A marginal sea of the South Pacific off Australia's northeast coast, covering about 4.8 million square kilometers and hosting the world's largest reef system, the Great Barrier Reef, alongside over 1,500 fish species, 400 coral species, six species of sea turtle, humpback whales and dugongs. Mass coral spawning drives reef reproduction, the East Australian Current cycles nutrients through the system, and crown-of-thorns starfish periodically prey on coral in numbers that can strip whole reef sections. Coral bleaching from warming water, shipping accidents, oil spills, coastal runoff and cyclones threaten the sea, part of which is now protected within the 989,836 square kilometer Coral Sea Marine Park established in 2017. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Classification
Biogeographic Realm Protected Status Area (sq km) Connections
Demonstrates
Source National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Hosts
Source World Wildlife Fund
In Biome
Source World Wildlife Fund
Sources
1. Coral Sea (Wikipedia)
WikipediaFauna section
Four hundred coral species, both hard corals and soft corals inhabit the reefs
- Biogeographic realm: australasian (derived from location stated in entity description)
View the Source 2. Wikipedia: Coral Sea
WikipediaIntroductionQuote, Introduction
Most of it is protected by the French Natural Park of the Coral Sea
World Wildlife Fund
World Wildlife Fund- In Biome: Coral Reef
- Hosts: Ocellaris Clownfish
View the Source National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationDemonstrates: Coral BleachingView the Source Reader Challenges (0)
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