Coral Sea is the marginal ocean of the South Pacific off Australia's northeastern coast, and is classified as a temporary Australian bioregion. The Coral Sea extends 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) to the northeast coast of Australia.
It is bordered on the west by the east coast of Queensland, thus including the Great Barrier Reef, to the east by Vanuatu (formerly New Hebrides) and by New Caledonia, and to the northeast approximately by the southern extremity of the Solomon Islands. To the northwest, reaches to the south east coast of New Guinea, thus including the Gulf of Papua. It blends with the Tasman Sea in the south, with the Solomon Sea to the north and with the Pacific Ocean to the east. To the west, bordered by the coast of Queensland's mainland, and to the northwest, connected to the Arafura Sea via the Torres Strait.
The sea is characterized by a warm and stable climate, with frequent rain and tropical cyclones. It contains many islands and reefs, as well as the world's largest coral reef system, the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1981. All previous oil exploration projects were stopped at GBR in 1975, and fishing was restricted in many areas. Coral reefs and islands in the Coral Sea are very rich in birds and aquatic life and are a popular tourist destination, both nationally and internationally.
Video Coral Sea
Extent
While the Great Barrier Reef with its islands and bumps belongs to Queensland, most of the corals and islands to the east are part of the Coral Coron Island Territory. In addition, several islands to the west and belonging to New Caledonia are also part of the Coral Sea Islands in a geographical sense, such as the Chesterfield Islands and Bellona Reefs.
The International Hydrographic Organization establishes the boundaries of the Coral Sea as follows:
In the North. South Coast of New Guinea from entrance to Bensbach River (141 Â ° 01'E) to Gadogadoa Island near extreme Tenggaranya ( 10Ã, Â ° 38? S 150Ã, Â ° 34? E ), lower this meridian to 100 fathom line and from there along the southern edge of Uluma Reef and which extends eastward as far as the southeast point of Lawik Reef ( 11Ã, Â ° 43.5? S 153Ã, Â ° 56,5? E ) from Tagula Island, from where the line to extreme south of Rennell Island (Solomon Islands) and from the East point to Cape Surville, the extreme East of San Cristobal Island [Makira], Solomons; from there via Nupani Island, Northwestern Islands of Santa Cruz ( 10Ã, Â ° 04,5? S
165  ° 40,5? E ) to North Island Duff Island ( 9Ã,  ° 48,5? S 167Ã,  ° 06? E ).In the Northeast. From the northernmost island of the Duff islands, through these islands to the southeast of them, from there line to MÃÆ'Ã… © rà © Ã… © Lava, Vanuatu Islands ( 14Ã,  ° 25? S 163Ã,  ° 03? E ) and along the East coast of the islands of the Group to Anatom Island ( 20  ° 11? S 169Ã,  ° 51? E ) such that all the islands of this Group, and the straits separating them, belong to the Coral Sea.
To the southeast. A line from the southeastern tip of Anatom Island to Nokanhoui (coral reefs) ( 22Ã, Â ° 46 ? S ) from the southeastern tip of New Caledonia, from there through the East point from Middleton Reef to the East end Elizabeth Reef ( 29 Â ° 55? S 159Ã, Â ° 02? E ) and lower this meridian to Latitude 30 Â ° South.
In the South. Parallel 30 Â ° South to Australia coast.
In the West. The North-East Arafura Limit [Entrance to Bensbak River (141 Â ° 01'E), and from there there is a line to the extreme Northwest Peninsula of York, Australia ( 11 Â ° 05? S 142 Â ° 03? E ) ] and the East Coast of Australia as far south as Latitude 30 Â ° South.
Maps Coral Sea
Geology
The Coral Sea Basin formed between 58 million and 48 million years ago when the Queensland continental shelf was lifted, forming a Large Dividers Range, and the continental blocks subsided at the same time. The sea has been an important source of corals for the Great Barrier Reef, both during its formation and after the decline in sea level.
