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Coral and Sponges of Cozumel
Brain Coral
Brain Coral is a common name given to several genera of coral, which are characterized by the spheroid shape of their colonies and by the grooves and channels on their surface, which resemble the folds on the surface of the human brain. Brain coral is in the taxonomic family Faviidae, but not every genus in the family is brain-shaped.
Brain corals are found in warm-water coral reefs in all the world's oceans. They are in a class called "sea flowers," also known as Anthozoa or, scientifically, Phylum Cnidaria.
The lifespan of the largest brain corals is 200 years.
WHIP CORAL (Eptogorgia Virgulata)
Whip coral has slender, whip-like branches that vary in color from deep purple to yellowish-tan. The long branches are covered in coral polyps, which look like tiny white dots against the coral's skeleton.
Whip Coral can grow to about three feet tall and grows on rocks, reefs, pilings, and other hard surfaces.
Whip corals are suspension feeders. Each of the polyps covering the coral's skeleton has eight feathery, saw-toothed tentacles that periodically/emerge to sweep plankton and tiny particles into the coral's body.
STAR CORAL(Galaxea fascicularis)
The star coral is one of the hard coral species that contains a stone-like calcium skeleton. Small, oval stubs rise from the yellowish-tan central core, each containing a delicate star-shaped polyp. The Star Coral is commonly found throughout the Caribbean and the West Indies and usually grows to about 12 inches in height.
ELKHORN CORAL
Elkhorn Coral is a large, branching shallow water coral with thick and sturdy antler-like branches. Colonies are fast-growing: branches increased by 2-4 inches (5-10cm) per year, with colonies reaching their maximum size in approximately 10 to 12 years.
YELLOW TUBE SPONGES (Aplysina Fistularia)
The yellow tube sponge displays one of the many different body forms typical of sponges. Sponges, considered to be the most primitive of the multi-cellular animals, are represented in the fossil record going back to the Cambrian Period, at least 600 million years ago. The interior body cavities
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Coral Reefs
Coral Reefs are the most biologically diverse marine ecosystem on earth, rivaled only by the tropical rainforests on land. Corals grow over geologic time and have been in existence for nearly 200 million years. Corals reached their current level of diversity 50 million years ago.
The delicately balanced marine environment of the coral reefs relies on the interaction of hard and soft corals, sponges, anemones, snails, rays, crabs, lobsters, turtles, dolphins, and other sea life.
A coral reef is composed of thin plates or layers of calcium carbonate secreted over thousands of years by billions of tiny soft-bodied animals called coral polyps. It takes years for some corals to grow an inch, and they range in size from a pinhead to a foot in length. Each polyp secretes a calcareous exoskeleton and lives in a symbiotic relationship with a host alga, zooxanthellae, which gives the coral its color.
Zooxanthellae take in carbon dioxide, process it through photosynthesis, and then give off oxygen as a by-product that is used by the host polyp. A million polyps are grown on top of the limestone remains of former colonies to create the massive reefs, yet these tiny animals form the only natural formation.
Corals are divided into two types, and both are stationary on the ocean floor. Hard corals such as the brain, star, staghorn, elkhorn, and pillar corals have rigid exoskeletons, or Corallites, that protect their soft, delicate bodies.
Gorgonians, or soft corals, such as sea fans, sea whips, and sea rods, sway with the currents and lack an exoskeleton.
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| World Coral Exhibit |
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| World Coral Exhibit |
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| World Coral Exhibit |
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| World Coral Exhibit |
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The Cozumel Reef System
The Great Maya Barrier Reef, also known as The Mesoamerican Reef, extends from the Northern Yucatan to Honduras and is actually the second-largest barrier reef system in the entire world. The 32-km (20 miles) long reef system in Cozumel is located just off the southern Leeward coast. Over the years, the Yucatan Current has carved an extensive labyrinth that is unparalleled by any other reef in the Caribbean.
