Coral Reef Airborne Laboratory Report

Coral reefs not only protect coastlines and beaches from wave damage and erosion, but also are the basis for the fishing and tourism industries. Dying reefs is a worldwide problem, and evidence shows that 10% of the entire world’s coral has died, and 60% will die by 2020 if existing conditions continue (NOAA 2000). The reason that the Australian Great Barrier Reef is so important is because not only is it the largest barrier reef in the world, but it is also one of the most evolved models of how to best manage and protect the world’s largest reef system (Ornitz 1996). It extends for 2,340 kilometers (km), covers 345,000 square km and contains 2,900 reefs, 300 coral cays and 600 continental islands (White 1999). Historically, it has been ahead of the rest of the world in terms of recognizing and addressing problems associated with reef degradation.

The Ocean is a miraculous place filled to the brim with foreign creatures and wondrous wildlife. From the Great Orcas of the Antarctic waters to the minuscule plankton, these marine life conquer the ocean's depths, but it's not just the creatures that reside here. Coral occupy their fair share of space upon the ocean's floor filling the waters with their glamour and residential charm for those in search of shelter.

Some people consider coral reefs the most beautiful places on earth. With the plants and animals progressing all around the beautiful corals, it is spectacular. Located on the northeast coast of Australia, there lies a place just like this. This is the Great Barrier Reef. These coral reefs are called, “the rainforest of the ocean,” because it supports a huge diversity of life. Coral reefs are more than just beauty, they are a home to fish and other creatures. They protect humans against floods and storms. The reef not only contains an abundance of marine life, but it is also the world’s largest coral reef system. It is so gigantic, astronauts could see it all the way from outer space. This paper offers an extensive amount of information about the Great Barrier Reef, including how it was formed, the animals that call it home, and how it is dying.

"Coral reefs… are fragile structures living within a narrow range of temperature, clarity, salinity and chemistry. Even a slight increase in ocean temperature, or increased CO2… can cause stresses such as bleaching… These stresses slow the rate of growth of the corrals… With some 60 percent of the world’s coral reefs now losing productivity, it’s becoming a global crisis and a scientific mystery."

Consisting of less than 1% of the world oceans, the coral reefs are ancient animals comprising of thin calcium carbonate deposits within the photic layer. Aside from its biologically diverse ecosystems, coral reefs are major source of food for millions and provides habitats and nursery areas for many marine organisms. Coral reefs also act as a physical buffer to protect the coastlines from tropical storms and erosion. In addition, many local communities rely on coral reefs to generate an income through activities such as fishing and diving. However, 75% of the coral reefs are under threat from induced impacts of humans and climate change (Burke, et al., 2011). This essay looks at the human impacts constantly being inflicted on coral reefs.

The purpose of this research is to apply the knowledge learned about the ecology of the Hawaiian Coral Reef to a real-life situation. The coral reef stretches over 1,000 miles in the Pacific Ocean. In the Pacific Ocean, near the 124 islands of Hawaii, is the Hawaiian Coral Reef, which covers nearly 1,200 miles. Out of all the coral reefs in the world, the Hawaiian reef consists of 85% of all reefs. Coral Reefs are made of organisms, coral, and limestone skeletons. 25% of organisms are not existent anywhere else in the world. Abiotic factors are nonliving things, and abiotic factors of a coral reef are depth, light, wave motion, salinity, and temperature of the ocean. Biotic factors, living factors, is the whole coral reef,

Covering over 348,000 square kilometres, the reef is home to the most comprehensive coral ecosystem on the planet and is so large it can actually be observed from space (Australian government). Whilst predominantly being known for its large colourful reefs, is provides a home to a diverse array of marine creatures including 1625 different species of fish, around 600 types

The mission is called CORAL and it “...combines aerial surveys using imaging spectrometer technology…with ‘in-water validation’ provided by CSIRO and the University of Queensland” (“NASA begins study of the Great Barrier Reef” 1). A:Dr. Tim Malthus, research leader of CSIRO’s coastal monitoring, modeling, and informatics group, believes that a larger understanding of the reef will help researchers gain a better understanding of how it can be protected (“NASA begins study of the Great Barrier Reef” 2). E: CORAL is unlike any research done ever before because it will study the health of corals in the Torres Strait along with surveying large sections of the reef (“NASA begins study of the Great Barrier Reef” 2). Dr Tim Malthus stated that the Torres Strait is a “complex high tide area that has been historically less studied “ and by researching it, scientists might gain more information about the causes of decline in that area. In order to gain this unstudied data, CORAL will describe coral reef condition and measure three key places of reef health where data is currently limited: composition, primary productivity,

