Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
As stated, the coral reefs such as fringing reefs, deep reefs, patch reefs and spur and groove formation are distributed over three islands in the Virgin Islands which are St. Croix (Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve, Buck Island Reef National Monument), St. Thomas, and St. John (Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument).
STXEEMP includes one of the most extensive, contiguous coral reef systems on the Puerto Rican/Virgin Islands shelf. [4] The St Croix East End Marine Park encompasses an area of approximately 60 square miles (155 sq. km) along a shoreline of approximately 17 miles (27 km), from Green Cay on the north shore to Great Pond Bay on the south.
The coral reefs of the U.S. Virgin Islands suffered severely from coral bleaching in 2005, which led to a 60% decline in coral activity. The USGS began extensive research in the area and scientists discovered previously unknown coral ecosystems at the submerged stems of mangrove trees in the Hurricane Hole area of the
This area's blend of sea and land holds some of the largest remaining mangrove forests in the Virgin Islands, as well as coral reefs and a submarine canyon. Salt River Bay's natural history, its vitally important ecosystem of mangroves, estuary, coral reefs, and submarine canyon, has witnessed thousands of years of human endeavor.
The Virgin Islands Patch Reefs are numerous, small subtropical coral reef ecoregions. These reefs are located on all three islands: St. John, St. Thomas, and St. Croix. Of the three islands, St. Croix has an established barrier reef. It is approximately 20 meters deep and covers 485 sq km ( 187.26 sq mi). [1]
Florida's Coral Reef, the only coral reef system in the continental United States and the third-largest barrier reef ecosystem in the world, is a shallow-water reef. This deep-sea one is ...
Much of the island's waters, coral reefs, and shoreline have been protected by being included in the national park. This protection was expanded in 2001, when the Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument was created. In 2006, The Trust for Public Land purchased the 415-acre (167.9 ha) Estate Maho Bay for preservation. [7]
Buck Island Reef National Monument protects Buck Island, a small, uninhabited 176-acre (712,000 m²) island about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of the northeast coast of Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, and 18,839 acres of submerged lands, totaling 19,015 acres. [2]