Maro Reef
Location of Maro Reef |
The Maro Reef ( Hawaiian : Nalukakala or Koʻanakoʻa ) is the largest coral reef within the Northwest Hawaiʻi Islands with an area of 1934 km² . It is located about 1,360 km from Honolulu , the capital of Hawaii , in the northern Pacific Ocean . The reef is named after the American whaling ship Maro , from which it was first sighted in 1820.
Strictly speaking, it is a coral atoll , which does not have an oval fringing reef, but a reticulated structure with rays emanating from a center. Maro Reef is completely below the sea surface at medium water levels; at low tide an area of up to 4000 m² (0.004 km²) of dry land becomes visible. There are countless lagoons between the higher parts of the reef .
The Maro Reef is an important ecosystem within the Hawai'i Islands. In addition to 37 species of hard corals ( Scleractinia ), it is also home to the rice coral Montipora capitata and the finger coral Porites compressa . The fish are at Galapagos Shark ( Carcharhinus galapagensis ) or 'Omilu , a kind of jack fish called as well as many types of butterfly fish and surgeonfish .
Web links
- NWHI Multi-Agency Education Project: Maro Reef (English)
- Maro Reef on Oceandots ( Memento from December 23, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
Coordinates: 25 ° 25 ′ 0 ″ N , 170 ° 35 ′ 0 ″ W.