The Florida Reef Tract runs along the eastern edge of the Florida Keys, a chain of small islands at the southern tip of the United States. It is the third-largest coral reef system in the world and the only one of its kind in North American waters.

Caribbean reefs like these look and feel different from reefs in the Indo-Pacific. Instead of the branching and table corals that dominate the Great Barrier Reef, Florida's reefs are shaped by large brain corals, tall sea fans and gorgonians, the branching, tree-like soft corals that sway in the current. This reef type has its own extraordinary biodiversity, built up over thousands of years.

But the Florida Reef Tract is in serious trouble. It has lost an estimated 90% of its coral cover since the 1970s, driven by warming seas, disease, pollution from coastal development and hurricane damage. In response, scientists here have pioneered coral restoration techniques now used around the world, growing coral fragments in underwater nurseries before replanting them on damaged reefs. This gallery visits three locations that together tell the story of a reef under pressure, and the people working to save it.

This 360 gallery contains a series of immersive photos from this extraordinary natural wonder. Further information is given for each panorama for younger students and a more advanced description for exam-grade classes.