In the South Pacific, between Australia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, New hebrides, New Caledonia and the 30 south latitude line, there is a colorful sea called Coral Sea (also called Solomon Sea). ?
Coral Sea is the largest sea in the world, covering an area of nearly 5 million square kilometers, bordering the Solomon Sea in the north and tasman sea in the south. It is the marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. Numerous atolls and coral stone platforms are like scattered flowers, such as countless stars scattered on the vast ocean surface, hence the name Coral Sea.
Coral looks like a plant, but it is actually a lower animal in the ocean. Coral is usually a group of tens of billions of corals. Living coral is colorful in seawater and can be called the flower of the seabed. ?
The white coral we see every day is the remains and bones left by coral after death. Coral is so small that it can only be seen clearly under a microscope. It has no eyes, no nose, only sensitive tentacles, which are its sensory organs.
Coral tentacles drift slowly with the current and expand freely, catching plankton and debris flowing nearby. When you are frightened, immediately retract your tentacles and hide. In the center of the surrounding tentacles, there is a small mouth, which is the mouth of the coral and is called "mouth". The mouth is a very straight intestine, without esophagus and stomach. It spits out digested residue from its mouth.
Most corals reproduce by division, and the reproduction speed is amazing. It can be divided into two, and soon it will be divided into four ... and it will be full of children and grandchildren in a blink of an eye. They are all on a coral body, squeezing each other. Some corals have sexual reproduction, and through the combination of sperm and eggs, floating larvae are produced, which are discharged from their mouths and drift with the flow. When they meet the right place, they attach themselves to a solid foothold, develop into corals, and gradually grow into groups.
Group corals multiply rapidly, and the old ones die constantly, leaving bones and turning into reefs; New corals continue to climb on the bones of their predecessors. In this way, we went wave after wave and built a coral reef stone. ?
Coral Sea is not only famous for its large area, but also has a well-developed coral reef structure. The level here is quiet and clean, and the water temperature has not changed much. It is a typical tropical ocean, the hottest month is February, the average surface water temperature can reach 28℃, and it is 23℃ in August, and the water temperature is above 20℃ all the year round.
Seawater is rich in plankton and algae, which is very suitable for the growth and reproduction of corals. Coral polyps are "architects" of coral reefs, catching plankton and algae for a living. The outer layer of coral can secrete cementum and ilium, and a large number of larvae and corpses gather together to become reefs.
Coral seawater has high salt content and transparency, and the water is dark blue. On the continental shelf and shallows, based on the islands near the sea and submarine mountains, huge coral groups have developed, forming mottled coral reefs embedded in the blue sea.
Coral Sea is located in the tropics, with low wind speed, calm sea surface and clean water, which is conducive to coral growth. There are three largest coral reefs in the world, namely the Great Barrier Reef, the Tagula Reef and the New Caledonia Reef. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest, located in the northeast of Australia. The nearest point is only 16 km offshore, and the farthest point is over 240 km. ?
There are more than 500 coral islands in the Great Barrier Reef, which are spread all over the northeastern waters of Australia, guarding the northeastern coastal defense of Australia like a castle. The dense tropical jungle on the island is lush; Beside the silver beach, colorful coral reef platforms can be seen under the blue water outside the beach. With abundant sunshine, fresh air, clear sea water and rugged rocks, it is a paradise for marine life. The beautiful environment has become a good place for people to travel.
1979, Australia turned the Great Barrier Reef into a marine park, and now there are tourists everywhere. People can go boating, swimming, sunbathing and sand bathing here, and they can also enjoy the wonderful underwater world by taking a glass-bottomed sightseeing boat. All kinds of fish and shrimp and shells of different colors make people feast their eyes. ?
Under the sunshine, the underwater coral world is colorful in red, yellow and blue; Or dendritic, or like wicker, or like flowers, different shapes, fascinating.
In the dazzling coral of the Great Barrier Reef, there is an eternal survival competition in the biological world around food and space. Corals can be divided into soft corals and hard corals with different shapes. Corals are like antlers, whips and fans. Some can withstand the impact of waves, while others can only grow in calm waters. Some grow fast to protect their neighbors from more sunlight, while others use toxic tentacles to throw deadly chemicals into the water to destroy competitors in their fields. ?
In addition, there are animals that eat corals, such as starfish, which can spit out their abdominal cavities, adhere to coral reefs and digest reef disks including live corals. The population of spiny crested starfish will increase sharply periodically, which can eat the whole coral reef.