How Large Is The Great Barrier Reef?

The Great Barrier Reef Is So Large You Can See It From Space

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef ecosystem on the planet, covering an area of approximately 135,000 square miles.

It’s not just the immense scale of the reef that makes it visible to astronauts in space, though.

The contrast between the dark blue of the deeper parts of the ocean and the light turquoise of the lagoons on the other side of the reef makes it relatively straightforward to identify with the naked eye.

But the pictures taken from space are valued for more than their aesthetic appeal. The MERIS sensor used on the Envisat satellite mission was a useful tool in mapping the extent of coral bleaching, the term for when stressed coral has rid itself of algae.

What a diver’s paradise it is! Stunningly beautiful!