offshore, separated from land by lagoons more than ten meters deep. Atolls, on the other hand, are formed far offshore and they make a ring-shaped reef that close a circular lagoon. Coral reefs are the largest biological structures on the planet, with the largest being the Great Barrier Reef covering over 2000 kilometers along the east coast of Australia. The reef is said to be 500,000 to 2,500,000 years old and is said to be visible from the moon. There is only one problem with this beautiful structure and that is the carelessness of man. Silt from deforested lands and pollution from crowded coastlines choke them, and overuse by coal miners, fisheries, and even tourists deplete and destroy coral reefs. There are m

or around 4 to 8 billion tons annually. Healthy reefs are thought to be among the most productive fisheries in the ocean, 10 to 100 times higher per unit area that of the deep ocean. If the fisheries are regulated than the reefs can be used as a food source without hurting the reefs or the ecosystem. For example, Pacific Islanders obtain up to 90% of their animal protein from reef fish without affecting the reefs and without depleting the fish and effecting the ecosystem. Surprisingly, some of the world's largest oil and gas fields are ancient reefs. Like the rain forests, the reefs also hold considerable untapped potential in the science of medicine. Japan's coast is one of the most studied coral coast in the world. In Japan's reefs there is a chemical called kainic acid, which is used as a diagnostic chemical to investigate Huntington's chorea, a rare but fatal disease of the nervous system. Coral also produces a natural sunscreen which is now being marketed to sell as a sunscreen to humans in America. Also, the porous limestone skeletons of coral is now being tested as bone grafts in humans. More promising testing is being done on other reef organisms to generate chemicals for cancer and AIDS research. If used properly, the reefs of the entire world can better serve humans with medicine rather than with food.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Barrier Reef, Pacific Islanders, Reefs Coral, Islands Scientists, Marine Scientists, Australia Caribbean, Marine Science, coral reefs, Bay Philippines, El Nino, Pacific Coast, reef survive, global warming, global warming ozone, destroy coral reefs, changes environment, barrier reef, destruction coral, coral reef, entire ecosystem ocean, separated land, question save destroy, save destroy, destruction coral reefs, fringing reefs,
Approximate Word count = 1351
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)