Blog 1 - The Great Barrier Reef

1. The Great Barrier Reef is considered the "largest living structure on earth".
2. Coral extracts calcium carbonate from the ocean to make solid tentacles.
3. Red algae impacts the structure of the coral by acting like glue, "cementing fragments of shell, sand, and coral with sheets of calcium carbonate".
4. The Great Barrier Reef became a national park in the year 1975.
5. About 33% of the Great Barrier Reef is protected from fishing.
6. Scientists believe that the current reef is about 20,000 years old, but that the ancient reef is half a million years old.