see p.419)
in the western Indian Ocean.
OCEAN ENVIRONMENTS MUSHROOM ROCK
REEF SAFARI
A peaceful way of visiting the shallow,
crystal-clear waters around the Bazaruto reefs
is on a dhow, as part of a reef safari.

Strong tidal flows of ocean
water into and out of
Aldabra’s lagoon have
sculpted some raised
clumps of old reef into
mushroom-shaped islets
known as champignons.