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.
In order to flourish, corals need clear, salty water that is low in nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. The pollution from the land enters into rivers and oceans that lead into the Great Barrier Reef. Materials such as dirt, sand, and mud which enters the rivers, oceans, and other body of waters that will be affect the Great Barrier Reef region. Other material dumped at sea includes metals, glass, plastics, wood, chemicals and nuclear waste. It is estimated that about seven billion tonnes of litter is put into the oceans every year. Over half of this is in various forms
…show more content…
Although it takes place on land, the fertilizers used in growing crops and killing pesky bugs, the chemicals are getting onto the ground where underground waterways take the chemicals into the Great Barrier Reef and other bodies of water. While tourism is great for local communities to help treat the Marine Park, it also has its negative effects. With more and more people in one area, the demand for natural resources increases. With the overuse of the natural resources, more waste products and pollution are created. There are many more ways that the Great Barrier Reef is being harmed by. Such as non-native species that are infected the waters of the Great Barrier Reef and killing species that naturally live in the Great Barrier Reef. Another way is global warming interfering with the temperature of the water which heats up and kills of species of coral and
The Great Barrier Reef is under threat due to many human impacts and natural impacts. These impacts lead to other consequences that may harm our society as well. For example, if the Great Barrier Reef was to be damaged by pollution, tourism levels would decrease, which can lead to a drop in the economic stance of Australia. For these reasons, it is important to keep our ecosystems safe and protected. Some of the human impacts towards the Great Barrier Reef include:
The Great Barrier Reef is the largest reef In the world being at 345, 000 square kilometres in size. This huge amount of reef is home to 1,500 species of fish, 30 species of whales and dolphins, and 133 species of sharks and rays (Act.greenpeace.org, 2018). Imagine you were one of these fish and your home was just dying off leaving you without food and having to move to different areas. We are the ones causing The Great Barrier Reef to die! Not only does the reef provide homes and food for all of these animals but it also provides the ocean and earth with large amounts of oxygen.
Moreover, global warming has had a great effect on the Great Barrier Reef. Because the ecosystem in such a delicate balance, the continuous warmer weather kills the algae and the coral in this area. If the coral dies, the fish and other animals relying on the coral also die or are forced to move to other areas. While some reefs can recover after a stretch of time in overly
The 2014 Great Barrier Reef outlook report identifies ports as a moderate to major threat to the Great Barrier Reef, and outlines the impacts port activity has, including dredging and dumping of waste, increased risk of oil and chemical spills, and diminished aesthetic values. It also links problems with ports with shipping issues impacting the reef.
Because the GBR is such a highly visited tourist attraction for snorkeling and diving, there has been a large number of human structures that have been built in natural areas. Every five years, the Australian government publishes an Outlook Report that examines the Great Barrier Reef’s health, pressures, and likely future. “The report is required under Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975 (section 54) and aims to provide a regular and reliable means of assessing reef health and management in an accountable and transparent way.” The report shows the actions that have been taken since 2009, including the focus on improving the quality of water that runs off the land. The increased freshwater run-off is in direct relation to the coastal development that has occurred since the major bleaching events have begun. The report released in 2009, states that the greatest risks to the Reef are still climate change, land-based runoff, coastal development, and some remaining impacts of fishing and illegal fishing and poaching. The report points out climate change as being the main cause of the destruction or bleaching of the reef (Department of Environment and Energy 2017). Most observers conclude that the climate change is a direct result of human
Bleached corals have reduced growth rates and have an elevated mortality rate. Coral bleaching also affects species such as fish and invertebrates that depend on living coral for food and shelter. Changes in the population and composition of reef fish occur when the corals they utilized are killed as a result of coral bleaching. Reefs affected by coral bleaching lose the aesthetic appeal that is fundamental to reef tourism. This aspect is highly relevant to the Great Barrier Reef because it is a popular tourist destination. It is estimated that the current bleached state of the Great Barrier Reef will cause Australia a loss of $1 billion in tourist income. Finally, coral reefs can be farmed for pharmaceutical compounds used to treat heart disease and cancer among other diseases. Bleached and dead corals are far less likely to provide these
Of those threats, climate change is the one that has the biggest impact on the reef. The rising temperatures are causing bleaching.When water is too warm, corals will expel the algae, called zooxanthellae, living in their tissues causing the coral to turn completely white (NNOA). Without it, the coral starves, but doesn’t have to die. It can recover from this, but has a higher fatality rate than corals who didn’t go through the bleaching process. The poor water quality is a result of increasing sediment, nutrients and contaminants entering coastal waters in run-off from agricultural, industrial and urban land uses (“Poor Water Quality”). The nutrients and sediments boost algae growth, which effects the corals growth. Overfishing is the final major threat. Once the fisherman catch most of the fish in the area, they must go lower. This leads to them hitting the coral and causing further damage. Although they have these threats, they can overcome it to continue to
The rivers pollute the Reef during the tropical floods. Over 90% of this comes from farms runoff, mainly fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides. Increase of the level of acid kills the algae, which is the main food for corals. The level of pollution has been also increased by mining. Mainly Queensland Nickel.
