Coral reefs of Kiribati

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/coral-reefs-of-kiribati

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the geographic location?Central Pacific Ocean, straddling the equator and the International Date Line
2. What is the reef type?Predominantly atoll reefs and fringing reefs, with some patch reefs
3. What are Kiribati's underwater cities made of?They are coral reefs made of hard, stony corals called scleractinian corals.
4. Why are Kiribati's reefs important for the islands?The reefs act like natural walls, protecting the islands from big waves and storms, and they also provide fish that people eat.

Scleractinian Corals: Hard corals that form the structural basis of most tropical reefs through calcium carbonate secretion.
Ocean Acidification: The ongoing decrease in the pH of the Earth's oceans, caused by the uptake of anthropogenic CO2.
Marine Protected Area (MPA): A designated area of the sea where human activities are restricted to protect marine ecosystems and biodiversity.