From tiny coral polyps grew a marvel: Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Could it all come crumbling down?
National Geographic, May 2011 By Jennifer S. Holland
National Geographic. May 2011 Photograph by David Doubilet
Photograph by David Doubilet
Not far beneath the surface of the Coral Sea, where the Great Barrier Reef lives, parrotfish teeth grind against rock, crab claws snap as they battle over hiding spots, and a 600-pound grouper pulses its swim bladder to announce its presence with a muscular whump. Sharks and silver jacks flash by. Anemone arms flutter and tiny fish and shrimp seem to dance a jig as they guard their nooks. Anything that can’t glom on to something rigid is tugged and tossed by each ocean swell. Read the full article