The Reefs of the Gulf of Mexico

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Recommended: Preserving coral reefs in the wake of climate change and man-made interventions

When you think of the Gulf of Mexico the first thing you don’t think of is coral reefs. You don’t even think of it as place to go surfing. If you ask a surfer what a reef is, they would probably say something that gets in my way while surfing. Reefs being either large or small, have grown for over thousands of years. The build-up of limestone or calcite have given way to magnificent structures that many marine animals call home (Science). Reefs are communities in the ocean where more than hundreds of different ocean species live (Moran). These reefs in the ocean become a community that live alongside each other which allows them to grow. Whether the reef is a place to live, find shelter or a place eat, the reefs of the Gulf of Mexico are truly a wondrous site (Robertson).
There are two kinds of Coral reefs, warm, shallow water reefs that require lots of sunlight and cold, deep ocean water reefs. All natural reefs are a combination of sedimentary rock and calcium carbonate. When we think of coral reefs we imagine the bright, sunny, white sand beaches of the Caribbean but the deep water reefs are inhabited by cold water coral. These coral reefs are created by carbonate secreting animals like black coral, hard coral and octocoral which are the type of coral you will find in the gulf (Georgian). Invertebrates such as algae, sponges and bryozoans, bivalves are some different types of organisms that build these reefs as well. Each of these reef builders are an important part of the reef ecosystem (Science).
The coral polyps are tiny tubular shaped animals that are sometime referred to as hexacorals. The coral look like small sea anemone. Hundreds of them together make up the reef colony. The polyps reproduce by budding or splitting ...

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...uction to Oceanography. Boston, MA: American Meteorological Society, 2011. 296-299. print.
Robertson, Jessica. "www.galleryusgs.gov/audios/197." 18 July 2008. USGS Science for a changing world. artical. 21 March 2014.
Robinson, Lance. www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishboat/fish/didyouknow/oysterarticle.phtml. n.d. article. 21 march 2014.
Science, The Sedgwick Museum of Earth. www.sedwickmuseum.org. 1 Janurary 2008. website. 21 March 2014.
Service, National Ocean. flowergarden.noaa.gov. 14 Feburary 2014. artical. 21 march 2014.
—. flowergarden.noaa.gov/about/natrualsetting.htm;#domes. 10 February 2014. artical. 21 March 2014.
Wildlife, Texas parks and. www.tpwd.stat.us/landwater/water/habitats/artifical reef/overview.phtml. n.d. artical. 21 March 2014.
—. www.tpwd.state.tx.us/landwater/water/habitats/atrifical reef/rigs-to-reefs.phtml. 01 January 2014. artical. 21 March 2014.

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