Redbird Reef

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/redbird-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. What is the location coordinates?Atlantic Ocean, 16 miles east of Indian River Inlet, Delaware
2. What is the ecological impact period?2001-2008 showed a 400x increase in marine food per square foot
3. Why were subway cars used at Redbird Reef?Subway cars were chosen because they are large, sturdy, and already retired. Placing them on the sea floor gives fish and other animals places to hide, eat, and grow. It also helps clean up old waste by turning it into useful habitat.
4. How many fish and other creatures live at Redbird Reef?Many kinds of fish live there, such as black sea bass and flounder, and bigger fish like tuna and mackerel visit too. The reef is covered with mussels, barnacles, sponges, and algae that provide food and shelter for all these creatures.

Artificial Reef: Man-made structures intentionally placed on the seafloor to enhance marine habitats and biodiversity.
Anthropogenic: Originating in human activity; relating to or resulting from the influence of human beings on nature.
Sessile Invertebrates: Marine animals without a backbone that attach themselves to a surface and do not move.