We learn more about the features of Earth - Part 17 Great Barrier Reef - Information and questions for kids

If you ever go diving in the ocean , you may see some reefs with corals on the floor of the ocean, but the biggest reef ecosystem (which means there are all sorts of fish and corals living there) is found in Australia.

1. What does the ocean look like on the surface?  Is there life under the sea?
2. Where will you find coral reefs?
3. What is a coral and how is it build.
4. Can corals move around?
5. What does the coral give off to make the coral look like rock?
6. Is a coral a plant or an animal/
7. When do we call it a reef?
8. Watch the rest of the video and name a few thing you will find in the coral reef.

The Barrier Reef is made up of about 2900 individual reef and 900 islands. 

The Great Barrier Reef is around 2600 kilometers (1616 miles) in length.  Astronauts can see the Great Barrier Reef from space.

The corals give off carbon carbonate and this forms a very hard shell around the coral.  In time it will become like a rock.  You also find corals that are soft.

In the Great Barrier Reef you will find more than 1500 species of fish and even dolphins and sharks.  It is a wonderful place to go dive and enjoy the wonders of the ocean.

Watch the video to see how beautiful it is.

Once again the climate change because of global heating is putting a lot of stress on the coral reefs.  The water is getting warmer and this is causing 'coral bleaching'.

Coral bleaching occurs when coral polyps expel algae that live inside their tissues. Normally, coral polyps live in an endosymbiotic relationship with this algae crucial for the health of the coral and the reef. The algae provides up to 90% of the coral's energy 

You can read more about it here.

The Great Barrier Reef is truly a magnificent destination for tourists and more than 200 million people visit it each year.  Like all things on Earth, we must also look after this reef and save it so that future generations can also see it.