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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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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Great Barrier Reef Coral Bleaching is 'Worst in its History'

April 01, 2016 | Article

Australia's Great Barrier Reef corals are in trouble, with the northern part of the reef experiencing "the worst mass bleaching event in its history."
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Shiny Giant Clams May Inspire New Solar Tech

October 01, 2014 | Article

Brilliant shades of blue and aqua coat the iridescent lips of giant clams, but these shiny cells aren't just for show, new research finds. The iridescent sheen directs beams of sunlight into the interior of the clam, providing light for algae inside.
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