Ocean-bottom Builders

Most people associate coral reefs with the warm shallow waters of the tropics or Australia's Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest coral reef. However, there are deep water reefs found in the cold waters of the North Atlantic. These northern corals are less well known and much remains to be discovered.

In the same way that forests do, coral reefs provide important habitat and shelter for other organisms. The corals themselves are colonies of tiny animals, known as polyps. The reef is actually the skeletons built up by the polyps. In some places, such as the Niagara Escarpment, enormous deposits of limestone have been left behind by ancient corals.

Usually, there are also algae (plants) co-habiting with the coral which use photosynthesis to produce food which is shared with the coral. The corals can also capture plankton using tentacles.

Source: NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science

Corals can be damaged by pollution and careless fishing practices such as dragging or dynamiting.

Ocean-bottom Builders

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