In 1961, the famous oceanographer Jacques Yves Cousteau came to Cozumel with his crew on the Calypso to film a documentary. Since the first airing of that film, Cozumel has consistently been on top of many diving lists as a diver's destination.
Through a guided tour of Cozumel's rich underwater topography, it is quite normal to see vast coral heads, brilliant sponges, hundreds of tropical fish, rich ecosystems, and steep walls that sink into the abyss. Tunnels and caves twist through the reef, providing a rich environment for many species.
Most of the diving sites in Cozumel are located within the Cozumel Reefs National Marine Park, a protected underwater environment covering 29,000 + acres. A voluntary $2.00 US donation/fee from divers was implemented to fund the conservation.
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Threats to Coral Reefs
Coral reefs are one of our threatened marine ecosystems
Scientists estimate that unless we take immediate action, we could lose up to 70 percent of the world's coral reefs by 2050.
Nature's Threats: Storms and Predators
Reefs are frequently disturbed by natural events. Hurricanes and tropical storms can reduce reefs to rubble. Diseases such as black band disease, which spreads over colonies, progressively killing the polyps, often affect corals. The Crown-of-thorns Starfish, in the Indo-Pacific, feeds voraciously on coral and, if present in large numbers, can reduce a reef to amass of dead coral skeletons in just a few weeks.
Greenhouse Threats
Global climate change, or the enhanced greenhouse effect, may cause increases in sea temperature and sea level, as well as changes in the oceans' current patterns, which could damage coral reefs. For example, corals are very sensitive to changes in temperature. Seawater that becomes too warm causes coral to turn white or bleach, a reaction that occurs if coral polyps are stressed. Often, they recover, but they are also known to die.
If the oceans warm as a result of global climate change, corals may have increasing difficulty recovering from these bleaching episodes.
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Cozumel Coral Reef
Although there are more than 30 chartered reefs and countless sites from which to choose each of those, Cozumel's coral reef can basically be divided into 3 types.
On vertical walls like Palancar Reef and Santa Rosa, with depths from 40 to 130 feet, you’ll find gorgonian and plate coral, enormous colorful sponges, and a splendid assortment of reef and pelagic species. The Palancar Reef was made famous by Jacques Cousteau, which in turn made Cozumel one of the most known diving spots in the world.
Pinnacles like Punta Sur and Palancar Horseshoe, with depths from 40-70 feet, are maze-like structures with tall, statuesque pinnacles and wide coral shelves. Here, you can swim through tunnels, in and out of caves, and between dramatic towering coral.
For the less experienced divers or snorkelers, coral gardens make exciting first experiences. These 20-40 foot deep coral patches don’t have the lushness of sponge and coral life found further from shore. However, they are one of the best places to dive or snorkel and experience the rich abidance of fish life, which flourishes in these lush waters. The Tormentors Reef has been known to have explosives of colorful sponges and gorgonians.
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Ecosystem Importance
Vast numbers of species inhabit coral reefs, making them second only to rainforests in species riches. This huge diversity is a result of the careful sharing of the reef by all of its inhabitants. More species of fish are found on reefs than anywhere else in the sea, ranging from large sharks to tiny gobies. It is believed that about 90% of all species are small invertebrates yet to be discovered. These, like many of the tiny mollusks and crustaceans that are already known, will never be seen by divers and snorkelers as they are animals that live in crackers and crevices. They are equivalent to the insects of tropical rainforests. The greatest diversity of reef plants and animals is in Southeast Asia, ranging from the Philippines to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Here, a single reef may have over 3,000 different types of plants and animals. Diversity is lower in the Caribbean as a result of the geological history of this region, but up to a thousand species may still inhabit the rich reefs.
