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• Credit

  Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC

Colonies of coral appear vibrant blue green in this Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image of Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Stretching over 2000 kilometers along the northeast coast of Australia, the Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral system that has ever existed. It is made up of about 2,900 reefs, though only about six percent are coral reefs. Teaming with life, the region is home to a wide variety of marine animals including over 1500 species of fish, sea snakes, turtles, birds, mollusks, and dugongs. Broad Sound cuts into the Queenland coastline towards the southern edge of the reef in this image, captured by NASA's Terra satellite on July 26, 2003.

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• Database Updated: February 25 2008