Microatoll
A microatoll is a circular colony of corals, near the surface of the ocean. Because the top is not in the water all the time, the corals at the top are dead. The corals which are not exposed to fresh air are still alive. The atoll will only grow in the areas which are in the water all the time. Microatolls may be up to 6 meters (20 ft) in diameter.[1] They are named for their resemblance to island atolls formed during the subsidence of volcanic islands, as originally suggested by Darwin (1842).[2]
They have been used to monitor sea levels, in response to global warming. They have also been used to quantify and date changes in sea level in seismically active areas.[3] Using microatolls, scientists were able to provide information about the water temperature at the surface of the sea.[4]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Stoddart, D.R.; Scoffin T.P. (1979). "Microatolls: review of form, origin and terminology" (PDF). Atoll Research Bulletin. 224: 1–17. doi:10.5479/si.00775630.224.1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-03-10. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
- ↑ Darwin, Charles (1842). The structure and distribution of coral reefs. London: Smith, Elder and Co. p. 214.
- ↑ Natawidjaja, D. H.; Sieh K.; Chlieh M.; Galetzka J.; Suwargadi B.W.; Cheng H.; Edwards R.L.; Avouac J.-P.; Ward S. N. (2006). "Source parameters of the great Sumatran megathrust earthquakes of 1797 and 1833 inferred from coral microatolls". Journal of Geophysical Research. 111 (B06403). Bibcode:2006JGRB..111.6403N. doi:10.1029/2005JB004025. Retrieved 2009-10-24.
- ↑ Woodroffe, C. (2004). Goudie A. (ed.). Encyclopedia of geomorphology, Volume 2. Routledge. pp. 670–671. ISBN 9780415327381. Retrieved 2009-10-30.