Elizabeth Reef
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Reef 29°57′25"S 159°4′32"E is a coral reef
in the Tasman Sea
. The reef is separated by a deep ocean
ic pass, some 45 km wide, from nearby Middleton Reef
, both of which are part of the underwater plateau known as the Lord Howe Rise
. Elizabeth Reef is around 160 km from Lord Howe Island
and 555 km from the New South Wales
coast of Australia
. In 1997 the Environment, Sport and Territories Legislation Amendment Bill 1996 included Elizabeth Reef in Australia's Coral Sea Islands
Territory.
Elizabeth Reef is a platform reef and amongst one of the southernmost platform reefs in the world. It measures 8.2 km by 5.5 km. However, despite the relatively high latitude, a wide variety of flora
and fauna
exists on the island and surrounding waters due to their location where tropical and temperate ocean current
s converge.
The reef is usually submerged. However, during low tide most of the reef flat is exposed. At high tide only one cay
is visible one metre above sea level. The cay is known as Elizabeth Island and has a diameter of about 400 m. Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs form the Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs Marine National Park Reserve managed by the Government of Australia
under the Natural Heritage Trust
.
]
have highlighted healthy number of Black Cod Epinephelus daemelii which is now a threatened species in New South Welsh
waters. The survey in 2003 highlighted some 111 species of coral and at the same time identified 181 species of fish. The total number of recorded fish species on the reef is 311 across several surveys. High numbers of Galapagos shark
s Carcharhinus galapagensis were observed at Elizabeth Reef and based on size may indicate that the reef is a nursery for this species. Sea cucumber (Black teatfish), Holothuria whitmaei were also found to be in high numbers at Elizabeth reef. While the 2003 survey found only minor number of the Crown-of-thorns starfish
, a survey in 2005 has indicated that the starfish is now active on the reef.
. According to the National Shipwrecks Database the ships stranded at Elizabeth Reef include: Britannia, Colonist, Douglas, Elizabeth, Naiad, Packet, Ramsay, Rosetta Joseph, Tyrian
Some confusion exists for the location of Britannia as the National Shipwrecks Database has a listing for both Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs.
Elizabeth Reef has not retired from claiming unwary sailors with its most recent victim reported in August 2007. The British sailor, Steve Landles, was winched to an Australian Navy Sea Hawk Helicopter from is stranded yacht Lamachan on 2 August 2007; however, the yacht could not be recovered.
Coral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
in the Tasman Sea
Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, approximately across. It extends 2,800 km from north to south. It is a south-western segment of the South Pacific Ocean. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, the first recorded European...
. The reef is separated by a deep ocean
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
ic pass, some 45 km wide, from nearby Middleton Reef
Middleton Reef
Middleton Reef is a coral reef in the Tasman Sea. It is separated by a deep oceanic pass some 45 km wide from nearby Elizabeth Reef, forming part of the Lord Howe Rise underwater plateau. Middleton Reef is around 220 km from Lord Howe Island and 555 km from the coast of New South...
, both of which are part of the underwater plateau known as the Lord Howe Rise
Lord Howe Rise
The Lord Howe Rise is an underwater plateau that extends from southwest of New Caledonia to the Challenger Plateau, west of New Zealand. To its west is the Tasman Basin and to the east is the New Caledonia Basin. Lord Howe Rise has a total area of about 1,500,000 square km, and generally lies about...
. Elizabeth Reef is around 160 km from Lord Howe Island
Lord Howe Island
Lord Howe Island is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, directly east of mainland Port Macquarie, and about from Norfolk Island. The island is about 11 km long and between 2.8 km and 0.6 km wide with an area of...
and 555 km from the New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
coast of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. In 1997 the Environment, Sport and Territories Legislation Amendment Bill 1996 included Elizabeth Reef in Australia's Coral Sea Islands
Coral Sea Islands
The Coral Sea Islands Territory includes a group of small and mostly uninhabited tropical islands and reefs in the Coral Sea, northeast of Queensland, Australia. The only inhabited island is Willis Island...
Territory.
Elizabeth Reef is a platform reef and amongst one of the southernmost platform reefs in the world. It measures 8.2 km by 5.5 km. However, despite the relatively high latitude, a wide variety of flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
and fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
exists on the island and surrounding waters due to their location where tropical and temperate ocean current
Ocean current
An ocean current is a continuous, directed movement of ocean water generated by the forces acting upon this mean flow, such as breaking waves, wind, Coriolis effect, cabbeling, temperature and salinity differences and tides caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun...
s converge.
The reef is usually submerged. However, during low tide most of the reef flat is exposed. At high tide only one cay
Cay
A cay , also spelled caye or key, is a small, low-elevation, sandy island formed on the surface of coral reefs. Cays occur in tropical environments throughout the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans , where they provide habitable and agricultural land for hundreds of thousands of people...
is visible one metre above sea level. The cay is known as Elizabeth Island and has a diameter of about 400 m. Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs form the Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs Marine National Park Reserve managed by the Government of Australia
Government of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...
under the Natural Heritage Trust
Natural Heritage Trust
The Natural Heritage Trust was set up by the Australian Government in 1997 to help restore and conserve Australia's environment and natural resources....
.
Flora and fauna
Surveys by the Australian Institute of Marine ScienceAustralian Institute of Marine Science
The Australian Institute of Marine Science is a state-of-the-art tropical marine research centre located primarily at Cape Ferguson, 50km by road east of Townsville in North Queensland, Australia. It was established in 1972, by the Commonwealth of Australia...
have highlighted healthy number of Black Cod Epinephelus daemelii which is now a threatened species in New South Welsh
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
waters. The survey in 2003 highlighted some 111 species of coral and at the same time identified 181 species of fish. The total number of recorded fish species on the reef is 311 across several surveys. High numbers of Galapagos shark
Galapagos shark
The Galapagos shark is a species of requiem shark, family Carcharhinidae, found worldwide. This species favors clear reef environments around oceanic islands, where it is often the most abundant shark species...
s Carcharhinus galapagensis were observed at Elizabeth Reef and based on size may indicate that the reef is a nursery for this species. Sea cucumber (Black teatfish), Holothuria whitmaei were also found to be in high numbers at Elizabeth reef. While the 2003 survey found only minor number of the Crown-of-thorns starfish
Crown-of-thorns starfish
The crown-of-thorns starfish is a large nocturnal sea star that preys upon coral polyps. The crown-of-thorns receives its name from venomous thorn-like spines that cover its body. It is endemic to tropical coral reefs in the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean...
, a survey in 2005 has indicated that the starfish is now active on the reef.
Shipwrecks
Both Elizabeth Reef and Middleton Reef have been the site of numerous shipwrecksShipwreck
A shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. Whatever the cause, a sunken ship or a wrecked ship is a physical example of the event: this explains why the two concepts are often overlapping in English....
. According to the National Shipwrecks Database the ships stranded at Elizabeth Reef include: Britannia, Colonist, Douglas, Elizabeth, Naiad, Packet, Ramsay, Rosetta Joseph, Tyrian
Some confusion exists for the location of Britannia as the National Shipwrecks Database has a listing for both Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs.
Elizabeth Reef has not retired from claiming unwary sailors with its most recent victim reported in August 2007. The British sailor, Steve Landles, was winched to an Australian Navy Sea Hawk Helicopter from is stranded yacht Lamachan on 2 August 2007; however, the yacht could not be recovered.