For the bona fide traveller, or should I say, the thrill-seeker, the thought of heading off to the far side of the world is enticing. Ponder this for a moment: Have you ever heard of the Marquesas Islands?
Scientists have discovered that clownfish living closer to shore die sooner than their counterparts found farther offshore due to the difference in the amount of artificial-light exposure.
The more artificial light they were exposed to, the higher the mortality rate.
The study focused on the reefs around Moorea in French Polynesia. It involved exposing 42 juvenile clownfish to either artificial light at night (ALAN) or natural light (meaning, moonlight!) in the lagoon. Each of the 42 territories had a magnificent sea anemone.
Fakarava is an atoll in the Tuamotu archipelago located about 440km northeast of Tahiti in French Polynesia. Pierre Constant takes us on a journey to the pristine lagoons of Tuamotu and describes what awaits adventurous divers in its underwater realm.
