What is a Coral Reef?

7 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Juvenile black, white, and yellow-striped Bluehead wrasse fish dart in and out of a dead colony of pillar coral (Dendrogyra cylindrus), now covered in various algae, in the waters of Playa Melones, Puerto Rico. NASA Ames/Milan Loiacono Coral reefs cover only 1% of the ocean floor, but support an estimated 25% of all marine life in the ocean, earning them the moniker ‘rainforest of the sea.’ They also play a critical role for coastal communities; preventing coastal erosion, protecting…

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