The process of geological formation is still ongoing, as evidenced by the seismic activity. Several hundred earthquakes of magnitude between 2 and 6 are recorded in the period 1866-2000 along the coast of Queensland and in the Coral Sea. On 2 April 2007, the Solomon Islands was hit by a massive earthquake followed by a tsunami several meters high. The epicenter of this 8.1 magnitude quake is 349 km (217 mi) northwest of Honiara, at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles). It was followed by more than 44 aftershocks of magnitude 5.0 or greater. The resulting tsunami killed at least 52 people and destroyed more than 900 homes.
The sea received its name because of its many coral formations. They include the GBR, which extends about 2,000 km (1,200 mi) along Australia's northeastern coast and cover about 2,900 individual reefs and 1000 islands. The Chesterfield Islands and Lihou Reef are the largest atolls in the Coral Sea.
Hydrology
Main Coral Reefs form gyro counterclockwise which includes the East Australian Stream. It brings warm, nutrient-poor waters from the Coral Sea on Australia's east coast to the cold waters of the Tasman Sea. This stream is the strongest along the Australian coast and turns 30 million m 3 /s of water in a stream band of about 100 kilometers wide and 500 meters. Currently strongest around February and weakest around August.
The main river that flows into the sea is the Burdekin River, which has the southeastern delta of Townsville. Due to seasonal and annual variations in occurrence of cyclones and rainfall (typically between 200 and 1600 mm/year), the annual discharge can vary more than 10 times between the next two years. In particular, in the period 1920-1999, the average flow rate near the delta was below 1000 m 3 /s in 1923, 1931, 1939, 1969, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1993 and 1995; it was above 25,000 m 3 /s in 1927, 1940, 1946, 1950, 1951, 1959, 1968, 1972, 1974 and 1991, and reached about 40,000 m 3 /s in 1946. This irregularity produces simultaneous fluctuations of the composition of seawater near the river delta.
The surface water temperature varies to the south of the ocean from 19 ° C in August to 24 ° C in February. It's rather warm and stable at 27-28 Â °? in the north all year round. Water salinity is 34.5-35,5? (parts per thousand). The water is mostly very clear, with a viewing distance of about 30 meters (100Ã, ft) near the reef.
Climate
The sea has a subtropical climate and is often hit by tropical cyclones, especially between January and April. This range extends from November to May in the southern region up to 10 ° C. Between 1969 and 1997 GBR experienced 80 cyclones, 90% belonging to category 1 or 2 (17-33 m/s wind, central pressure 970-1000 hPa ) and only 10% of category 3 (wind & gt; 33 m/s, pressure & lt; 970 hPa). The cyclone frequency decreased between 1997 and 2005 to 1.5 per year (12 total).
Annual rainfall typically ranges between 1,000 and 3,000 mm depending on the area. Most of the rain falls between December and March, in 30-60 day bursts. The number of sunny days per year varies roughly between 80 and 125, and the typical temperature variations throughout the year are 18-27 ° C.
Climate change makes it 175 times more likely that Coral Sea water levels will reach a record March 2016 temperatures that whiten coral reefs, modeling analysis suggests.
Winds
The winds in the Coral Sea can be classified by season, longitude and latitude. Southeast trade winds dominate through all marine areas and all seasons, especially between 20 ° C and 25 °, in the west of 155 ° E meridians. However, between September and December they turn into north and northwest winds in the region, and its direction is mostly southwest in May-August. West 155 ° E, ordinary winds occur between January and August and rarely in September-December.
In January, the northwest monsoon can occur between alignments of 15 Â ° S and 20 Â ° S, west of 150 Â ° E meridians. Gales rarely occur in this region for most of the year except for June-August, when strong southeast winds occur several days per month.
The southeast trade is also strong in the north of 15Â ° Â, between March and November. They are weakened and often change to the west of the wind in December and wind north and west winds in January and February.
Flora
The Australian coast of the Coral Sea is mostly sandy. GBR is too far away to provide significant rock deposits, but it effectively filters the shore off the ocean waves. As a result, most of the land vegetation spreads to the sea, and coastal waters are rich in underwater vegetation, such as green algae. The most common genera of seagrass are Halophila and Halodule .
