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Arrecife Madagascar
Madagascar Reef is located at the Northwest corner of the Yucatan Península north of the port of Sisal. It forms part of the Inner Campeche Bank Reefs, which in turn form part of the Campeche Bank Reef. The Campeche Bank is an underwater extension of the Yucatan Peninsula, which slopes gradually northwards for about 200 km and descends abruptly into the Sigsby Deep. Location on Continental Shelf: Inner-Shelf Bank Coordinates: 21.43° N 90.28° W Nearest Largest City: Mérida, Yucatán, México Selected Characteristics: Minimum Depth: 3 m Maximum Depth: 18 m Community Structure: The zonation pattern of the windward side is basically the same for all Campeche Bank reefs. If hard substrate is available, a moderate to low density community composed chiefly of Agaricia agaricites, Montastrea sp.., and Solenastrea sp., together with some Lithothamnium, will be present from about 35 m (the lower limit of coral growth in the Bank) up to about 20 m. From 20 m to about 10 m a community composed mainly of Diploria sp., Montastrea sp., and Porites asteroides is dominant. This is in turn substituted by a dense growth of Acropora palmata which, with live hermatypic coverage as high as 75%, dominates to 2-3m, together with Millepora sp.From there to just beneath the crest, the zoanthids Palythoa caribaeorum and Zoanthus sociatus are the dominant organisms. In most of the reefs, a spur and groove structure of up to 6m relief is present in the A. palmata zone, sometimes extending seawards from here. Above the zoanthid zone isthe reef crest, which is composed of unconsolidated coral debris cemented in places with calcified algae. Geological Characterization: Campeche Bank reefs present ecological and morphological characteristics that distinguish them from the coral reefs of the Caribbean Basin, although their fauna is similar. Both emerged and submerged reefs are present, but all of them are platforms growing as incomplete cones, rising from a pre-Holocene base located at 50-60 m in depth. Emerged reefs represent growth from the post-Holocene that reaches the water's surface. Submerged reefs did not develop a growth rate that enabled them to keep up with the rise of sea level; therefore they remain 10 to 15 m below the surface and are colonized by species common to these depths. References: International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI). Implementation of the ICRI in Mexico. URL: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/prot_res/PR/fpweb/icri/home.htm (Accessed on Aug. 30, 2004). Keywords: Campeche Bank, Reef, Yucatán, Sisal |
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Web electronic publication. http://www.gulfbase.org, 07 September 2010. |
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