Coral Biology & Diversity

Abstract

The tropical latitudes of the oceans can be called the deserts of the ocean due to their similarity with terrestrial deserts, which are barren and relatively sterile places. The reason for this phenomenon is that the surface waters of the tropical oceans are so warm and thus they tend to float on top of the colder water underneath, inhibiting nutrient upwelling from the deep which brings nutrients to the ocean surface. However, coral reefs are a brilliant exception to the general scarcity of life in tropical oceans; they are known as the oases of ocean deserts