Great Barrier Reef The G eat Barrier Reef is located on the east coast of Australia and consists of a series of smaller reefs. It stretches 1250 miles along the coast. The total area of the Great Barrier Reef covers around 80,000 square miles. Reefs are for med in clean, warm and shallow seas and are made of coral, sand or rock. The top of most reefs sits around 3 feet below the surface. Large coral reef areas, such as the Great Barrier Reef, take thousands of years to develop. They grow less than 2 inches per year. In 1770, James Cook accidentally discovered the Great Barrier Reef when he crashed into it with his ship, the Endeavour . The cor al ripped a large hole in the bottom of the ship, but they were able to keep their ship from sinking. There are three different kinds of coral reef. Fringing reef is the first type, which is formed when coral grows in shallow and warm waters near the coast The second type is barrier reef, such as the G eat Barrier Reef in Australia. The Great Barrier Reef This kind of reef grows at some distance from the coast before coming close off coast of Queensland. to the surface. A lagoon separates barrier reef from the shores of the land. The third type is atoll reef, which is a circular reef with a lagoon in the center . The waves of the lagoon cover a submerged island and the reef grows in layers over the island. The Great Barrier Reef has many islands that are made of piled up coral sand. Coral sand forms when waves hit dead coral breaking it into sand. These kinds of islands are called Coral Cays. They are difficult to see and practically impossible to reach by boat because sharp cor als can tear out the bottom of the boat. Near some Coral Cays, ancient shipwrecks can be found The Great Barrier Reef is home to many different kinds of species of downfish living animals. There are small or ganisms like micr oscopic plankton and massive animals such as sharks and whales. The whole reef has more than 1500 different species of fish, around 350 species of hard and soft coral, nearly 200 kinds of seabirds and over 4000 different species of mollusk and shellfish, such as clams, or abs and lobster s. Apart from these marine animals, there are also many different kinds of mammals living in the area, such as whales and dolphins. Scientists believe that climate change will cause huge damage to the Great Barrier Reef. Warmer and more acidic water will slow the calcification of the reef, which is needed for it to grow and become strong. The reef may lose its color and many species in the area may be in danger as well. The Australian Government has spent lots of money towards making the area near the coral reef safe. Another threat that the reef is facing is the poor quality of water that is pouring into the ocean from the mainland. A lot of this water is polluted with farm insecticides and rubbish from near by towns. Exercise 1t: Read the passage and answer the questions. ) What is the Great Barrier Reef and where is it located? 2) In what kind of waters does coral reef grow? 6) Who was the first European to discover the Great Barrier Reef? Do you think he was happy with his 3) What are Coral Cays? discovery? Why? 4) What are the differ ent kinds of coral reef? Write 7) What is a lagoon? their names under the images below. 8) What threats is the Great Barrier Reef facing? 5) Name ten differ ent kinds of animals that live in the 9) What can the Australian government do to protect Great Barrier Reef. the Great Barrie Exercise 12: Match the words from the text below to their definitions. shallow ittle Surface ate sea animal submerged breed mollusk not deep lagoon shallow coastal body reef outer part microscopic under water coral ridge of rock near the surface species plant-like or ganism