Coral Reefs in India

 

 

Coral Reefs in India are one of the most  dynamic ecosystems . The coastline of India is about 7517 km including islands but mainland coast is 6100 km. The   major coral reefs in India include the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Lakshadweep Islands, the Palk Bay, the Gulf of Mannar and the Gulf of Kutch.  The Lakshadweep reef is an atoll while the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, the Palk Bay, the Gulf of Mannar and the Gulf of Kutch are fringing reefs.

1. Andaman and Nicobar Islands -Situated in the Bay of Bengal, coral reefs are stretched over an area of 11,000 sq.km in the Andaman and 2,700 sq.km in the Nicobars. Almost all the reefs in the Andaman & Nicobar are fringing reefs with over 560 different species. Corals found in Andaman & Nicobar are Acropora, Porites, Pocillopora, Montipora, Heliopora, Tubipora and Favia.

 

2. Lakshadweep Islands - The coral reefs of Lakshadweep are mainly atolls. The islands cover an area of 32 .62 sq.km with 36 tiny islands, 12 atolls, 3reef, 5 submerged banks with lagoons occupying about 4200 km. The islands range from less than 1km to about 9 km in length and do not exceed 2 km in width. Corals found here are Acropora, Porites, Diploastrea, Heliopora, Goniastrea retiformis and Lobophyllia corymbosa.

 

3. Palk Bay - Situated in the south-east coast of India, Palk bay is separated from the Gulf of Mannar by the Mandapam Peninsula and the Rameshwaram Islands. The average depth of the bay is 9 meters.  The coral reef in Palk Bay starts from Munakad and run east upto Tonithurai a distance of about 5.5 km and a width of 300 meters. East of Pamban Pass, the reef again starts near Thangachimadam and ends near Agnitheertham in Rameswaram. Corals found Montipora digitate, Acropora hyacinthus, Acropora Formosa etc.

 

4. Gulf of Mannar - The Gulf of Mannar lies between Tuticorin and Rameshwaram Islands with a stretch of about 140 km long and 25 km wide. With a chain of 21 islands they fall between 8°47′N and 9°15′N latitude and 78°12′E and 79°14′E longitude.  The entire reef is quite shallow with depths ranging between 3 to 6 meters.

 

5. Gulf of Kutch - The Gulf of Kutch is an inlet of the Arabian Sea along the west coast of India, in the state of Gujarat. The entire Gulf of Kutch is also known as Marine National Park. At present, 31 species of corals are reported in the Marine National Park. The reefs are relatively less developed due to large range of temperature and high salinity.