Great Barrier Reef

Australia's Great Barrier Reef is an enormous and spectacular natural wonder, but it is also one of the most devastating examples of ecosystems that are increasingly threatened by a warming world. Explore its diverse communities of marine wildlife, and discover the challenges facing corals — which are especially sensitive to temperature change — and the animals that depend on them.

Related Topics: Fish, Extinction, Global Warming, Ocean

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Coral Reefs Have 'Halos,' and They Can Be Seen from the Heavens

April 24, 2019 | Article

What's the story behind reefs' mysterious "halos" of empty sand?
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What Are Coral Reefs?

September 24, 2018 | Reference

Hundreds of species of coral come together to create large, underwater structures that are full of different shapes and sizes and bright colors. About 25 percent of all known marine life rely on coral reefs.
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Climate Change Turned 99.8% of These Sea Turtle Babies into Girls

January 09, 2018 | Article

A new study found that sea turtles born in areas most heated by climate change are 99.8 percent female.
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Can You Put a Price on the Great Barrier Reef? Economists Just Did

June 27, 2017 | Article

The Great Barrier Reef brings real dollars to Australia.
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Great Barrier Reef Has Back-to-Back Bleaching Events

April 11, 2017 | Video

This year, the Great Barrier Reef has already suffered two bleaching events, in which its symbiotic algae get expelled, leaving the corals vulnerable to starvation and death.
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Great Barrier Reef Again Hit by Severe Coral Bleaching

April 11, 2017 | Article

Two-thirds of the length of the Great Barrier Reef is suffering from bleaching, a condition likely to cause mass coral die-offs.
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Survival of the Great Barrier Reef Depends on Halting Warming |Video

March 22, 2017 | Video

After record temperatures and massive bleaching in 2016, scientists fear that the Great Barrier Reef has again experienced deadly coral bleaching. Researchers warn that the only way to save the Reef is to stop global warming.
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Global Warming Is Killing the Great Barrier Reef

March 17, 2017 | Article

The Great Barrier Reef has suffered "off the chart" damage.
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Huge Undersea Landslide Slammed Great Barrier Reef 300,000 Years Ago

February 08, 2017 | Article

More than 300,000 years ago, a behemoth undersea landslide sent huge amounts of debris sliding down the Great Barrier Reef, generating a 90-foot-high (27 meters) tsunami.
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Surprise! Another Massive Reef Is Hiding Behind the Great Barrier Reef

September 13, 2016 | Article

The 2,300-square-mile reef was hiding in plain sight.
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