Within their bodies they harbor highly productive algae -- a form of marine plant life -- that can "fix" carbon, use the energy of the sun to conduct photosynthesis and produce sugars.

CNN: Report: Coral almost as genetically complex as humans

Sunk just off Key West , an island in the Straits of Florida, in 2009, the Vandenberg is the second-largest artificial reef in the world, attracting a diverse range of marine animals and plant life.

CNN: March 7, 2013 -- Updated 1201 GMT (2001 HKT)

The core area of this site is of great value in the protection of marine ecosystems and the habitats of various important plant and animal species.

UNESCO: EDUCATION

In fact, this process is comparable to the use of fertilizers in agriculture, i.e. adding nutrients that are found to be lacking in the local environment to stimulate plant growth, in this case phytoplanckton that form the base of the marine food-chain.

UNESCO: MEDIA SERVICES

Geever says for years groups like his have tried to shut down the power plant because its so-called once-through cooling system kills tons of marine life.

NPR: California Town Votes on Huge Desalinization Plant

The meeting is expected to discuss how to improve marine environmental accident response support, such as on the radiological material discharge after the recent accident at Fukushima Power Plant in Japan in March 2011.

UNESCO: CULTURE