Coral reefs are a vital part of an ecosystem. They represent the skeletons of algae and corals solidified into calcium carbonate. There are several different types of reefs, including an apron, fringing, table, and barrier, depending on their relationship to the shore. In terms of the ecosystem, coral reefs support a huge amount of sea life by recycling nutrients in nutrient-low parts of the ocean, therefore providing life and health for the surrounding sea life while also feeding off of it to produce new reef formations. These also represent home to various types of tropical fish and other sea organisms, such as lobsters and sea turtles. Pollution and the live food fish trade have developed into serious threats to the delicate ecosystem balance that the coral reef inhabits. For example, if a forest is destroyed during coastal construction, the run-off of nutrients can saturate the waters and suffocate organisms adapting to a low-nutrient environment. Similarly, excessive fishing, most notably using cyanide, destroys the structure of the reef and the organisms it depends on to sustain itself.
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Life of Coral Reefs
Coral reefs depend upon mangroves and seagrass for survival. Mangroves are salt-tolerant trees with submerged roots that are a nursery and breeding ground for birds and most of the marine life that migrates to the reef. Mangroves trap and produce nutrients for food and habitat, stabilize the shoreline, and filter pollutants from the land base. Seagrasses are flowering marine plants that are an important part of the food web. They provide food and habitat for turtles, manatees, fish, filter-feeding organisms, and foraging sea life, such as sea urchins and sea cumbers. Seagrass is a nursery for pink shrimp, lobster, snapper, and other sea life.
They filter the water of sediments, release oxygen, and stabilize the base.
As many as 250 different species of fish can be seen in Cozumel's waters; one of the most spectacular is the Queen Angelfish, possessing bright blue-and-yellow markings and the distinctive blue "crown" on the top of the head. The Splendid Toadfish is found only in Cozumel. Making its home in the holes along the reef, this fish grows from 12 to 16 inches in length.
Besides the Splendid Toadfish, some of the most beautiful and colorful tropical fish can be found in the warm water of Cozumel.
Divers are likely to see grouper, barracudas, turtles, butterflyfish, parrotfish, and stingrays. Angelfish, moray eels, nurse sharks, octopuses, snakes, crabs, and huge lobsters.
Coral reefs are located in tropical oceans, typically between the Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn. However, there are exceptions, such as the Florida Keys. The largest coral reef is the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
The second-largest barrier coral reef can be found off the coast of Belize in Central America. Other reefs are found in Hawaii, the Red Sea, and other areas in tropical oceans. Coral reefs, including Australia's Great Barrier Reef and Fiji's Barrier Reef, occupy less than one-quarter of one percent of the Earth's marine environment, yet are home to more than a quarter of all known fish species.
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Carnival Corporation & Pic Commitment to Our Environment
Carnival understands that our future depends largely on the health of the world’s oceans. The line aggressively seeks both high and low-tech solutions to manage the environmental impact of its fleet and preserve natural resources. Listed below are but a few ways that Carnival manages and preserves this impact.
An extensive waste-management plan for collecting, storing, processing, and disposing of all waste generated aboard Carnival vessels meets or exceeds international and domestic laws and regulations. Carnival ships are regulated by various international, national, state, and local laws, regulations, and treaties in force in the jurisdictions in which the ship operates.
Carnival has received certification for its ISO14001 Environmental Management System. The Requirement for Standardization is an internationally recognized standards organization that promotes the development and implementation of international standards, including those for environmental management issues.
Solid waste is processed and incinerated on board whenever possible.
Carnival involves its guest in their recycling program by educating and encouraging them to assist in their efforts. Food, glass, aluminum, and plastics are collected in separate bins located in public areas, open decks, steward stations, galley and crew areas, room service pantries, and bar pantries.
Cooking oil and graces are stored in special holding thanks after use and are used onboard as an alternate source of fuel on all Carnival ships.
Additionally, a variety of items, such as mattresses, televisions, blankets, and computers that can no longer be used aboard the ships but which are still in usable condition, are donated by Carnival lines to local organizations in both home ports and ports of call.
Carnival has also formed an alliance with the International SeaKeepers Society and has installed a scientific data-gathering device on the Carnival Trump and Carnival Spirit to monitor ocean water quality. The device tracts a wide range of data, which is transmitted via satellite to various environmental groups, governmental agencies, and universities to aid in assessing ocean pollution and researching global climate changes and cyclic weather patterns.
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