Valerie F. 8 2010

      Coral Reefs are located in oceans all over the world. From The Great Barrier Reef to the Pulley Ridge Reef no two are alike. With creatures sprouting from burrows and schools swimming in circles coral reefs are bound to be the most lively place.
    The ocean provides many things for different types of organisms. For example some coral reefs provide chemical compounds that be turned into medicine, they provide a home for many marine life, and they also provide food for humans and fish.
      The coral reef is a very interesting animals we have discovered at the bottom of the ocean. It really has a lot going on. With the cooperation and partnership happening with the fish we are able to have growing coral.  Coral reefs have been around for more than 50 million year - and thriving. They are a very important to the ecosystem, as well as a fascinating site to see. People come from all over the world to get a closer look at what's really there. Coral Reefs are formed by tiny animals called polyps. They work together in order to form a "skeleton" around the old coral generation after generation. Although this may sound all fine and dandy that's not what's really going on. The once colorful coral is slowly becoming a ghostly white and the fish are vanishing.
      Without the ocean and the coral many interesting organisms could be lost and the bonds and links that the oceans life once had could be disruppted. Everything is effected when something suddenly causes dispute down under. The life, the water, the people are in danger. Saltation, pollution, over-fishing, and loss of Mangroves are becoming major problems for oceans and reefs everywhere.
     Did you notice that most of those issues somehow always link back to humans? We cause pollution, we over-fish, we wipe out trees. So what can we as children and adults possibly do to improve the waters? We can do more than you think.
 We can spread awareness, we can conserve energy and water, we can plant trees,  we can reduce, reuse, and recycle, and much more. The little things that we do differently everyday can help the oceans, reefs, and the planet because every little thing counts.

     " The most important partnership the reef has is you and I " - Rusi Vulakoro