preview

The Great Barrier Reef ( Gbr )

Decent Essays

The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is located off the coast Queensland, Australia and stretches over 1800 miles. The reef is home to around 1500 species of tropical fish, and over 400 kinds of coral. This is a species diversity playground for many biologists. There is also a major concern that is upon the reef.
Climate change is a main concern throughout the world. When referring to climate change people think of a change in climate patterns that can not be reversed once started. The Great Barrier Reef is one that is greatly affected by climate change. Reefs can be hurt easily by this major effect that is taking place on the Earth. According to one article climate change will effect coral reefs so bad that it will take them to a their tipping point and they won’t be able to make a turn around (O. Hoegh-Guldberg, et al).
The Greenhouse affect is when the sun warms the planet breakdowns the atmosphere and more radiation comes through. This a major concern for the reef due to the fact that this causes climate change. The major key gas that the reef looks at is carbon dioxide. Coral reefs already release .02 to .08 Gt C carbon dioxide (Ware, J.R., et. al.) This combined with the CO2 that is released from the greenhouse affect puts a strain on the reef such as ocean acidity levels rising.
Climate change can affect the Great Barrier Reef by sea levels rising from glaciers melting, light levels, changes in currents, and ocean acidity levels. According to JE Johnson and PA Marshal the

Get Access