The modern understanding of coral reefs begins in Charles Darwins book, On the Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs. In this classic book written in 1842, hedistinguished three main types of reef: the fringing reef, the barrier reef, and the atoll.The fringing reef occurs near the shoreline and basically follows the profile of theshore. Its stony corals need a firm base on which to establish themselves, and they mustcompete with many other sedimentary organisms looking for a firm substrate on which tosettle. In off-shore waters, that substrate is usually provided by the limestone secreted byearlier stony corals on rock (often volcanic). However, if there is a firm, rocky basepresent, as in fringing reefs, sedentary rivals can settle in great numbers without waitingfor reef-building corals to lay the foundations (Stafford-Deitsch 20). Thus, the stonycorals do not have to be the major constituents of the reef. Sponges, soft corals, andcorraline algae are abundant throughout the fringing reef. Some of the finest fringing reefs in the world are along the edges of the Red Sea,where the conditions are premier for the growth of the reef. The water is enclosed bydesert. Therefore, there is barely any rainfall to wash either the sand or fresh water intothe sea. Also, there are very little clouds in the area allowing sunlight to reach the surface,resulting in much warmer water than one might think to find at this latitude. The reefs inthe Red Sea are some of the richest and most diverse. If one were to swim over the crest(the open-water edge), one might panic being that the reef drops drastically into unknowndepths. Thus, not allowing wave action to stir up much sediment which would damagethe reef being that the sediment settles below the reach of the waves. Little sediment atthe top of the reef causes water to be clear, maximizing the amount of sunlight thatreaches the reef (Stafford-Deitsch 21).The second type of reef acco...
