Microatoll
A microatoll is a circular colony of coral, dead on the top but living around the perimeter. Growth is mainly lateral, as upward growth is limited by exposure to air. Microatolls may be up to 6 meters (20 ft) in diameter.[2] They are named for their resemblance to island atolls formed during the subsidence of volcanic islands, as originally suggested by Darwin (1842).[3]
They act as natural recorders of sea level, which allows the monitoring of sea level changes in response to
Terminology
The term 'microatoll' was first used by Krempf in 1927, although his description lacks a precise definition. Kuenen defined it in 1933 as "a colony of corals" with "a raised rim, more or less completely surrounding a lower, dead surface".
Occurrence
Microatolls are found only in corals that grow in the lower intertidal zone on shallow reef flats.[5] Microatolls are formed by several species of the genus Porites, but examples have also been described from Acropora, Heliopora, Favia, Favites, Platygyra, Cyphastrea and Goniastrea.[2]
In climate research
Paleogeodesy
The detailed record of
Sea surface temperatures
Changes in oxygen isotope ratios in fossil microatolls have also been used to provide high-resolution proxy records for sea surface temperature over the last few thousand years.[7]
See also
References
- ^ .
- ^ Darwin, Charles (1842). The structure and distribution of coral reefs. London: Smith, Elder and Co. p. 214.
- ^ hdl:10220/8480.
- ^ ISBN 9780415327381. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
- ^ Meltzner, A.J.; Sieh K.; Chiang H-W.; Philibosian B.E.; Suwargadi B.W.; Natawidjaja D.H. (2009). "Coral microatoll paleogeodesy on Simeulue Island, Sumatra, reveals earthquake clusters and persistent rupture segmentation". 2009 Portland GSA Annual Meeting. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
- . Retrieved 2009-10-30.