Name: Chau Luu
SUST 1000.01 SP15
Date: April 30th, 2015
Climate Change and the Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system. It is located in Queensland and stretches 2,300 km along the coast, covering 348,000 km2. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority was established in 1975 in order to sustainably manage the natural heritage for future generations.
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most complex natural ecosystems and was listed on the World Heritage List in 1981. It has a large biodiversity with a great variety of habitats and threatened species including over 400 species of corals, 4,000 species of molluscs, over 1,500 species of fish and a huge diversity of sponges, marine worms, anemones and crustaceans.
The Great Barrier Reef is iconic. It has a central place in Australian culture and psyche, and a visit to the reef is reliably rated among the top three must do experiences in international surveys. The Great Barrier Reef has continued to evoke wonder and awe in visitors, from the earliest European explorers negotiating the “monstrous labyrinth of coral” by sailing ship, to the thousands of tourists who arrive annually to experience one of the natural wonders of the world.
There are significant social and economic benefits to Australia from the Great Barrier Reef. The major activities that occur on the Great Barrier Reef are tourism, recreation and commercial fishing.
During 2005, 1.9 million people visited the Great
The Reef was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1981, as the world’s most extensive coral reef ecosystem, meeting 4 of the 10 possible criteria.
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven wonders around the world. It is approximately 344,400 kilometers long. The Great Barrier Reef is home to many marine organisms. More than 1,500 species of fish live in the Great Barrier Reef. The coral that forms The Great Barrier Reef is made of polyps. Billions of living coral polyps are attached to the reef. The colour of these polyps range from blue, green, purple, red and yellow. As the largest living structure on the planet, the Great Barrier Reef is incredibly plentiful and various. Stretching 2300 kilometers, this natural icon is so large it can even be seen from outer space. While it’s known mostly for its large maze of colorful reefs, its intricate architecture also provides a home for a huge number of plants and creatures. There are multiple reasons as why the Great Barrier Reef is important, as it helps protect coastlines from the detrimental effects of waves and storms, provides habitats and protection for many marine organisms, help in nutrient recycling and is the source of nitrogen and other essential foods for marine food chains.
The Great Barrier Reef is known as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It is believed to be one of the most incredible places on this earth. This reef is the largest living organism on this planet and the only living thing on earth visible from space (2011). The warm waters of the southwest Pacific Ocean are the perfect environments to create the world's largest system of coral reefs. The Great Barrier Reef is in such pristine condition that it was listed by the World Heritage Trust as a protected site and is therefore, managed by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to ensure that its beauty is maintained for many travelers and sightseers (Edgar 2010). Due to the complexity of this natural phenomenon, human practices have led
Looks amazing does not it. this is home to over 1500 species of different types of living creatures. That’s not even counting the many coral types in the Great Barrier Reef. Furthermore, it is one of the seven wonders of the world. Although it looks spectacular, will it be long enough for YOU to visit The Great barrier reef
The Great Barrier Reef is a vast organic structure that has existed longer than man. It has always been present underneath the water surface near the coast of Australia, harboring many different types of sea creatures. Over the past few decades, the reef has slowly been dying. Humans have been negatively affecting it for a while now, although they may not have known it at that time. We, as humans, have the duty to correct our mistake and take responsibility for our actions by doing everything in our power to nourish and tend to the reef. Governments all across the globe have come together to collaborate and discuss what they can do to save the reef from extinction. Many solutions have been talked about and some have been put into place, but the effects of these won’t be seen until a number of years later. We must wait and hope that our ignorance up until this point won’t destroy an iconic landmark before we can try and save it.
Human activity largely impacts the Great Barrier Reef, from tourists to wider world issues such as climate change humans are widely responsible for damaging many ecosystems. Tourism has both negative and positive effects on the Great Barrier Reef. The main positive is the revenue that the tourism creates for local communities, this money can also go towards the upkeep of the area surrounding the Great Barrier Reef, and also by helping spread the message of how delicate the Great Barrier Reef’s ecosystem is. However tourism also has many negative impacts on the Great Barrier Reef. With more people in one area, the demand for natural resources increases. This can result in the overuse of natural resources as well as producing more waste and pollution. Some tourists may also not obey the rules at the Great Barrier Reef, this can cause damage to different organisms in the Great Barrier Reef.
