A deep reef in deep trouble

Continental Shelf Research
By: , and 

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Abstract

The well-documented degradation of shallower reefs which are often closer to land and more vulnerable to pollution, sewage and other human-related stressors has led to the suggestion that deeper, more remote offshore reefs could possibly serve as sources of coral and fish larvae to replenish the shallower reefs. Yet, the distribution, status, and ecological roles of deep (>30 m) Caribbean reefs are not well known. In this report, an observation of a deep reef which has undergone a recent extensive loss of coral cover is presented. In stark contrast to the typical pattern of coral loss in shallow reefs, the deeper corals were most affected. This report is the first description of such a pattern of coral loss on a deep reef.

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Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title A deep reef in deep trouble
Series title Continental Shelf Research
DOI 10.1016/j.csr.2007.05.017
Volume 27
Issue 17
Year Published 2007
Language English
Publisher Elsevier
Contributing office(s) Coastal and Marine Geology Program
Description 7 p.
Larger Work Type Article
Larger Work Subtype Journal Article
Larger Work Title Continental Shelf Research
First page 2224
Last page 2230
Country United States
Other Geospatial Virgin Islands
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