What are coral reefs?
A coral reef is composed of mainly coral and other organic matter. A coral reef is a barrier that gets its name because it protects shallow waters from the open ocean.
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Location of coral reefs |
Life in the coral reef |
Coral reefs can be found in clear and warm tropical oceans. They are not very deep, only about a 150 feet, because they need sunlight to survive. Since coral reefs need this sunlight they are not as deep. Coral reefs develop in areas with lots of wave action. They develop in these areas because the waves bring in food, nutrients, and oxygen. When coral reefs are formed they form in a certain shape to help protect themselves from storms.
Coral reef's backgroundCoral reefs have been around for tens of thousands of years. The Great Barrier Reef is one example of a coral reef and it is 5,000 to 10,000 years old.
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Coral reefs are the most diverse of all marine ecosystems. One third of fish species live some part of the life in a coral reef. Along with that coral reefs have tens of thousands of fish species and are home to 25% of all marine life.
A coral reefs importanceCoral reefs are important. They provide medicine, jobs on tourism, and protection of the shoreline. Coral reefs as a system improve the water quality, like a water filter. The sea bed by a coral reef is more stable. And coral reefs help to manage carbon monoxide levels. In the end a healthy coral reef leads to a healthy ocean which leads to a healthy planet.
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Threats to a coral reef The Great Barrier Reef
60% of coral reefs are threatened. How are they threatened? They can be threatened by overfishing, by careless tourism, climate change, stealing from the reefs, erosion, and pollution. We have lost ten percent of our coral reefs, and scientist predict that in the course of the next 50 years they will be extinct. From the money we get from coral reefs if we destroyed 1 kilometer of a reef we would lose $137,000 to 1.2 million dollars over the next 25 years.
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The Great Barrier Reef is located in Australia and is 5,000-10,000 years old. It is made up of 2,900 indivitual reefs and 10% of the total fish species live at the reef. It has 1,500 fish species, 17 sea snake species, 6 types of turtles, and 30 species of whales and dolphins. The biggest threat to the Great Barrier Reef is climate change. It can be seen from outer space and is 1/2 the size of Texas. Two million tourist come each year totaling in $5-6 billion dollars from tourist.
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Facts
~If someone had to put a dollar sign to coral reefs they would be $30 billion dollars.
~Coral reefs have one of the highest biodiversity.
~Biodiversity is diversity among and within a plant and also animal species in a set environment
~Coral reefs have one of the highest biodiversity.
~Biodiversity is diversity among and within a plant and also animal species in a set environment