2
Introduction
region, Turkmenia, Uzbekistan, and Ukraine. The study of geomorphology,
growth and ecology of the modern reefs enables us to understand the
conditions of formation of ancient reef facies, thus helping in the search for
the oil deposits they contain.
Of the total area of modern reefs in the World Ocean (6 x 10 5 m 2 ) 15%
are situated in the Atlantic Ocean, 53% in south-eastern Asia, 19% in the
Pacific, and 9% in the Red Sea. The main reef massifs of the Atlantic Ocean
are situated in the Caribbean Sea by the coasts of southern Florida, Mexico,
Honduras, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and around the Bahamas, Virgin Islands,
and the Antilles. In this region are situated 10 atolls out of their total
number of 300, and 2 of the 30 large barrier reefs of the World Ocean. The
barrier and fringing reefs situated at the shelf off the continents and high
islands occupy more than half of the total area of modern reefs. Among the
largest reef systems we can point out the barrier reef systems of Belize,
Madagascar, Fiji, New Caledonia, and the Great Barrier Reef of Australia.
Some of them extend over 1000-2000 km. The total area of the Great
Barrier Reef of Australia between the continental shore-line and the outer
edge of the barrier reefs is about 215 X 10 3 km 2 .
The first studies of coral reefs started at the end of the eighteenth century
were concerned mostly with their cartographic description, their geomorphology and origin, and the taxonomic composition of reef flora and
fauna, including corals. The reefs were studied by outstanding naturalists of
the past: Chamisso, Laiell, Darwin. In 1923, the Royal Society of London
organized an expedition to the Great Barrier Reef of Australia led by one of
the future founders of reef biology and ecology, sir Maurice Yonge. The
Records of this expedition contained basic data on plankton and benthos of
reefs, and on feeding and metabolism of corals. They constituted the basis
for the future development of reef ecology. Later on, the main centers of
coral reef studies were represented by the Institute of Marine Biology on
Hawaii, Moorea Station, Australian biological stations on the Heron, One
Tree and Lizard Islands, the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences in
Townsville, biological stations on Guam Island, in Eilat by the Red Sea, on
Jamaica, the Belize Barrier Reef, and in the Nhatrang Institute of Marine
Biology (Vietnam). Significant insight into coral reef ecology has been
gained by studies at the Enivetok and Bikini atolls after the nuclear tests
in the 1950s. Classical investigations were carried out here on the geomorphology, hydrodynamics, productivity and metabolism of the reefs
(Devaney et al. 1987). Further impulse to the development of coral reef
ecology was given in the early 1970s by the incipient dangerous degradation
of coral reefs as a consequence of human activity.
Coral reef studies are now among the most important directions of
modern marine biology, marine geology, geomorphology, and paleontology.
The International Symposia on Coral Reefs have been held every 4 years
since 1969. The Proceedings of these Symposia marked the main stages on
the way to developing coral reef studies. The bibliography in this field
contains over 15000 papers and books. In 1982, the international journal
Introduction
region, Turkmenia, Uzbekistan, and Ukraine. The study of geomorphology,
growth and ecology of the modern reefs enables us to understand the
conditions of formation of ancient reef facies, thus helping in the search for
the oil deposits they contain.
Of the total area of modern reefs in the World Ocean (6 x 10 5 m 2 ) 15%
are situated in the Atlantic Ocean, 53% in south-eastern Asia, 19% in the
Pacific, and 9% in the Red Sea. The main reef massifs of the Atlantic Ocean
are situated in the Caribbean Sea by the coasts of southern Florida, Mexico,
Honduras, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and around the Bahamas, Virgin Islands,
and the Antilles. In this region are situated 10 atolls out of their total
number of 300, and 2 of the 30 large barrier reefs of the World Ocean. The
barrier and fringing reefs situated at the shelf off the continents and high
islands occupy more than half of the total area of modern reefs. Among the
largest reef systems we can point out the barrier reef systems of Belize,
Madagascar, Fiji, New Caledonia, and the Great Barrier Reef of Australia.
Some of them extend over 1000-2000 km. The total area of the Great
Barrier Reef of Australia between the continental shore-line and the outer
edge of the barrier reefs is about 215 X 10 3 km 2 .
The first studies of coral reefs started at the end of the eighteenth century
were concerned mostly with their cartographic description, their geomorphology and origin, and the taxonomic composition of reef flora and
fauna, including corals. The reefs were studied by outstanding naturalists of
the past: Chamisso, Laiell, Darwin. In 1923, the Royal Society of London
organized an expedition to the Great Barrier Reef of Australia led by one of
the future founders of reef biology and ecology, sir Maurice Yonge. The
Records of this expedition contained basic data on plankton and benthos of
reefs, and on feeding and metabolism of corals. They constituted the basis
for the future development of reef ecology. Later on, the main centers of
coral reef studies were represented by the Institute of Marine Biology on
Hawaii, Moorea Station, Australian biological stations on the Heron, One
Tree and Lizard Islands, the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences in
Townsville, biological stations on Guam Island, in Eilat by the Red Sea, on
Jamaica, the Belize Barrier Reef, and in the Nhatrang Institute of Marine
Biology (Vietnam). Significant insight into coral reef ecology has been
gained by studies at the Enivetok and Bikini atolls after the nuclear tests
in the 1950s. Classical investigations were carried out here on the geomorphology, hydrodynamics, productivity and metabolism of the reefs
(Devaney et al. 1987). Further impulse to the development of coral reef
ecology was given in the early 1970s by the incipient dangerous degradation
of coral reefs as a consequence of human activity.
Coral reef studies are now among the most important directions of
modern marine biology, marine geology, geomorphology, and paleontology.
The International Symposia on Coral Reefs have been held every 4 years
since 1969. The Proceedings of these Symposia marked the main stages on
the way to developing coral reef studies. The bibliography in this field
contains over 15000 papers and books. In 1982, the international journal