Great Barrier Reef, Australia - related image preview

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Great Barrier Reef, Australia

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.


Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC

Published August 31, 2003
Data acquired July 26 - 26, 2003

Source:
Terra > MODIS
Collection:
Visible Earth