Coral reefs are biologically diverse marine ecosystems, but are also the most fragile and endangered of them all. Covering 0.1 percent of the earth, coral reefs provide crucial habitat for over a quarter of marine species, many of which are endangered and threatened. For centuries, people have depended on reefs not only for food but also protection from storms and sand for beaches. More recently, with the development of the SCUBA, reefs help to provide communities with income and employment through tourism and recreation. They are also crucial to pharmaceutical development, providing scientists with certain chemicals compounds. Despite this, they are constantly being destroyed by human activities such as overfishing, mass collection of coral and coral species and pollution. Although the United States government is involved in the conservation of these ecosystems, an estimated 25% of reefs have been destroyed beyond restoration. They, along with other organizations, are working to preserve the estimated …show more content…
A major difference between the two is a deep channel of water separating the barrier reef with the shore. Also, a barrier reef tends to grow farther away from the coastline but still runs parallel to the shore. The Great Barrier Reef is not only the most famous reef of this type but also the largest reef in the world. Its wondrous size, vast diversity, is what made this one of the top seven natural wonders of the world.
The atoll is another natural wonder with its unique formation as being roughly circular and surrounding a lagoon. These reefs are formed by volcanoes and are mostly found far away from the continental shelf. The volcanic erosion and subsidence must also be slow in order for reefs to form. Many of the worlds’ atolls are found in the Pacific Ocean with eight found in the Atlantic Ocean and only occur where conditions permit coral