The GBR islands contain more than 2,000 plant species, and three of them are endemic. The northern islands have 300-350 species of plants that tend to be woody, while the southern islands have 200 more herbs; Whitsunday territory is the most diverse, supporting 1,141 species. This plant is spread by birds.
Fauna
The sea hosts many species of anemones, sponges, worms (eg Spirobranchus giganteus shown in the photo), gastropods, lobster, crayfish, shrimp and crabs. The red algae Lithothamnion and Porolithon color many red-purple coral reefs and green algae Halimeda are found throughout the oceans. Coastal plants consist of only about 30-40 species, and mangroves occur in the northern part of the sea. Four hundred species of coral, both hard corals and soft corals inhabit coral reefs. The majority of these egg-laying gametes breed in mass spawning events triggered by rising spring and summer ocean temperatures, moon cycles, and diurnal cycles. Reefs in the GBR lay eggs for a week after the full moon in October, while the outer reefs lay eggs in November and December. Soft corals generally belong to 36 genera. There are over 1500 species of fish in the coral reef system. Five hundred species of seaweed or seaweed live on coral reefs, including thirteen species of the Halimeda genus, which leaves a calculated mound of up to 100 meters (110 cm), creating a mini-ecosystem on its surface that has been compared to rainforest cover.
The crown-thorn star ( Acanthaster planci ) is the main predator of coral reefs, for preying coral polyps by clambering to them, extruding their stomachs above, and releasing digestive enzymes to absorb tissue fluid. An adult individual can eat up to 6m 2 corals per year. In 2000, the outbreak of the crown of a thorn starfish accounted for the loss of 66% of live coral cover on the coral reef samples. Changes in water quality and overfishing of natural predators, such as the Giant Triton, may have contributed to an increase in the number of marine starfish.
There are at least 30 species of whale, dolphins, and marine dolphins, including whale minke whales, Indo-Pacific humps, humpback whales, and dugongs. Six species of turtles breed in GBR - green turtles, starbucks, turtle scales, cobblers turtles, flat turtles, and Olive Ridley.
More than 200 species of birds (including 22 species of seabirds and 32 species of beach birds) visit, lodge or perch on the islands and coral reefs, including white sea eagles and cedar pins. Most nesting sites exist on islands in the north and south of the GBR, with 1.4 to 1.7 million birds using the site to breed.
Seventeen species of sea serpents, including Laticauda colubrina (pictured), live in GBR in warm waters up to 50 meters (160 feet) deep and more common in the south than in the north; none of them are endemic or endangered. The poison of many of these snakes is very poisonous; for example, Aipysurus duboisii is considered the most venomous sea snake in the world.
There are over 1,500 species of fish, including clownfish (Amphiprioninae), red bass (Lutjanus bohar), red-throat emperor ( Lethrinus miniatus ), reef fish ( Plectropomus leopardus ) and several species of snapper (Lutjanidae). Forty-nine species of egg-laying and eighty-four other species lay elsewhere within their reach. With a maximum total length of 0.84 cm (0.33 inches), Schindleria brevipinguis , the original of GBR and Osprey Reef, is one of the smallest known fish and vertebrates. There are at least 330 species of ascidia on the reef system with a diameter of 1-10 cm (0.4-4 in). Between 300 and 500 species of bryozoans live on the reef.
Saltwater crocodiles live in mangrove forests and salt marshes on the beach. About 125 species of shark, stingray, roller skates or chimaera live on the GBR, in addition to about 5,000 species of molluscs. The latter includes giant clams and various nudibranchs and cone snails.
One study of 443 individual sharks gave their following species distribution on the Australian side of the Coral Sea: gray coral sharks (69%), whitetip reef shark ( Triaenodon obesus Carcharhinus albimarginatus , 10%), tiger shark ( Galeocerdo cuvier , & lt; 1%) and large hammer ( Sphyrna mokarran , & lt; 1%). The level of interaction (free diving) on ​​the coral reefs ranges from a few to 26 sharks per hour. The rare species of shark Etmopterus dislineatus is endemic to the center of the Coral Sea. It has been observed at a depth of 590-700 m at or near the continental slope.