Conservationists around the world are putting their best foot forward in an attempt to save the coral reefs. Coral reefs today are at a high risk of damage because of all the attention drawn to them by tourists. There are some islands that make all their money through tourism and exploiting the coral reefs, giving snorkel and scuba diving trips to guests that have traveled from around the world. Many people travel to these places with amazing under water worlds and they come extremely uneducated about these beautiful masterpieces. Tourists will drop their anchors on top of corals and drive their boats over corals, causing severe damage that will take the coral years and years to replenish. There are always new ways to enhance the lives of the

The coral reef’s ecosystem are in major threat of the current bleaching events. Coral reefs are the main marine environment, which includes a variety of over 4,000 fish, and 800 different type of hard coral (“Corals”). Over 25 percent of marine animals are supported by the coral environment (“Coral Reefs”). The reefs are a key element of the ocean’s ecosystem (“Coral Reef Destruction”). Water temperatures are estimated to keep rising in the decades to come, which intensifies coral bleaching and other problems like black band disease, and white plague. These illnesses cause a majority of the coral to die, which will then lead to their ecosystem to plummet (“Global Warming”). Research as estimated that one to eight million organisms are yet unknown to scientists

Coral reef ecosystems around the globe are threatened by human interferences and climate change. This has led to many scientists conducting studies on global coral reef ecosystems to gain a better understanding of the cause and effects of coral reef damage. In both Hodgson’s (1999) and Carpenter et al.’s (2008) studies, they are aware of the continuous degradation of global coral reef ecosystems. Hodgson's study involved conducting a survey on global coral reef ecosystems to see whether human actions were affecting the health of supposed pristine Coral reefs. Carpenter et al. incorporated Hodgson’s study into a compiled study about the possible extinction of reef building corals due to climate change and anthropogenic effects. Carpenter’s

An program which aims for the protection and the lasting of the coral reef that is run by the GBRMPA is the Eye on the Reef program. The program consists of four sub-programs: The Sightings Network, the Rapid Monitoring, the Tourism Weekly Monitoring and the Reef Health and Impact Surveys. 1

This particular reef is home to approximately 600 different hard and soft species of coral, 1,600 species of fish, 240 species of birds, 133 varieties of sharks and rays, and countless species of anemones, sponges, marine worms, and crustaceans (GBRMPA 2015). The reef comprises a contiguous latitudinal region between 10° S and 24° S, spans between 60 and 250 kilometers in width, and has an average depth of 35 meters, although at points reaches as far as 2,000 meters in depth (GBRMPA 2015). The average recorded temperature for the winter month’s ranges between 14° and 26° Celsius, for summer months the range is between 24° and 33° Celsius (NOAA 2015). Data was collected from ReefBase, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), ReefTemp, as well as the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA). ReefBase is a uses mapping software to monitor the health of worldwide coral reef systems, as well as the potential influencers that may affect their health. The website includes downloadable GIS data regarding sea surface temperature, coral bleaching severity, among information concerning other coral reef ailments and stressors. The map layers containing information about sea surface temperature between the years of 2003 and 2007 were

Corals harbour millions of sea creatures that can only thrive in warm shallow waters in tropical or subtropical oceans. Andrea Grottoli (2001) describes corals as good climate archives because they are widely distributed, their banding patterns are strong dating tools, and their records can span several centuries (from 5 to 25 Myr ago). Corals secrete layers of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) which form their skeletons. The organisms that produce CaCO3 are sensitive to temperature changes in the ocean; thus, when the water temperature changes, the CaCO3 densities in the skeletons also change (Grottoli, 2001). The layers from corals have annual banding patterns which help date the changes that scientists discover. Light-coloured layers appear during the summer when growth is rapid and dark layers form in the winter when growth is slowed down (Figure 1). By studying these banding patterns, scientists can determine the season and temperature of the water these corals grew in and date them accordingly. Scientists drill into corals and take samples which provide accurate information about sea level, temperature and salinity at different times in history. Therefore, by interpreting this data obtained from corals, scientists are provided with a way to reconstruct past climate changes.

The deterioration of coral reefs is mainly linked to human activities – 88% of coral reefs are threatened through various reasons as