1. Report By: Ayla Johnstone

2. The great barrier reef is the largest coral
reef in the world is has unusual coral and
brightly colored fish such as sweetlips,
angel fish, clown fish and emperor fish.
The coral reef is located off the north-east
coast of Australia and stretches to a length
of 2900 kilometers. (That's a lot of ocean)

3. Coral reefs are unique systems
that are under threat by none
other than green house gases.
An increasing amount of
green house gases in the
atmosphere is causing the
ocean to heat up.
The scientists call this
ocean acidification.
The Carbon Dioxide is
dissolving in the ocean and
changing the chemistry of the
sea water.
People have known about this
serious problem for some time
now but no one thinks its worth a
second thought.
Coral reefs are home to
many different types of
fish, from clown fish all
the way to sweet lips.

4. Coral Reefs are living
communities of tiny
animals called polyps.
One piece of coral can be home to
over 1,000 polyps, each of which
have a soft body covered in a hard
outer shell called an exoskeleton.
When a polyp dies its
exoskeleton stays behind to
form a foundation for new
polyps to live and grow.
More than 400 of the worlds coral can
be found in the great barrier reef coral
such as Brain Coral, Staghorn Coral,
Cauliflower Coral, Elephant Ear Coral
and Table Coral.

5. As the Ocean changes, some
marine species may find the
new conditions better for
them and they will become
more plentiful. Eventually, in
thousands of years, brand
new reefs may grow in
places quite different from
today’s reefs.