Coral reef

The Great Barrier Reef has always been listed as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World due to its once natural beauty and sheer scope. Located off the coast of Queensland, Australia, the reef is the largest of its kind. In a graphic published on website The Conversation, the reef is said to contain an estimated 2,900 individual reefs spread over an area of about 133,000 square miles or 344,400 square kilometers (Pressey, Grech, Brodie, Day). It is estimated that the reef contains six…

The Great Barrier Reef in Australia supports over half of the hard coral species and one third of the soft coral species in the world; however, the cumulative impact of human activities such as agriculture, mining, and industrial development have caused an estimated 50% loss of coral cover (Grech et al., 2015). Ocean acidification is one of the primary causes of this loss and is arguably one of the most detrimental consequences of climate change on the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem. With…

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven wonders of the natural world (“About the Great Barrier Reef”). The Reef is located off the coast of Queensland, Australia, and the reef is visible from space. On June 11, 1770, James Cook’s crew became acquainted with the Great Barrier Reef when they struck the Endeavour Reef. They had to spend six weeks repairing the ship on shore at Cooktown. Cook’s crew, which were scientists and illustrators, “were able to carry out very little direct scientific…

in the atlantic, pacific, indian oceans, or any tropical waters. They are normally found near reefs rich with sponges. The Hawksbill turtle feeds on sponges and they are also omnivorous and will also eat mollusks, marine algae, crustaceans, sea urchins, fish, and jellyfish. Without them, sponges have the ability to overgrow corals and suffocate the reefs. Hawksbill are important inhabitants of coral reefs. It’s estimated that one turtle one turtle can consume 1,000 pounds of sponges per year.…

The Great Barrier Reef, located in Australia, is the largest reef in the world with an area of 344,400km. Sadly, divers discovered that up to 50% of the reef was dead due to coral bleaching. Coral bleaching is a process that occurs when the water surrounding the coral becomes too warm, resulting in the coral expelling the algae living inside it and then turning completely white. Although coral is able to survive this process, it makes them extremely fragile and increases their chance of morality…

Located ten kilometers off the coast of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, the diminutive Cozumel, also known as the Island of Swallows, is an underwater marine park that protects the delicate balance of its spectacular coral reefs and its diverse marine life. Whether urban legend, historical fact, or still contested “truth”, many believe that a Frenchman and undersea explorer by the name of Jacques Cousteau put Cozumel on the map when he declared the region the most beautiful scuba diving area in the…

The Great Barrier Reef Do you want a perfect place to vacation that has breathtaking views of some rare, colorful coral? Would you like to dive into salty, blue aqua waters? Do you want to discover some eye-opening mysterious creatures? Then take a trip to Queensland, Australia and check out the Great Barrier Reef! Today, we are going to dive deep into the gorgeous, colorful Great Barrier Reef and learn all about it. Let’s research the reefs protection, figure out how it started, and ponder…

A one-of-a-kind place, the Great Barrier Reef located off the coast of Queensland in northeastern Australia, is the largest living thing on Earth. Stretching over 2300km, this largest marine park reserve covers 348,700 square kilometers. Many breathtaking marine creatures call the Great Barrier Reef home including 600 types of soft and hard corals, more than 100 species of jellyfish, 3000 varieties of mollusks, 500 species of worms, 1625 types of fish, 133 varieties of sharks and rays, and more…

barrier reefs. Ninety-five percent of the park is water, and the shore of the bay is the location of an extensive mangrove forest. The park covers 172,971 acres (69,999 ha) and includes Elliott Key, the park's largest island and first of the true Florida Keys, formed from fossilized coral reef. The islands farther north in the park are transitional islands of coral and sand. The offshore portion of the park includes the northernmost region of the Florida Reef, one of the largest coral reefs in…

Did you know that the Great Barrier Reef is about the size of 70,000,000 football fields and can be seen from space? Located off the northeastern coast of Queensland, Australia, the Great Barrier Reef attracts more than 2,000,000 tourists each year. The reef hosts just over 2,000 species of marine life, meaning multiple species of sea turtles, coral, sharks, fish, dolphins, and rays call this place home. The Great Barrier Reef is also named one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and was founded…