Origin of the Belize Atolls "Lighthouse Reef, Glover's Reef and the Turneffe Islands are all distinct anomalies in the Caribbean. Nothing else in the Western Hemisphere resembles a true coral atoll, except perhaps Chinchorro Reef, off Mexico's southern Yucatan Peninsula (just above the Belize atolls). According to geologists they are even more unusual in that the origin of their formation does not seem to mirror the atolls of the Pacific Ocean, where rings of coral are better known. The ancient processes contributing to Belize atoll development may have begun as many as 70 million years ago and the atolls did not develop around subsiding volcanoes. Instead, they originated atop giant fault blocks; limestone covered ridges that settled in steps, providing a series of offshore platforms for coral growth. After the last ice age, with the slow rise of sea level, coral growth continued upward, creating the precipitous outer walls and the shallow inside lagoon that typifies these distinct formations. Many drop-offs surrounding the Belize atolls are thousands of feet deep, while depths in the shallow lagoons average 10 to 30 feet.

More than a century ago, scientists figured out that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases trap heat. Since then, we’ve identified many lines of evidence that confirm our planet is warming because of carbon dioxide and the greenhouse effect it produces. Plus, we have evidence that warming can’t be attributed to other factors, like the sun. Solar activity has actually decreased in recent decades. But how do we know we humans are behind the major increases in carbon dioxide? We’ve left many “fingerprints” that show this is the case.