Marine debris is persistent human-made solid material that has been lost, discarded or abandoned in the ocean, coastal water or Great Lakes. It ranges from a cigarette filter to a derelict vessel. The definition follows where an object ends up and how it got there, rather than one material or size. NOAA’s marine debris definition…
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Corals live from tropical shallows bright with sunlight to cold seafloor more than a kilometer deep. The familiar reef-building species occupy only one part of that range. Other corals grow in dim middle depths or complete darkness, where they catch food from moving water instead of depending on photosynthetic partners. The NOAA coral distribution page…
Coral reefs hold far more than bright reef fish. The coral builders are animals themselves and their branching, boulder-like or plated colonies create shelter for creatures that crawl, swim, burrow and graze. A single reef can connect microscopic plankton with large predators through many overlapping food relationships. A NOAA account describes fish, lobsters, clams, seahorses,…
Coral reefs occupy a small fraction of the seafloor, yet the activity around them reaches fishing boats, coastal businesses and homes exposed to waves. Their value comes from several real services rather than a single price tag. A living reef produces habitat for harvestable species, draws visitors and weakens incoming wave energy before it reaches…