The Great Barrier Reef holds various types of species such as tropical fish, shellfish, and different kinds of sea plants. About twenty-five percent of the global reef systems have been destroyed by human activities. Also, sixty percent of the reef systems are endangered by some level. The Great Barrier Reef is protected by the World Heritage Area, but is still greatly impacted by humans. Pollution, mining and tourism all have affected the Great Barrier Reef in some way.
The great barrier reef is found on the north east coast of australia. The reef covers an area of over 348,000 square kilometres, this icon is so large it can even be seen from outer space. Practically the entire ecosystem became part of the World record in 1981. This wide depth range includes shallow inshore areas, mid-shelf and outer reefs, and beyond the continental shelf to oceanic waters over 2,000 metres deep(http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/154 ).
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is located south of Queensland and covers almost 350 000 km2 in area, extending into both the above airspace and the ground under the seabed. It contains 3000 coral reefs, 600 continental islands, 300 coral cays and around 150 inshore mangrove islands (GBRMPA, 2015). It also includes the Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest coral reef ecosystem, extending over 14 degrees of latitude between estuarine and deep water areas and covering 2300 km. The largest living structure in the world, the Great Barrier Reef evolved over a millennia and is “one of the richest and most complex natural ecosystems on earth” (DE, 2015), containing 600 types of soft and hard corals, 100 species of jellyfish, 3000
The Reef contains the greatest species diversity of any World Heritage Area on the planet, including:
The Reef Rapid Monitoring program informs reef users of the main threats of the Great Barrier Reef by using simple science. But still this program is focused on more experienced reef users for example people who can snorkel confidently. The use of the Reef Rapid Monitoring program is suited to people who may not have a scientific background because of its simplicity and just like in the Sightings Network people are animated to report what they see to the GBRMPA through for example short surveys.
If you’re just from neighbouring places, car rental is always another option. 4. Transportation ATTRACTION The Great Barrier Reef Known as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, “The Great Barrier Reef” is located in Queensland. In fact, The Great Barrier Reef has the largest coral formation having a reef size that covers 3000 km along Queensland’s coastline.
The Great Barrier Reef is occupied by the worlds most diverse species of animals. It is a major tourist attraction, with economical benefits and an ecosystem so serine with great tranquility and current. However, is it really that great? Well, it used to be. The Great Barrier Reef is being harshly affected by climate change and the industrialisation of the fossil fuel industries, which are its biggest threats. The corals that occupy marine life are being bleached and ripped away. The reef is dying at a rapid pace, quicker than any body would expect. It is seen to the majority of the world as an “out of site out of mind issue”, however, it really is the elephant in the room.
The Great Barrier Reef is an iconic place off the coast of northeastern Australia. With many different types of coral and fish species this place is truly remarkable. There are up to 5,000 different types of mollusks and 1,800 species of fish. Some main types of coral include hard and soft corals with different textures and shapes. The climate of the region revolving around the Great Barrier Reef is primarily tropical with minor temperature dips during the winter season of around May to September. With 10,000 miles of coral ribbons and 1,400 winding miles moving throughout and around the entire outskirts of the Great Barrier Reef.
Located off the coast of Queensland, Australia, resides one of the world’s seven natural wonders, the Great Barrier Reef. This ecological community teeming with marine life is home to an estimate of 2,900 individual coral reefs, over 1,500 fish species, and is known as one of the most diverse regions occupying planet Earth. According to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA), the Great Barrier Reef is “world’s largest coral reef ecosystem”, stretching with an area of 132,974 square miles. Many environmental organizations, such as the World Heritage Centre work to protect and preserve the coral reefs along with the endangered animals located in these reef systems. The World Heritage Centre was established in 1992 by United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and they seek to preserve the natural beauty of landmarks and historic natural wonders, including the Great Barrier Reef. Unfortunately, much of the Great Barrier Reef cannot be associated with the words