Great Barrier Reef

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

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/great-barrier-reef

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. How big is the Great Barrier Reef?Approximately 344,400 square kilometers (133,000 sq mi)
2. What is the location?Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia
3. What is the number of individual reefs?Over 2,900
4. Why is the Great Barrier Reef important for animals?It provides homes, food, and breeding spots for about 10% of the world's fish species, plus many mollusks, sea stars, mammals, and reptiles.
5. What are coral bleaching events and why do they happen?When the ocean gets too warm, corals lose their algae partners, which can make them sick or cause them to die if it lasts long.

Calcium Carbonate: A chemical compound that forms the hard skeletons of corals and shells.
Symbiotic Algae (Zooxanthellae): Microscopic algae living within coral tissues, providing food and color.
Coral Bleaching: The expulsion of symbiotic algae by corals due to environmental stress, leading to loss of color and potential death.
Anthropogenic: Originating from human activity.