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Video by @JenniferHayesIG // sponsored by and captured on @GoPro #TripOn #GoProTravel // Watching hundreds of gray reef sharks relax in the currents is better than meditation. Scientists estimate that an astonishing 700 sharks inhabit the South Pass of Fakarava atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago of French Polynesia. As shark populations plummet around the world, these sharks are a welcome sight. Protected from fishing, every individual is a symbol of a healthy ocean ecosystem. By day the sharks separate into a few distinct groups in the deeper regions of the pass, where divers can easily view them from small ledges without disturbing their behavior. As night falls the sharks aggressively patrol the bottom in groups looking for fish to reveal themselves in the reef, and then the chase for a meal is on.

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#shark #animal #wildlife #reef shark #video #underwater #tuamotu #fakarava #french polynesia #travel #instagram #national geographic #the earth story

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Fakarava atoll, Tuamotus, French Polynesia, South Pacific. Last week of summer vacation, such as it is!

#Fakarava atoll #Tuamotu #French polynesia #Nature #Island #Coral #Color #Pacific #Ocean #Tropical #Water #travel #Vacation #Paradise #Gopro #Video #Vine #The earth story #Beach

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Not an amoeba, atoll

This photo taken from the International Space Station shows Mataiva Atoll in the South Pacific Ocean. The atoll is part of the Tuamotu Archipelago, French Polynesia, part of the largest chain of atolls in the world.

An atoll a ring-shaped coral reef island that partially or fully encircles a lagoon. The birth of an atoll begins with a volcanic island. A coral reef forms around a volcanic cone that reaches near or above the surface of the ocean. Over time, the volcano wears down, leaving behind the ring of coral that surrounds it. Erosion and sedimentation eventually creates a layer of soil over the coral that allows vegetation to grow.

The unusual white ridges in the lagoon at the center of Mataiva Atoll are formed by eroded coral. Some of these coral structures rise above the water, forming about 70 shallow basins of varying depths. These basins create the lighter blue mottled appearance that is seen from space and in this photo. The single village on the 10-kilometer island, Pahua, is located in the north, next to the only channel (about a meter deep) that constantly connects the Pacific Ocean to the lagoon.

-Amy

http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/debrief/ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=45524

Photo credit NASA, ISS Expedition 24 crew

Source: facebook.com

#Atoll #Island #Mataiva #Pacific #Archipelago #French polynesia #Tuamotu #Earth from space #Coral #Reef #Erosion #Geology #ISS #Nasa #The earth story