coral

Imaggeo on Mondays: Isolated atoll

Laura Roberts-Artal September 25, 2017

Isolated . Credit: Fulvia Favaro (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

Covering a total area of 298 km², the idylic natural atolls and reefs of the Maldives stretch across the Indian Ocean. The tropical nation is famous for it’s crystal clear waters and picture perfect white sand beaches, but how did the 26 ring-shaped atolls and over 1000 coral islands form? Coral reefs commonly form immediately around an island, creating a fringe which projects seawards from the sh ...[Read More]

Geosciences Column: How El Niño triggered Indonesia corals die-off

Laura Roberts-Artal March 3, 2017

Coral bleaching in the Maldives captured by The Ocean Agency / XL Catlin Seaview Survey in May 2016. Credit: he Ocean Agency / XL Catlin Seaview Survey / Richard Vevers.

In the glistening waters of Indonesia, shallow corals – the rain forests of the sea – teem with life. Or at least they did once. Towards the end of 2015 the corals started to die, leaving a bleak landscape behind. An international team of researchers investigated the causes of the die-off. Their findings, published recently in the EGU’s open access journal, Biogeosciences, are rather ...[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: Curaçao’s coral coastline

Sara Mynott July 29, 2013

Easterly trade winds can carry warm moist air to the island of Curaçao, having picked up moisture while crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Lying just south of the hurricane belt, Curaçao can still suffer the effects of these storms. For the most part, though, the coast has experienced little damage, leading to great preservation of the fossil reefs that fringe its coast. The northern coast of Curaçao, w ...[Read More]