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Nature's Microworlds

Steve Backshall

Doug Mackay-Hope

Wendy Darke

Cerys Griffiths

Bronwen Thomas

Nick Shearman

Nature's Microworlds: Episode 8: Great Barrier Reef

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Great Barrier Reef

Episode 8

Episode 8: Great Barrier Reef

BBC Four - Nature's Microworlds, Great Barrier Reef

Steve finds out how a tiny coral building block created Earth's largest living structure.

Steve Backshall visits Australia's Great Barrier Reef to discover the conditions that let a tiny coral building block create Earth's largest living structure.

Steve Backshall goes beneath the surface of Australia's Great Barrier Reef to discover the crucial conditions that allowed a tiny coral building block to create the largest living structure on the planet. He unravels the complex mosaic of reef environments to reveal the key to the microworld's success, but discovers that life on this coast is not always easy. Nutrient-poor water, enormous storms and rising seas should make it impossible for such a vibrant ecosystem to exist here, so what allows the Great Barrier Reef to not only survive but flourish as the largest reef on Earth?

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Factual: Science & Nature: Nature & Environment

Series in which Steve Backshall looks at some of the world's most iconic ecosystems.

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Episode 8: Great Barrier Reef

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