Great Barrier Reef Ecosystems

Corals build colonies that secrete calcium carbonate to form ocean reefs. When they're healthy, coral reefs provide shelter and food for animals all along the food chain, including the top: us. Across the planet, half a billion people rely, directly and indirectly, on corals for their living. That's why what happens to the 9,000-year-old Great Barrier Reef, as well as to other reefs worldwide, is critical. The floods in Queensland have hurt the Great Barrier Reef by funnelling into the ocean vast plumes of freshwater and agricultural runoff that could severely damage the coral. Besides the extreme rain that sparked the floods, rising ocean temperatures, changes to the ocean's chemistry and the global trade in natural resources — all symptoms of our fossil-fuel economy — are waging a multiform war on the marine

The ocean is two-thirds of our planet a vast blue landscape home to many biomes which according to Boyce Thorne-Miller “(ecosystem types) corresponding to sets of environmental conditions that vary with depth, latitude, and longitude” (16). However, the ocean and its biomes is under attack from the changing environment. We can see this through coral reef biomes as they make their home near the shores. Through coral reefs we can view the effects that these changes have on the ocean through how the coral reef biome is affected. Humans are a danger to the coral reefs and the wildlife that resides in the biome. The pollution being released into the environment is poisoning the coral and causes death and malformation to the wildlife. The ocean is changing due to global warming which is causing a change in the temperature and rising water levels leading to a change in the stabile areas coral can survive. The increasing acidification of the ocean is causing the coral reefs to die. I will be looking at the effects these issues cause to coral reefs biomes and the ocean to see the similarities in how they affect both.

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most beloved regions of the world but due to recent human activity in surrounding areas and subsequent sediment delivery, coral and seagrass habits within are being negatively impacted. Extending 2000km along the North-eastern Australian coast (Brodie et al., 2007), the Great Barrier Reef is a major source of income for Northern Australia and fuels the growth of local businesses. As industrialization in areas adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon have increased since European settlement (McCulloch et al., 2003), the need for more resources to compensate for human population has led to harmful land practices such as overstocking and deforestation for cattle grazing inland. These are causing a significant

These three factors, being human impact (pollution/ overfishing), climate change (water temperatures), and natural disasters (hurricanes) play their leading role over the loss of coral reef ecosystems— where reflections such as disease and bio erosion act as the result. The importance over marine biologists, and their conveying message to save the coral reef ecosystem, is a demanding change of our standardized way of life. The science and understanding over this ecosystem can, in good faith, stem a positive human response instead of a negative impact; where through these studies, the public may become aware of the issue and be attentive towards a possible

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 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.

Big chunks of the Great Barrier Reef are dying and it is causing a big impact in Australia. For example, Australia gets billions of dollars for tourism per year, but if the reefs keep on dying the economy will be affected. Since Australia is the largest coal exporter, the last thing that they don’t want to do is make the situation worse. Also, scientist warned that if they keep on burning fossil fuels, it will expose greenhouse gases, causing the ocean to warm. Whenever the water is two or three degrees Fahrenheit of too much warming can sometimes kill the reefs. Fish sometimes use coral reefs as protection from predators.. Many people get their protein from reef fish, but with the loss of that food source it could become a humanitarian problem.

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

Unfortunately, the most diverse ecosystem on the planet has been ravaged by the effects of climate change. Record breaking levels of coral bleaching continue to deteriorate the Great Barrier Reef due to pesticides and nutrients flowing into the water

In an article by David Stauth, a student at Oregon State, showed how pollutants can effect coral. Pollution can lead to coral diseases and coral bleaching as well. A study conducted in the Florida Keys shows that from pollution diseases in coral doubled and the signs of stress in coral tripled. One astonishing thing however is when the pollution was removed the coral was able to recover in a short amount of time. Using relief acts to clean the water of sewage and other pollutants could help the coral reefs to strengthen themselves to deal with other stress factors that they may face such as coral bleaching. Reducing pollution not only helps the water and coral it will help keep the environment clean. Not only would cleaning the pollution help adapt the coral to the climate change, but it also would repopulate the ocean since a majority of its species lives around the coral

The Great Barrier Reef is dying. Twenty years ago, it was a flourishing string of 3,000 reef systems, and home to thousands of marine species. Today, global warming, water pollution and unregulated fishing are destroying The Great Barrier Reef and in order to reverse the damage, Australia’s government must fund the programs they promised to implement. If these problems are not resolved soon, the world is risking the loss of what thousands of species call home, and a beautiful site.

As discussed before, humans play a, sometimes, dangerous role in the well-being of the coral reef. Since the coral reef, specifically the Great Barrier Reef, has become such a major tourist destination, it has lead to the issues of pollution, stealing of species, and the use of boats and other forms of water transportation that damage the coral reef

This has extreme repercussions on the weather and other factors surrounding it, therefore having incomprehensible negative impact on the reef. This includes rising sea temperatures which has the biggest impact on the coral. Increased temperatures bleach the coral to a point where they cannot recover and die. When one thinks about the great barrier reef, they admire the coral but often forget just how important it is to the survival and diversity of the reef. They provide a home and protection to all the animals living in the

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

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system that stretches over 1,400 miles through the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia. Many kinds of coral make up the Great Barrier reef and they are an essential part in keeping a heathy marine ecosystem. They protect coastlines from damage due to waves and tropical storms, they provide habitats and shelter for marine life, they are a source of nitrogen and nutrients to underwater food chains, and do many more things to ensure the survival of marine life. Due to their versatility it is vital to understand the relationship between the corals and algae and the threat they are facing.