Great Barrier Reef Effects On The Environment

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

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

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 world’s largest coral reef zone in Australia and it is now being suffered by the coral bleaching. The coral reefs usually have colorful outfits and it provides a great habitat to many of ocean creatures. Nonetheless the many coral reefs in Great Barrier Reef are deforming to be white colored. There are microscopic plant cells in symbiosis with coral reefs, which requires the sun’s energy. However, since the temperature went up, the balance of symbiosis goes out, so the coral reefs releases the plant cells to the water and it makes its white color. The video states that anything that helps the climate change will also helps the coral bleaching. The coral reef zones like Great Barrier Reef are deeply related to the ocean ecosystem, so the if the destruction goes on and on, in close future our eyes might not able to see that magnificently beautiful corals anymore and many of ocean creatures. The destruction of one ecosystem doesn’t only hazardous to those creatures in that ecosystem, but it gives dangers to all ecosystem and could lead to another destruction of other

Many issues have contributed to the Great Barrier Reef’s decline. The majority of these issues are human caused. This makes the destruction of the Great Barrier Reef so much more disappointing. The Great Barrier Reef is basically dying off. The amount of coral dying is increasing at an alarming rate. An issue that has contributed the most is Global Warming (Board). A journal called Nature stated,

has risen to around 3.2 millimetres per year, although it does vary from year to

The article, Warming Bleaches Two-Thirds of Great Barrier Reef , talks about how Coral reef ecosystems around the world are threatened by human and climate change. The waters of the ocean are raising due to global warming, in turn

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

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.

How has Carbon Dioxide (CO2) levels frequently increased global warming and the massive increase of global ocean temperature which have risen from 0.74oC during the 19th century to 4oC in modern day society (NOAA, 2016), and how does CO2 contribute to one of the biggest tragedies seen on the Great Barrier Reef today, known as coral bleaching and what can be done to slow the increasing rate of this terrible tragedy?

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.

When the severe tropical Cyclone Yasi hit North Queensland at around midnight on February 2, it brought powerful wind gusts reaching 285 kilometres per hour with heavy rain and tidal surge of 5 metres maximum. These weather conditions had a significant impact on the natural environment damaging habitats and the ecosystem.

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

The Great Barrier Reef is the most substantial living structure on Earth; this complex aquatic system houses around 1,500 different species of fish. Coral polyps living in the GBR released their algae as water approached 88°F, resulting in the coral becoming white. These vast bleaching events are becoming increasingly critical, lasting longer, and are occurring closer together; this is undoubtedly tied to climate change. This bleaching process is typically due to pollutants, an overabundance of sunlight, or very hot waters driving corals to eject algae. This process doesn't kill corals instantly. In fact, if conditions improve, algae can re-colonize corals and recoup. Without the algae (the coral’s main source of food), however, corals become

Scientists say that climate change is making coral bleach. Coral bleaching is the process of coral turning white. This happens when the water gets too warm for the coral to prosper. Even in the cooler parts of the reef coral is bleaching slowly. The Great Barrier Reef has been hit with a big loss of coral and it is important to our economy because it provides protection. It works as natural barrier between floods and populated land. Oceanservice.noaa.gov says “When reefs are damaged or destroyed, the absence of this natural barrier can increase the damage to coastal communities from normal wave action and violent storms.” This means that if each coral reef is slowly dying than when they all are gone not only will there be lack of protection