Coral Sea
Coral Sea | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 18°S 158°E / 18°S 158°E |
Type | Sea |
Basin countries | |
Surface area | 4,791,000 km2 (1,850,000 sq mi) |
Average depth | 2,394 m (7,854 ft) |
Max. depth | 9,140 m (29,990 ft) |
Water volume | 11,470,000 km3 (9.30×1012 acre⋅ft) |
Settlements | Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Port Moresby, Cairns, Townsville, Nouméa |
References | [1][2] |
The Coral Sea (French: Mer de Corail) is a
The sea contains numerous islands and
Geography
It is bounded in the west by the east coast of Queensland, thereby including the Great Barrier Reef, in the east by Vanuatu (formerly the New Hebrides) and by New Caledonia, and in the northeast approximately by the southern extremity of the Solomon Islands. In the northwest, it reaches to the south coast of eastern New Guinea, thereby including the Gulf of Papua. It merges with the Tasman Sea in the south, with the Solomon Sea in the north and with the Pacific Ocean in the east. On the west, it is bounded by the mainland coast of Queensland, and in the northwest, it connects with the Arafura Sea through the Torres Strait.[2]
The sea is characterised by its warm climate, with frequent rains and tropical cyclones.
Extent
While the
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Coral Sea as follows:[3]
On the North. The South coast of New Guinea from the entrance to the Bensbach River (141°01'E) to Gadogadoa Island near its Southeastern extreme (10°38′S 150°34′E / 10.633°S 150.567°E), down this meridian to the 100 fathom line and thence along the Southern edges of Uluma Reef and those extending to the Eastward as far as the Southeast point of Lawik Reef (11°43.5′S 153°56.5′E / 11.7250°S 153.9417°E) off Tagula Island, thence a line to the Southern extreme of Rennell Island (Solomon Islands) and from its Eastern point to Cape Surville, the Eastern extreme of San Cristobal Island [Makira], Solomons; thence through Nupani Island, the Northwestern of the Santa Cruz Islands (10°04.5′S 165°40.5′E / 10.0750°S 165.6750°E) to the Northernmost Island of the Duff Islands (9°48.5′S 167°06′E / 9.8083°S 167.100°E).
On the Northeast. From the Northernmost island of the Duff Islands, through these islands to their Southeastern extreme, thence a line to Méré Lava,
Anatom Island (20°11′S 169°51′E / 20.183°S 169.850°E) in such a way that all the islands of these Groups, and the straits separating them, are included in the Coral Sea.On the Southeast. A line from the Southeastern extreme of Anatom Island to Nokanhoui (reefs) (22°46′S 167°34′E / 22.767°S 167.567°E) off the Southeast extreme of New Caledonia, thence through the East point of Middleton Reef to the Eastern extreme of Elizabeth Reef (29°55′S 159°02′E / 29.917°S 159.033°E) and down this meridian to Latitude 30° South.
On the South. The parallel of 30° South to the Australian coast. (Bordering the Tasman Sea.)
On the West. The Eastern limit of the Arafura Sea [The entrance to the Bensbach River (141°01'E), and thence a line to the Northwest extreme of York Peninsula, Australia (11°05′S 142°03′E / 11.083°S 142.050°E)] and the East Coast of Australia as far south as Latitude 30° South.
Geology
The fairly deep Coral Sea
The geological formation processes are still proceeding, as partly evidenced by the
The sea received its name because of its numerous coral formations. They include the GBR, which extends about 2,000 km (1,200 mi) along the northeast coast of Australia and includes approximately 2,900 individual reefs[11] and 1000 islands.[12] The Chesterfield Islands and Lihou Reef are the largest atolls of the Coral Sea.
Topography
To the east of the north Australian coast is the Great Barrier Reef on the continental shelf. To its east is a plateau that is host to the Coral Sea Islands Territory that is known as either the Coral Sea Plateau or the Queensland Plateau. To the north of the Great Barrier Reef the Eastern and Papuan Plateaus continue the southern continental shelf of
Hydrology
Major Coral Sea currents form a counter-clockwise gyro which includes the East Australian Current. It brings warm nutrient-poor waters from the Coral Sea down the east coast of Australia to the cool waters of the Tasman Sea. This current is the strongest along the Australian coasts and transforms 30 million m3/s of water within a flow band of about 100 kilometres wide and 500 metres deep. The current is strongest around February and weakest around August.[20]
The major river flowing into the sea is the Burdekin River, which has its delta southeast of Townsville. Owing to the seasonal and annual variations in occurrence of cyclones and in precipitation (typically between 200 and 1600 mm/year), its annual discharge can vary more than 10 times between the two succeeding years. In particular, in the period 1920–1999, the average flow rate near the delta was below 1000 m3/s in 1923, 1931, 1939, 1969, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1993 and 1995; it was above 25,000 m3/s in 1927, 1940, 1946, 1950, 1951, 1959, 1968, 1972, 1974 and 1991, and reached about 40,000 m3/s in 1946.[21] This irregularity results in concomitant fluctuations of the sea water composition near the river delta.
The surface water temperature varies on the south of the sea from 19 °C in August to 24 °C in February. It is rather warm and stable at 27–28 °С in the north all through the year. Water salinity is 34.5–35.5‰ (parts per thousand).[1] The water is mostly very clear, with the visibility of about 30 metres (100 ft) near the reefs.[11]
History
The Coral Sea takes its name from its coral formations of the Great Barrier Reef, the largest known reef system in the world.
In May 1942, a battle between Allied and Imperial Japanese naval units took place in the Coral Sea, which resulted in the prevention of the Japanese sea-borne invasion of Port Moresby.