The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is one of Australia’s first and most significant world heritage sites. It is also one of the most ecologically diverse and the largest reef systems worldwide (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, 2013). Anthropogenic pressure on the GBR dates back to 150 years ago. Land clearing, agriculture, overfishing, poaching of endangered species such as humpback whales and human-induced climate change have posed a serious threat to GBR’s biodiversity in the past and present (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, 2013). Over the past 30 years, issues relating to water quality and irresponsible poaching and fishing practices have been addressed effectively. The Marine Park Zoning Plan of 2003 and Great Barrier reef water quality protection plan have become the primary management tools for GBR, along with a $375 million grant by the Queensland government to support various policy instruments such as a daily cap on some fish catches, protection zones for endangered species such as dugongs and improved reef monitoring and collaboration wih the local community (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef in the world. According to Lewis (2016), it covers more than 300,000 square kilometers and has more than 3,000 reefs, 600 islands, and 300 coral cays. (Immediate response on social media section, para. 4). Because of high sea temperatures, the algae on the coral become stressed and release from the coral, which causes coral bleaching. As the coral reef is normally bright with color, the bleaching has caused the coral to become dull and lifeless. The marine life use this coral for shelter and food. Without the live coral reefs, the fish are dying of illness, variety of species are disappearing, and economy businesses are not productive.
There are many things that the Great Barrier Reef contributes to society environmentally that we overlook and take for granted every day. One example is tourism. As stated in Skwirk, “It is estimated that each year about two million visitors travel through the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Most of the tourism, about 85 percent, is focused around Cairns and the Whitsunday Islands.” There are many people that go to the reef every year to explore and witness the wonders of it. This develops into many positive
Coral reefs around the world are in danger. One of the causes is global warming, which has been increasing the temperature of the ocean water resulting in coral bleaching. This essay will focus on damage occurring to the Great Barrier Reef.
For over 25 million years, the Great Barrier Reef has lived off of the northeastern coast of Australia. The first human civilizations started around 5,000 years ago and industrialization of humans about 200 years ago (History of Humans, 2016). The human race’s timeline is just a small fraction in comparison to the reefs, but somehow humanity has managed completely derail mother nature in an incomprehensible amount of ways. Healthwise, the Great Barrier Reef is in the worst shape of its life and which just so happens to match ever so nicely with the rapid pandemic of global warming that has increased over the past couple of decades. The rise in air temperature is gradually increasing the ocean 's temperature as well which is causing colossal damage to Great Barrier Reef and reefs across the globe. If we do not take action immediately in reducing our planet’s rising temperature and ever increasing CO2, it will soon be too late to save this natural wonder as well as the countless organism that call it home.
Coral reefs are natural formations that host around twenty-five percent of the world’s marine species, however, these reefs are majorly threatened (“Air”). The Great Barrier Reef in particular is an important marine location, home to major marine diversity with over 3,000 reefs over 1,400 miles (“Great” World Book). The Great Barrier Reef is a limestone formation made of coral polyps and algae, and lays off the coast of Queensland, Australia. For many years, this reef has been exposed to several threats. The threats facing the Great Barrier Reef include pollution, invasive species, and climate change.
Cleopatra VII was one of the most popular and famous queens ever to rule Egypt. However, modern civilization remembers her so much differently than the clear depiction of reality. Shakespeare reimagined her romance with Mark Antony as a dramatic tragedy. Indeed it was, although that is all Cleopatra VII’s memory has come down to: an old play and several false films and novels. Society does not even remember her as the seventh Cleopatra in her family, just Cleopatra. But, if one dug under the surface, they would find her life was much more interesting than just some romantic yarn.