Newsela: Coral Bleaching and Conservation Efforts

Where is the Great Barrier Reef located?

• the United States

• Australia

• the Bahamas

• Thailand

What does it mean when a coral has been "bleached" white?

• certain invasive species have attacked it

• chemicals in the water have turned it white

• it has been stressed by heat

• they have died from natural causes

How long is the Great Barrier Reef?

• 500 miles

• 800 miles

• 1,000 miles

• 1,400 miles

What percent of the Australian reefs escaped bleaching altogether in 2016?

• 9%

• 25%

• 40%

• 70%

As temperatures heat up in the next 10 to 20 years, what do experts predict will happen?

• the reefs will be restored

• a fourth bleaching event will occur

• there will be no change

• the ocean ecosystems will recover

True or False: Current efforts to protect local reefs focusing on better water quality and fish farm management has been extremely successful.

• True

• False

Which of the following is NOT a way that researchers continue to survey coral?

• from the sky

• from underwater

• using speedboats

How have experts been able to predict where the worst bleaching will occur?

• climate temperatures

• finding locations of the warmest water

• complex technological models

• turtle community locations

Hughes and Lough agree that ________ is the number-one threat to the Great Barrier Reef.

• climate change

• over fishing

• population growth

• invasive species

Scientists have created the first high-resolution atlas of the world's coral reefs. What is an atlas?

• a world heritage site

• a globe model

• a small booklet

• a collection of maps