NASA image

Space shuttle view of Viti Levu, courtesy of NASA. South is at the top of the picture. Much of the south coast has a fringing reef. At the west (right) end this passes into offshore barrier reefs.

Move the cursor over the picture to see the features listed below:

K is Korotongo, the case study area for this exercise
B marks barrier reefs in NW Viti Levu: NASA image shows more detail
R marks the rainy east side of the island, dominated by tropical rain forest
G is the drier west side of the island, dominated by tall grasses and sugar cane fields

What is the meteorological reason for this subdivision into wetter and drier sides?

• Large image: NASA Earth Observatory
• Study the environments in Google Earth or Google Maps

Photo 6.0. View across the fringing reef at medium tide. Note people for scale. Note also the surf zone in the distance. Use the map to determine the distance from the surf zone to the beach. What does the surf zone represent, in terms of the reef morphology? Click to enlarge.

Photo 6.1. The fringing reef at low tide. Person for scale

Contrast with this view at high tide

Photo 6.2. Click to enlarge

Close-up of 6.2. Click to enlarge

Photo 6.3. Holothurian

Close-up of 6.3

Photo 6.4, Click to enlarge

Close-up of 6.4. Click to enlarge

Photo 6.5. Click to enlarge

Close-up of 6.5. Click to enlarge. To see the animal responsible for the structures in Figure 6.5, go to YouTube to see an excerpt from Blue Planet.

Photo 6.6. Click to enlarge

Close-ups of 6.6. Click to enlarge