90
J.H. Choat
total global area of 256,500 km
2 support ~6,000 species of fi shes (Tables 4.2 and
4.3 ) (Spalding and Grenfell 1997 ; Spalding et al. 2001 ; Allen 2007 ) in habitats that
contribute only 0.08% of the ocean by area; it is anticipated that reef areas will
increase when deeper systems are incorporated. The diversity of reef fi shes varies
by ocean basin with the Pacifi c dominating. The Indo-west Pacifi c supports 71% of
these species with the distributions strongly biased towards the western regions of
the ocean and the archipelagoes lying between 10° North, 10° S and 110° to 130°
East. This area supports ~2,000 species such that an area that comprises 3% of the
Indo-west and central Pacifi c supports 60% of the reef fi sh species (Randall 1998 ;
Allen 2007 ) . In contrast the tropical Atlantic has a relatively sparse fauna with a total
of 1,240 fi shes (Floeter et al. 2008 ; Osmar J. Luiz, 2010) (Table 4.2 ).
The distribution and extent of coral reefs varies between ocean basins. Most
reefs occur in the Pacifi c Ocean (176 × 103 km
2 ) with the majority of these on the
western margin (156.2 × 10
3 km
2 ) which includes Southeast Asia, Papua New
Guinea, Solomon Is., Australia and the adjacent archipelagos; Indonesia alone supports 51.0 × 10
3 km
2 of reef habitat (Tables 4.4 – 4.7 ) (Spalding et al. 2001 ) . In marked
contrast the east Pacifi c supports only one signifi cant coral reef, the 4 km
2 reef of
Clipperton Atoll (Allen 2007 ) . The Indian Ocean shows relatively little reef development (a total of 36.0 × 10
3 km
2 ) especially in northwestern and eastern areas, with
the western extension of this ocean, the Red Sea, having an area of 17.0 × 10
3 km
2 .
The tropical Atlantic supports only 24.2 × 10
3 km
2 with the great majority of this
located in the western region, the Caribbean. The eastern Atlantic mirrors the eastern
Table 4.4 Ocean basin and reef habitat estimates: ocean basin data
Pacifi c
Atlantic
Indian
Metric
Ocean area km
2 .10
6
152.6
81.7
67.5
Shelf area km
2 .10
6
23.6
20.7
6.7
Coastline km. 10
3
135.7
111.9
66.5
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications
Sources
Wright and Rothenbury (1998)
Table 4.5 Ocean basin and reef habitat estimates: coral reef areas by region
Region
Pacifi c
Indian
Red Sea
Atlantic
Indian
Reef area km
2 .10
3
176
36
17
24.2
0.1
Total IWP
232
–
–
–
–
Total global
256.3
–
–
–
–
Source
Spalding and Grenfell ( 1997 )
Table 4.6 Ocean basin and reef habitat estimates: coral reef
areas as a function of shelf metrics
Metric
Pacifi c
Atlantic
Indian
Reef area/shelf area
0.98
0.11
0.54
J.H. Choat
total global area of 256,500 km
2 support ~6,000 species of fi shes (Tables 4.2 and
4.3 ) (Spalding and Grenfell 1997 ; Spalding et al. 2001 ; Allen 2007 ) in habitats that
contribute only 0.08% of the ocean by area; it is anticipated that reef areas will
increase when deeper systems are incorporated. The diversity of reef fi shes varies
by ocean basin with the Pacifi c dominating. The Indo-west Pacifi c supports 71% of
these species with the distributions strongly biased towards the western regions of
the ocean and the archipelagoes lying between 10° North, 10° S and 110° to 130°
East. This area supports ~2,000 species such that an area that comprises 3% of the
Indo-west and central Pacifi c supports 60% of the reef fi sh species (Randall 1998 ;
Allen 2007 ) . In contrast the tropical Atlantic has a relatively sparse fauna with a total
of 1,240 fi shes (Floeter et al. 2008 ; Osmar J. Luiz, 2010) (Table 4.2 ).
The distribution and extent of coral reefs varies between ocean basins. Most
reefs occur in the Pacifi c Ocean (176 × 103 km
2 ) with the majority of these on the
western margin (156.2 × 10
3 km
2 ) which includes Southeast Asia, Papua New
Guinea, Solomon Is., Australia and the adjacent archipelagos; Indonesia alone supports 51.0 × 10
3 km
2 of reef habitat (Tables 4.4 – 4.7 ) (Spalding et al. 2001 ) . In marked
contrast the east Pacifi c supports only one signifi cant coral reef, the 4 km
2 reef of
Clipperton Atoll (Allen 2007 ) . The Indian Ocean shows relatively little reef development (a total of 36.0 × 10
3 km
2 ) especially in northwestern and eastern areas, with
the western extension of this ocean, the Red Sea, having an area of 17.0 × 10
3 km
2 .
The tropical Atlantic supports only 24.2 × 10
3 km
2 with the great majority of this
located in the western region, the Caribbean. The eastern Atlantic mirrors the eastern
Table 4.4 Ocean basin and reef habitat estimates: ocean basin data
Pacifi c
Atlantic
Indian
Metric
Ocean area km
2 .10
6
152.6
81.7
67.5
Shelf area km
2 .10
6
23.6
20.7
6.7
Coastline km. 10
3
135.7
111.9
66.5
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications
Sources
Wright and Rothenbury (1998)
Table 4.5 Ocean basin and reef habitat estimates: coral reef areas by region
Region
Pacifi c
Indian
Red Sea
Atlantic
Indian
Reef area km
2 .10
3
176
36
17
24.2
0.1
Total IWP
232
–
–
–
–
Total global
256.3
–
–
–
–
Source
Spalding and Grenfell ( 1997 )
Table 4.6 Ocean basin and reef habitat estimates: coral reef
areas as a function of shelf metrics
Metric
Pacifi c
Atlantic
Indian
Reef area/shelf area
0.98
0.11
0.54