Human activity
The coastal area of ​​the Coral Sea was inhabited at least 40,000 years ago by prehistoric people who descended through the northern islands. Aboriginal tribes that have been spread and currently only about 70 groups living in the area around the GBR.
The sea was the location for the Battle of the Coral Sea, a major confrontation during World War II between the Japanese Imperial Navy, and the United States and Australia. An example is the ruins of USS Lexington found in 2018.
Navigation has long been a traditional human activity in the Coral Sea and there are 10 main ports on the Queensland coast alone. More than 3,500 vessels operated in this area in 2007, making over 9,700 voyages transporting coal, sugar, iron ore, wood, oil, chemicals, livestock and other goods. Abundance of coral reefs impedes shipping traffic, and about 50-60 accidents per year are reported between 1990 and 2007 in the GBR alone.
Other economic activities at sea include fishing and oil exploration deposits in the Gulf of Papua. The sea is also a popular tourist destination. In 2006-2007, tourism in GBR contributed A $ 5.1 billion to the Australian economy. Tourism is mostly foreign or from remote areas of Australia, with local contributions of approximately A $ 153 million. In particular, some 14.6 million visits were made to the Coral reef by Queensland residents for 12 months in 2008. Growing concerns over the environmental impact of tourism resulted in the formation in 1975 of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. There are also smaller countries and national parks. In 1981, the Great Barrier Reef was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. From mid-2004, about one-third of the GBR Marine Park was protected from transfer of any species, including fishing, without written permission.
It was suggested in 1923 that the Great Barrier Reef contained a major oil reservoir. After the 1957 Commonwealth Petroleum Search Subsidies Act, hydrocarbon exploration increased in Queensland, including drilling wells on Wreck Island in the southern Great Barrier Reef in 1959. In the 1960s, drilling for oil and gas was investigated. along the Great Barrier Reef, in the Torres Strait, along the "east coast of Cape York to Princess Charlotte Bay" and along the coast from Cooktown to Fraser Island. In the late 1960s, more exploratory oil wells were drilled near Wreck Island on the Capricorn Channel, and near Darnley Island in the Torres Strait, but without success. In the 1970s, responding to concerns about the oil spill, the Australian government banned oil drilling on GBR. But the oil spill due to shipping accidents is still a threat to the environment, with a total of 282 spills between 1987 and 2002.
Queensland has several major urban centers on the coast including Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton, Bundaberg, Sunshine Coast and Gladstone industrial cities, which are bound to pollute the sea. About thirty rivers and hundreds of small streams add to continental water, which contains sediment, pesticides and industrial waste. The runoff is very alarming in the southern region of Cairns, as it can receive up to 4200 mm of rain per year. Approximately 90% of marine pollution comes from agricultural land activities. This area continues to experience urbanization, so the population is expected to increase by 40% by 2026. As a result, 70-90% of the coastal wetlands have been lost over the last few decades, and many of the remaining flora species are threatened with extinction.
On April 3, 2010, the Chinese ship Shen Neng 1 brought 950 tons of oil, stranded east of Rockhampton in Central Queensland, Australia, causing the Great Barrier Reef oil spill in 2010 and inflicting the greatest damage to GBR and the Coral Sea so far. The scar area is approximately 3 km (1.9 miles) wide and 250 m (820 ft) in length, and some parts really do not have marine life. There are concerns that there may be considerable long-term damage and will take 10 to 20 years to recover coral reefs. On April 13, 2010, oil tar balls werehed away on the beaches of the North West Island, a significant breeding of birds and turtles to spawn.
A group of 10 environmental NGOs together as coalitions called our "Protect the Coral Sea campaign, asked the government to create a highly protected Marine Marine Park. In November 2011, the Australian government announced that a 989,842 square kilometer (382,180 square meters) protected area is planned and awaiting approval.
See also
- APNG (cable system)
- Coral Sea Islands
- Torres Strait Islands
- Willis Island
References
Bibliography
- Hopley, David; Smithers, Scott G.; Parnell, Kevin E. (2007). Geomorphology of the Great Barrier Reef: development, diversity, and change . Cambridge University Press. ISBN: 0-521-85302-8.
External links
- Media related to Coral Sea on Wikimedia Commons
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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