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National Ocean ServiceNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

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HomeEducationCoralsProtecting Coral Reefs

# Sea Surface Temperatures

This animation is a  composite of average weekly sea surface temperatures over the course of  a year. Yellow and orange represent hotter waters and green, blue and  purple represent progressively cooler waters. Broad scale,  environmental processes can have long ranging effects on coral reefs,  which are particularly sensitive to changes in temperature. Studying  trends on a global scale can help scientists understand why reefs in  certain areas are flourishing and others are suffering.

### Corals Lessons

              - Welcome
              - What are Corals?
              - Zooxanthellae What's That?
              - How Do Stony Corals Grow?
              - How Do Coral Reefs Form?
              - Where Are Coral Reefs Found?
              - How Do Corals Reproduce?
              - Importance of Coral Reefs
              - Natural Threats to Coral Reefs
              - Anthropogenic Threats to Corals
              - Coral Diseases
              - Protecting Coral Reefs
              - References
              - Roadmap to Resources 
              - Subject Review (PDF)

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