The Oceans Surrounding The Island Of Mauritius
Today's article will discuss the oceans surrounding the island of Mauritius. Mauritius is an island nation that exists in the Indian Ocean. It is off the eastern coast of Africa, & it is semi-close to the eastern areas of Madagascar. It is known for its beautiful beaches & active marine life. The main reason for this marine life is their well-kept coral reefs & seagrass meadows. It is a sovereign nation & the people primarily speak French. The French name for Mauritius is Maurice. It is tropical & is one of the most visited countries of all the African nations. It is approximately 1,017.47 Nautical / Marine miles off the coast of Africa. It is also approximately 2724.90 Nautical / Marine Miles off the coast of Antarctica. Additionally, the isle is approximately 2088.98 Nautical / Marine Miles off the coast of the continent known as Asia, specifically the country of India. The island is home to approximately 1,262,523 people. It has many thriving marine ecosystems which include coral reefs. The Mauritian government & the Mauritian people will take care of these coral reefs. This can be seen in many beach clean-ups being conducted. This attracts many marine animals. These species range from tropical fish to dolphins, to even certain species of shark. Mauritius is a tropical country & their waters are warm & always at a comfortable temperature. There are very many recreational activities that take place around the island. These activities range from boating & term snorkeling to personal fishing, to swimming, to snorkelling. The oceans of Mauritius are most definitely one of their largest assets in term of the economy. Mauritius is also a very common place for eco-tourism due to its dense rainforest. This clash of land & oceanic ecosystems works out quite nicely as it leaves Mauritius with much to offer. There are not very many islands that are similar to Mauritius due to their unique marine features & unique geography. In this article, we will discuss the salinity, temperature, marine geography & terrain, the most important marine ecosystems, the documented marine flora & fauna, & the utilization of marine resources of Mauritius, Mauritius. With that being said, let us delve into one of the prettiest islands in the Indian Ocean.
The Salinity, Temperatures, Tides, Marine Geography, & Basic Information Of Mauritius
The salinity of the island has not been measured & released to the public domain. Since the island is in the Indian Ocean, it has the second to last place in salinity levels. This means that the Indian Ocean is less salty than 2 of the other oceans but not one other. Salt deposits / Brine Pools may be less common around the island due to the salinity parts per thousand being rather low. However, the possibility of brine pools existing is not far-fetched. The Indian Ocean has a salinity of between 32 & 37 parts per thousand. Salinity is measured in 1,000 grams of water. For every 1000 grams of water, there will be a certain number of grams that are pure salt. This is how salinity or saline level is measured. There are also no ongoing factors that would lead to the salinity level being altered. The oceanic temperatures for the island can be found on a plethora of web pages but the easiest to use are the following: Sea Temperature Infohttps://seatemperature.info, seatemperature.nethttps://seatemperature.net, SeaTemperatu.rehttps://www.seatemperatu.re, & finally SeaTemperature.orghttps://www.seatemperature.org. The water temperatures usually peak at the beginning of February & are at their lowest point at the beginning of August. There is not much of a presence of riptide or at least enough of a presence to pose a threat to any swimmers. Mauritius is perfectly safe for swimmers around the majority of the island. There might be some areas that are undesirable to swim in but other than that the island is safe to swim in. There are stonefish & other species that pose a natural hazard, so this should be taken into consideration when going swimming around the island. The tide around the island is relatively calm & usually never reaches over 2.3 meters (7.54593 feet) high. The deepest oceanic point within 5 nautical miles of the island is approximately 2097 feet (639.1656 meters) deep. Oceanic mounts are not seemingly very common close to the coastline. The ocean floor consists of mostly sand, rock, & coral in this particular region.
The Most Prominent Marine Ecosystems Of Mauritius
No. 1 Coral Reef
Coral reefs are one of the most important marine ecological features of Mauritius. It attracts many species, a lot of which are endangered. The coral reefs provide a habitat for many species, such as stonefish, not to mention they are living being of their own. Coral reefs are incredibly common around Mauritius, however, they are becoming increasingly vulnerable due to ocean acidification & other factors. The majority of these reefs are classified as fringing reefs. Fringing reefs are incredibly close to the shoreline, thus However there are some reef atolls, reef atolls are coral reefs in the shape of rings, or coral islands. There is an atoll archipelago group known as Saint Brandon which is off the coast of Mauritiusbeings and has approximately 22 reefs. There are approximately 138 species of coral that are found in Mauritian waters.