Climate
The sea has a subtropical climate and is frequently hit by
Annual rainfall typically ranges between 1,000 and 3,000 mm depending on the area. Most rains fall between December and March, in bursts of 30–60 days.[22] The number of clear days per year varies approximately between 80 and 125, and the typical temperature variation through the year are 18–27 °C.[23]
Winds
Winds in the Coral Sea can be classified by season,
In January, the northwest monsoon may occur between the parallels of 15°S and 20°S, west of the 150°E meridian. Gales are rare in this region most of the year except for June–August, when strong southeasterly winds occur a few days per month.[25]
The southeasterly trades are also strong north of 15°S between March and November. They weaken and often change to westerly winds in December and to northerly and northwesterly winds in January and February.[25]
Flora
The Australian shore of the Coral Sea is mostly composed of sand. The GBR is too far away to provide significant coral deposits, but it effectively screens the coast from the ocean waves. As a result, most land vegetation spreads down to the sea,[26] and the coastal waters are rich in underwater vegetation, such as green algae.[27] The most common genera of seagrasses are Halophila and Halodule.[28]
The islands of the GBR contain more than 2,000 plant species, and three of these are endemic. The northern islands have 300–350 plant species which tend to be woody, whereas the southern islands have 200 which are more herbaceous; the Whitsunday region is the most diverse, supporting 1,141 species. The plants are spread by birds.[29]
Fauna
The sea hosts numerous species of
Crown-of-thorns starfish (
There are at least 30 species of whales, dolphins, and
More than 200 species of birds (including 22 species of seabirds and 32 species of shorebirds) visit, nest or roost on the islands and reefs,[42] including the white-bellied sea eagle and roseate tern.[30] Most nesting sites are on islands in the northern and southern regions of the GBR, with 1.4–1.7 million birds using the sites to breed.[43][44]
Seventeen species of
There are more than 1,500
One study of 443 individual sharks gives the following distribution of their species on the Australian side of the Coral Sea:
Human activities
The coastal areas of the Coral Sea were populated at least 40,000 years ago by prehistoric people descending through the northern islands. Those Aboriginal tribes have been dispersed and nowadays only about 70 groups live in the area around the GBR.[57]
The sea was the location for the Battle of the Coral Sea, a major confrontation during World War II between the navies of the Empire of Japan, and the United States and Australia. An example is the wreckage of the USS Lexington found in 2018.
Navigation has long been a traditional human activity on the Coral Sea and there are 10 major ports on the Queensland coast alone. More than 3,500 ships operated in this area in 2007, making over 9,700 voyages that transported coal, sugar, iron ore, timber, oil, chemicals, cattle and other goods.[58] The abundance of coral reefs hinders shipping traffic, and about 50–60 accidents per year were reported between 1990 and 2007 in the GBR alone.[59]
Other economic activities in the sea include fishing and exploration of petroleum deposits in the Gulf of Papua.[2] The sea is also a popular tourism destination. In 2006–2007, tourism on the GBR contributed A$5.1 billion to the Australian economy.[60] The tourism is mostly foreign or from remote parts of Australia, with a local contribution of about A$153 million. In particular, about 14.6 million visits were made to the Coral Sea reefs by the Queensland residents over 12 months in 2008.[61] Growing concerns over the environmental effects of tourism resulted in establishment in 1975 of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. There are also smaller state and national parks. In 1981, the Great Barrier Reef was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.[11] From the middle of 2004, approximately one-third of the GBR Marine Park is protected from species removal of any kind, including fishing, without written permission.[62]
It was suggested in 1923 that the Great Barrier Reef contains a major
Queensland has several major urban centres on the coast including Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton, Bundaberg, Sunshine Coast and the industrial city of Gladstone, which inevitably contaminate the sea. About thirty rivers and hundreds of small streams add continental water, which contains sediments, pesticides and industrial waste.[69] Runoff is especially concerning in the region south of Cairns, as it may receive up to 4200 mm of rain per year.[23] About 90% of sea contamination originates from land farming activities.[70] The area is continuously urbanising, so that the population is expected to increase by 40% by 2026. As a result, 70–90% of the coastal wetlands has been lost over the past decades, and many remaining flora species are endangered.[71]
On 3 April 2010, the Chinese ship
Protection
The Coral Sea Commonwealth Marine Reserve was proclaimed in December 2013, but it was not seen to offer enough protection for the environment.[76] A group of 10 environmental NGOs came together as a coalition called the Protect our Coral Sea campaign, asking the government to create a very large highly protected Coral Sea Marine Park.[77] In November 2011 the Australian government announced that a 989,842 square kilometres (382,180 sq mi) protected area was planned and pending approval.[78]
The Coral Sea Commonwealth Marine Reserve was renamed as the
The Marine National Park protection (IUCN II) protected areas of the original 2012 announcement were subsequently significantly reduced from 50.78% to 24%[79] in the 2018 management plan.[80] This 50% reduction in protection was enacted contrary to the recommendations of then Commonwealth Government's expert review panel.[79]
Research
Before 2020, only shallow parts of Coral Sea reefs had been mapped. During 2020 some of the deepest parts of the sea were mapped using an advanced multi-beam
See also
- APNG (cable system)
- Coral Sea Islands
- Torres Strait Islands
- Willis Island
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Bibliography
- Hopley, David; Smithers, Scott G.; Parnell, Kevin E. (2007). The geomorphology of the Great Barrier Reef: development, diversity, and change. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-85302-6.
External links
- Media related to Coral Sea at Wikimedia Commons