Learn about Coral Reefs
18 Coral Reef Facts
1. A coral reef is an underwater habitat built by reef-building coral.
2. Coral reefs are built by colonies of coral polyps and held together by calcium carbonate.
3. Some of the most diverse ecosystems on our planet are found in coral reefs.
4. Coral reefs are home to 25% of all known marine species but cover less than 0.1% of the oceans’ surface area.
5. All the coral reefs on our planet are estimated to collectively cover around 109,800 square miles.
6. Coral reefs are home to more than 4,000 species of fish, which are known as coral reef fish.
7. Some other marine species found living in coral reefs are clams, cnidarians, crustaceans, mollusks, seabirds, seahorses, sea turtle, sharks, sponges, squids, tunicates and many other marine animal species.
8. There are three types of coral reefs found in oceans around the world.
9. The three types of coral reefs are fringing reefs, barrier reefs and atoll reefs.
10. Fringing reefs are the most common type of coral reef, they grow from the shoreline towards the sea.
11. Many of the coral reef systems off the coast of the U.S. state of Florida are fringing reefs.
12. Barrier reefs are a type of coral reef that creates an open lagoon between itself and the shoreline.
13. An example of a barrier reef is the Great Barrier Reef.
14. Atoll reefs are a type of coral reef that grow around a sunken volcanic island and create a lagoon in its center.
15. An example of an atoll reef is the Maro Reef.
16. The largest coral reef system in the world is the Great Barrier Reef.
17. The Great Barrier Reef is in the Coral Sea off the east coast of the Queensland mainland, Australia.
18. The Great Barrier Reef covers approximately 133,000 square miles.
Learn about Coral Reefs
In The Florida Keys, Scientists Race To Rescue Corals From Deadly Ocean Temperatures
Exploring the Coral Reef: Learn about Oceans for Kids - FreeSchool
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2BKd5e15Jc
Coral Reef For Kids | Exploring the Coral Reef
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwJDlDZvJ-0
https://www.livingoceansfoundation.org/education/portal/for-students/
The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation is dedicated to the conservation and restoration of living oceans and pledges to champion their preservation through research, education and a commitment to Science Without Borders.®
Coral Reef Alliance
https://www.coraldigest.org https://coralreef.noaa.gov/education/eduresources.htmlOAA Coral Reef Conservation ProgramWhat’s a Coral Reef?
Live Feed of the Coral Reefs at the National Aquarium
Posters
Loxahatchee River District Posters
Discover ideas about Coral Bleaching
Educational Materials from Gray’s Reef in Georgia
Impacts of Climate Change on Coral Reefs
Coral Reef Biodiversity in the Red Sea
Sea Life: Ocean Animals Writing and Reading
Children Activities
Giant Great Barrier Reef colouring poster
Organizations, Institutes, Meetings and Tools
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology, Baltimore
IISD: Coral Reef Coalition
ICRI: General Meeting
IISD: 33rd General Meeting of the International Coral Reef Initiative
IISD: UNEP Partners with DIVE, Reef Organizations to Promote Sustainable Diving
WWF: The Marine Ecological Research and Monitoring Aid—known as MERMAID—is a web-based tool that scientists everywhere can use, free of charge, to record valuable coral reef data both online in the office and offline on the boat.
Marjorie Reaka - Professor at University of Maryland; possible science consultant
http://biology.umd.edu/marjorie-reaka.html
“Dr. Reaka and her laboratory have focused on biodiversity and extinction on coral reefs and in fossil and contemporary Crustacea, with applications to conservation and management of marine environments”
Videos
Slide Show
Bizarre and Beautiful Coral Reef Animals
Movies
Ocean Frontiers review and trailer
National Marine Sanctuary Media Library
Blue Planet - natural history of the world’s oceans...
Turtle: The Incredible Journey
Yale Environment 360: On A Cuban Reef, A Precarious Partnership on Scientific Research
Billions of pieces of plastic on coral reefs send disease soaring
Take the Coral Reef Quiz
1. At their slowest, coral reefs grow at the rate of _____ per year?
a. About 25 millimeters
b. Less than 1 centimeter
c. Between 50 and 60 centimeters
2. What percentage of coral reefs are permanently damaged due to human intervention?
a. 18%
b. 25%
c. 45%
3. Corals are
a. Animals
b. Shells
c. Plants
4. Coral reefs are home to 25% of all the known marine species, but they make up only about what percent of the ocean floor?
a. 1% or less
b. 5% or less
c. 10%
D. 0.005%
5. Parrotfish are known for being colorful and for what feeding behavior?
A. Crunching on hard corals with a parrot like beak.
B. Making sounds like a parrot when they eat.
C. Imitating other fish feeding habits as parrots mimic people.
6. The major threat to coral reef survival is/are
A.Global warming
B. Sewage and fertilizer dumping and over fishing
C. Carbon dioxide released from burning fossil fuels
D. Construction, mining, farming, and logging - soil run-off can smother corals
E. All of the above
7. The ingredients in most sunscreens that bleach and harm coral are:
A. Petrolatum (mineral oil)
B. Titanium Dioxide
C. Oxybenzone and octinoxate
D. all of the above
8. Which coral species is a hermaphrodite, which means they produce eggs and sperm at the same time?
a. Octopus
b. Brain coral
c. Jellyfish
d. Sea fans
9. As the temperatures of the world's oceans increase due to global warming, coral polyps expel the zooxanthellae they depend on for food. Once the zooxanthellae are gone, the coral loses its brilliant color, this is referred to as coral bleaching. What happens after bleaching?
a. Coral colonies regenerate the following year
b. They become food for larger ocean dwellers.
c. They usually die off.
d. They come back after 3-4 years.
10. How do you pronounce “Zooxanthellae”?
a. Zoo X Antelo
b. Zowie Tell A
c. Zoa Zan Thelly
d. Zooks And Tellah
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ANSWERS
1B, 2C, 3A, 4A, 5C, 6E, 7C 8B, 9C, 10C