No. 2 Seagrass Meadows
Seagrass meadows often embellish fringing coral reefs along the coast. There is no real demographic as to the exact density of certain species in certain areas, however, there are approximately 36 species of seagrasses that have been observed in Mauritian waters. These meadows are usually located close to the coastline, but they can be found very far out at sea. They are usually composed of a variety of seagrasses & are usually host a variety of things such as fish, fish eggs, hunting grounds, a fish nursery, & being a shelter for certain species.
No. 3 Mangrove Forests
Mangrove forests are found in Mauritius. Mangrove forests are composed of saltwater of freshwater streams running through the forest, & causing a creek to form. This creek will then gain nutrients, & trees will grow into the creek, creating a labyrinth of roots. There are 2 main mangrove tree species found in Mauritius, they are known as Rhizophora mucronata (Loop-root mangrove) & Bruguiera gymnorrhiza (large-leafed orange mangrove). They are currently restricted to the east & northwestern coast. Mauritius unfortunately currently has between 1.2 & 1.81 square kilometers (0.463323 to 0.698845 square miles) of designated mangrove forest. There is currently very little data as to what species inhabit these mangrove forests, this is an area that requires more research as if nothing is done to preserve the remaining mangrove forest, we may see it gone forever.
No. 4 Mangrove Coasts / Lagoons
Mangrove coasts are a specific kind of mangrove forest in which the trees grow directly along the coastline. This type of mangrove forest is rare nowadays due to rising sea levels. They are also known as mangrove lagoons.
The Documented Marine Flora Of Mauritius
There is a very diverse range of species when it comes to marine flora in Mauritius. The first few groups of species that we will be discussing are seagrasses & algae. There are currently 36 species of seagrasses which are found around Mauritius. The number of which of these species are native to Mauritius is unknown. There are approximately 160 genera of sea algae that are found in Mauritian waters. These include but are not limited to, Enteromorpha, Ulva, Sargassum, Caulerpa, Padina & Halimeda. Moving onto mangrove tree species, as stated in the subsection above speaking about the mangrove forests of Mauritius, there are currently 2 species of mangrove tree that are observed on Mauritius. These species are known as Rhizophora mucronata (Loop-root mangrove) & Bruguiera gymnorrhiza (large-leafed orange mangrove). These mangrove species originated in Polynesia & West Africa. Other than that, there are no known endemic marine plant species in Mauritius.
The Documented Marine Fauna Of Mauritius
There are approximately 493 fish species & 175 gastropod species. Unfortunately, we cannot discuss all 668 marine species that are documented right here. We will only be discussing the most prominent species around Mauritius. Since Mauritius has very healthy coral reefs which are in abundance, many colorful creatures are attracted. Many clean ups & conservation efforts are also ongoing that helps maintain the biodiversity of the island. Not only that, but Mauritius does not allow personal fishing without a permit granted by the prime minister himself. This allows for the fish population to thrive without constantly being bombarded by fishermen. Now, the most prominent marine species of Mauritius are as follows: Reef Stonefish (Synanceia verrucosa), (bottlenose dolphins), black cheek moray eel, African clownfish, Sargocentron diadema (crown squirrelfish), Pterois antennata (Broadbarred firefish), Mugil cephalus (flathead mullet), Epinephelus fasciatus (blacktip grouper), Epinephelus merra (honeycomb grouper), Elagatis bipinnulata (rainbow runner), Sphyraena Barracuda (Great barracuda), Thunnus albacares (Yellowfish tuna), & finally Scarus Ghobban (green blotched parrotfish).
How The Marine Resources Of Mauritius Were Utilized & How That Affected The Environment
The most that the marine resources of Mauritius were used was when commercial fishing was done. Commercial fishing is practiced somewhat in Mauritius, however fishing for personal use isn’t. Due to commercial fishing, certain fish populations have been decreased by large percentages. Something similarhelp is that ocean acidification is affecting the coral horribly. Ocean acidification is caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have increased, largely because of human-caused burning of fossil fuels, & deforestation, for the past 150 years. When carbon dioxide contacts sea water, it forms carbonic acid. Carbonic acid gives off positive H+ ions, which causes increased oceanic H+ concentrations & decreased oceanic Ph. It also causes increased oceanic temperature. Ocean acidification is slowly causing the coral to bleach at an alarming rate.
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