In this Where Is? title, kids can explore the Great Barrier Reef—big enough to be seen from space but made up of billions of tiny living organisms. The Great Barrier Reef, off the coast of Australia, is the world's largest coral reef system. Stretching more than 1,400 miles, it provides a home to a wide diversity of creatures. Designated a World Heritage Site, the reef is suffering from the effects of climate change but this fascinating book shows this spectacular part of our planet.

Explore the past, present, and future of the Great Barrier Reef. Beautiful photos, fact-filled text, and engaging infographics help readers learn all about this natural wonder and how to protect it long into the future.

"In the waters where Australia meets the vast Pacific Ocean, grows the world's most famous reef. Schools of fish dart among the colorful corals, octopuses hide in dark corners and sharks patrol the clear waters above. Welcome to the Great Barrier Reef. In this stunning illustrated guide, discover the plants and animals that live in this vast underwater treasure trove. Meet the scientists who have explored and studied its depths and learn about the history and culture of the Aboriginal people who have lived alongside the natural wonder for thousands of years."--

Like many coral specialists fifteen years ago, J. E. N. Veron thought Australia's Great Barrier Reef was impervious to climate change. "Owned by a prosperous country and accorded the protection it deserves, it would surely not go the way of the Amazon rain forest or the parklands of Africa, but would endure forever. That is what I thought once, but I think it no longer." This book is Veron's Silent Spring for the world's coral reefs. Veron presents the geological history of the reef, the biology of coral reef ecosystems, and a primer on what we know about climate change. He concludes that the Great Barrier Reef and, indeed, most coral reefs will be dead from mass bleaching and irreversible acidification within the coming century unless greenhouse gas emissions are curbed. If we don't have the political will to confront the plight of the world's reefs, he argues, current processes already in motion will become unstoppable, bringing on a mass extinction the world has not seen for 65 million years. Our species has cracked its own genetic code and sent representatives of its kind to the moon--we can certainly save the world's reefs if we want to. But to achieve this goal, we must devote scientific expertise and political muscle to the development of green technologies that will dramatically reduce greenhouse emissions and reverse acidification of the oceans.

Produced in partnership with the BBCs The Great Barrier Reef television series, the book takes you on a journey along 2,300km of Australias north-eastern coastline, through the diverse range of habitats that make up this extraordinary water world. "Author from UJCOOK.

A valuable reference for academic researchers and graduate students in geomorphology and oceanography, this 2007 book reviews the history of geomorphological studies of the Great Barrier Reef and assesses the influences of sea-level change and oceanographic processes on the development of reefs over the last 10,000 years.