An introduction to coral reefs

This is an essay I wrote a few years ago when studying marine biology at the university. It is divided in 7 parts and are ideally read in order.  This is the first section.

Overview

Coral reefs demonstrate one of the most attractive marine environments for humans visiting sea while scuba diving. The diversity of life is truly impressive and the colours are dazzling. Huge schools of fish in different shapes and sizes are easily spotted and the experience of sharing environment with sharks is rarely beaten. However, most visitors never see beyond this explosion of impressions.

Dendronepthya

The general knowledge of what is actually seen is low and this essay is an effort to present an overview of the ecology of coral reefs, which will make the experience of scuba diving in such environments an even more rewarding activity. Hopefully, this will also increase the awareness of the urgent need for reef protection. Dynamite and cyanide fishing as well as tropical storms and human presence in the form of divers has severely damaged many areas. A deeper knowledge about the reefs importance can perhaps make some positive change.

This essay also includes a short part about coral reefs in Scandinavian waters. Little is known about the lophelia reefs, particularly among non-scientists. There are several reasons for this; the reefs are to a large extent out of range for recreational scuba divers, the deep sea floors outside Scandinavia has been unexplored until recently when the search for oil in the North Sea resulted in the discovery of many “new” lophelia reefs. The inclusion of these reefs in this essay gives an interesting perspective to the term “coral reefs”. Coral reefs exist not only in warm shallow tropical locations but also in deep, cold northern waters! There are several differences but they share the perhaps evident characteristics– the diversity of life.

The next section focuses on giving an overview of coral reefs characteristics.