- -Coral Reef Bleaching Crisis (CBS News)
- "Triggered by global warming and the El Nino, record hot ocean water is causing fragile coral to go white and often die, threatening picturesque reefs that are hotspots of marine life, experts say."
"The spread of sickly white started more than a year ago in Guam, then devastated Hawaii, infected the rest of the tropical Pacific and the Indian oceans and has now infested Florida and the Caribbean. On Thursday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and international reef scientists pronounced it a global coral bleaching event, only the third in recorded history."
"Even though coral reefs are one-tenth of 1 percent of the ocean floor by area, they are home to 25 percent of the world's fish species, Eakin said." 10-15
- Coral Reefs Endangered by Global Warming (International Herald Tribune - Richardson)
- Discusses the reasons coral reefs are in danger from human activities, including global warming resulting from human activities. Discusses the many values of the reefs, such as protecting over 500 million people from sea surges and storms along coasts. "Fish caught around coral reefs are an important source of food for hundreds of millions of people, especially in the developing world, many of whom have no other source of animal protein." "Reefs are also home to an extraordinary variety of marine plants and animals, including a quarter of all marine fish species" 5-02
- Coral Reefs and Warming Oceans (PBS.org)
- "In 2016, the Great Barrier Reef experienced the worst mass bleaching event on record due to a marine heat wave, sapping the corals’ color and making them more vulnerable. Now scientists believe that the heat wave led to the worst possible outcome: outright cooking and killing some of the creatures. And the bad news doesn’t stop there."
"Previously, scientists thought some corals were dying because they couldn’t recover from bleaching, a conclusion that offered a glimmer of hope." 08-19
- Corals and Coral Reefs (Seaworld.org)
- "Reef-building corals secrete an external skeletal cup of calcium carbonate. This skeletal cup protects the polyp: when the polyp contracts, it's almost completely inside the skeletal cup. The stomach cavity of reef-building corals also contains radiating calcareous walls. These walls extend up form the polyp's base and reinforce the skeleton."
- Google to Map Australia's Great Barrier Reef (U.S. News)
- "Google Street View’s reach already extends from the streets of Johannesburg to halls of the Palace of Versailles. Now the company is taking its cameras underwater to map Australia’s Great Barrier Reef."
"No, the idea isn’t to give people directions as they scuba dive. Instead, the project, dubbed the Catlin Seaview Survey, is meant to study the effects of climate change on the reef and provide people everywhere the chance to virtually explore one of the most biologically diverse spots on the globe." 02-12
- Growing Coral: A 4H Project? (MSNBC News)
- "From that small beginning, a plan for planting underwater staghorn coral nurseries was devised, and requisite licenses were obtained. The ultimate goal was to replenish a few dying reefs."
"Nedimyer and his daughter experimented with different kinds a glue, and by messy trial and error finally figured out how to attach tiny staghorn tips to rock platforms stretched out over the ocean floor." 10-07
- Growing Coral: A 4H Project? (MSNBC News)
- "From that small beginning, a plan for planting underwater staghorn coral nurseries was devised, and requisite licenses were obtained. The ultimate goal was to replenish a few dying reefs."
"Nedimyer and his daughter experimented with different kinds a glue, and by messy trial and error finally figured out how to attach tiny staghorn tips to rock platforms stretched out over the ocean floor." 10-07
- Hope for the Coral Reefs (CNN News)
- "Reefs are often referred to as the rainforests of the sea. They attract more marine life than anywhere else in the ocean because of the natural shelter they provide. But they're declining worldwide, not just in Florida, and some scientists fear that they could all be gone by 2050."
"Many people around the world depend on fisheries and the ocean for their livelihood. In the Florida Keys alone, more than 50 percent of the local economy is connected to a healthy marine environment."
" 'We've been able to recreate one of the biggest thickets in the Florida Keys of staghorn coral, and that's something we can duplicate throughout the Keys and throughout the Caribbean,' " [Ken] Nedimyer said." 03-12
- Reef Life (Sea and Sky)
- Provides pictures and descriptions of different species of animals that live near reefs. 4-02
- Saving Coral Reefs from Extinction (CNN)
- "The Florida Aquarium in Tampa, Florida, says they've made scientific history as a group of coral has successfully reproduced two days in a row for the first time in a lab setting." 08-19
- Coral Reefs (AbcTeach)
- Provides dozens of worksheets to help children have a better understanding of coral reefs. 8-01