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OCEANOGRAPHY and MARINE BIOLOGY: AN ANNUAL REVIEW (Volume 45) - Chapter 5

Biển Andaman nằm ở rìa phía đông của Ấn Độ Dương, giáp về phía tây bởi một vòng cung của hòn đảo trải dài từ phía bắc Sumatra đồng bằng sông Irrawaddy. Các rạn san hô diềm có nhiều ở quần đảo Andaman và Nicobar (Ấn Độ), quần đảo Mergui (Myanmar), phía tây bờ biển của Thái Lan và Malaysia và tây bắc Sumatra (Indonesia). Chưa bao giờ được truy cập bởi các nhà khoa học vì các ràng buộc chính trị, do đó khu vực là một trong những khu vực rạn san hô ít nhất nghiên cứu san. | CORAL REEFS OF THE ANDAMAN SEA AN INTEGRATED PERSPECTIVE BARBARA E. BROWN School of Biology University of Newcastle Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU U.K. E-mail ProfBarbaraBrown@aol.com Abstract The Andaman Sea lies on the eastern edge of the Indian Ocean bordered to the west by an arc of islands stretching from northern Sumatra to the Irrawaddy delta. Fringing reefs are abundant in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands India Mergui Archipelago Myanmar west coasts of Thailand and Malaysia and northwest Sumatra Indonesia . Most have never been visited by scientists because of political constraints consequently the region is one of the least studied coral reef areas in the world. Many inshore reefs are intertidal and occur in turbid settings while offshore reefs exist in clearer waters. Regardless of physical rigours reefs generally display high cover and high coral diversity. The Andaman Sea has a complex geological history a varied seafloor topography a highly dynamic oceanography and a large tidal range 2-5 m coupled with periodic sea-level depressions. It is also a major sink for sediments from the Irrawaddy the world s fifth largest river in terms of suspended sediment load. Human-made influences are limited sedimentation from land reclamation and dredging are a principal negative factor though rising sea temperatures present a major threat. Natural damage results from aerial exposure on low tides negative sea-level anomalies earthquakes and tsunamis. The dynamic nature of the Andaman Sea and the in-built stress resistance of many shallow water corals could result in the region being an important refuge during an era of global warming. Introduction Charles Darwin first described the extent of reef building in the eastern Indian Ocean in his book The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs published in 1842. He wrote The coast of Malacca Tanasserim and the coasts northward appear in the greater part to be low and muddy where reefs occur as in parts of the Malacca Straits