The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is an agency of the US Department of Commerce.   NOAA’s goal is to enrich life through science, and to keep Americans informed about the changing environment around them from the sun’s surface to the ocean’s floor.  NOAA’s National Ocean Service (NOS) is the nation’s premier science agency for oceans and coasts.

The Educational Part:

NOS has a section on their website called Five Things You Should Know About Coral Reefs.  It is both nicely presented and educational.

Page One advises that coral reefs are the ocean’s version of land-based rainforests.  With rich biodiversity and thousands of creatures, coral is one of the largest living structures on earth.

Next, think about the number of people who depend upon reefs.  Do you think the number of people who are totally dependent on reefs is 5 million?  15 million?  20 million?  Or 30 million?  Then guess how much money is generated annually by coral ecosystems?  Both answers can be found on Page Two on the website.

Then NOS invites us to consider the sad news that around 20% of the world’s reefs are damaged beyond recovery, and about 50% are seriously at risk.  Both manmade and natural threats exist, from climate change to marine debris to invasive species.  Check out Page Three for more information.

Page Four mentions the activities of NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program.  The program also helps international reefs since, similar to other animals and plants, reefs don’t know what a border is.

Page Five wraps up the section with what you can do to help reefs. Awareness is step one, so check out this section and other parts of their website.  And managing your impact is important, so follow their invitation to check out their Coral Reef Conservation Program.

The Fun Part:

Check out NOS’s fun section.  In particular, The Migration Game is a fun way to learn about topics including shipping lanes, animal migrations, and other ocean facts.  The game has a few technical twists to learn, but soon you’ll be zipping around the board.

The Ocean Guardian Activity Book is fun for younger kids, while Nim’s Island teaches about special ocean places such as national marine sanctuaries.

If you like seeing storms, the Tornado section shows some fascinating photos.

And so on.  This website is worth poking around.  It is very multi-layered and one trail will lead to another.  Have fun checking it out!

 All parts of an ecosystem, whether living or not, are part of and play a role in the larger ecosystem. Pieces of coral on a beach are eventually weathered by waves and create new sand to replenish the beaches.  Although some local subsistence communities remove small amounts of coral from beaches, the removals become a problem on a larger scale.  If most tourists who visit a beach take away pieces of coral, it could have a significant impact on the ecosystem.  Through time, the amount of sand on the beach would likely decrease.

So what else should someone know about dealing with coral in a romantic tropical location?  The Coral Reef Alliance offers the following advice.

Support the local ecosystem when you shop and consider the effect your purchases are having on the nearby ocean.  Resist buying coral jewellery – because there is no sustainable way to harvest corals without damaging critical marine ecosystems.  Reefs are suffering bleaching and other challenges, and red and pink coral are seriously threatened.  If you want bling resembling coral, look for certified faux coral and coral-inspired alternatives which are as attractive as real coral but are sustainable.

Enjoy viewing coral through a glass bottomed boat, and if you go diving or snorkeling be good to the coral.  Don’t step on it – coral’s a living organism and being stepped on can harm it.   Also, don’t stir up sediment near the coral, which might be considered equivalent to stirring up dust clouds near humans.  Besides, it’s hard for you to see much through a sediment haze.

Look for tour guides and dive leaders who include information about reef ecology and provide related guidelines.  Tours that enhance visitor awareness and understanding of the local coral reef ecosystems make visiting a coral reef a richer experience in which both the visitors and the coral benefit.

More information is available on the Coral Reef Alliance’s website, including a coral reef photo contest.  For those of you who are southward bound to some warm tropical beach, Enjoy!