Great Barrier Reef Essay

The observation of the health of the GBR is based on signs of coral bleaching. There are several dominant theories concerning the cause of reef bleaching. According to Baker, some scientists believe that the complex causation of the GBR’s endangerment is from El Nino effects or the warming of ocean waters naturally (481). Currently, the GBR is not completely dead, but it is dying. This damage has been happening for decades, but scientists can trace the major damages to at least 3 major bleaching events since the 80’s (Baker 481). Some scientists say that the reef can still recover from the bleaching while others say that it cannot. Fiona MacDonald of ScienceAlert shows a map online where the GBR is dead and discusses the worst coral bleaching on record was within the last year and states that 93% percent of the reef was bleached and most of the corals are now dead (MacDonald

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

In the past two years, the bleachings of 2016 and 2017 have hit the Great Barrier Reef, and once again they have done horrific damage. Kerry states that the constant bleaching is concerning for two reasons: the 12 month gap between the two bleachings is too short for any coral recovery and last years bleaching was most severe in the northern part of the reef. Kerry states that last year, the temperature peak in March causes 67% of the corals to die in a 700 km section in the northern part of the Barrier Reef. This is the greatest loss of corals ever recorded in history and it’s still too early to tell if the corals will make it after this years bleaching. Kerry goes on to say that most of the bleached corals in the southern part of the reef have regained their color, meaning they thankfully survived. Kerry goes on to say there are four huge factors in the geographic patterns of the bleachings. He then goes on to give the reasons for the south surviving. To sum them up, it’s simply because the sea temperatures were close to normal during the bleachings of 2016 and 2017 in the south, the rainfall from El Nino coincided with the heat waves in 2016, and two local weather events saved the south from bleaching. Kerry closes the article by concluding that the bleachings from this year and last year will continue to unfold in the coming

In 1980, NOAA’s marine biologist started noticing the coral bleaching. There has been three important coral reef bleaching events in the history. The first global bleaching event “El Niño” was in 1998, it was a “huge underwater heatwave killed 16% of the corals on reefs around the world” . The second bleaching event was in 2010 and was called La Niña. This event affected especially areas near Palau and Micronesia in the Pacific. In October of 2015, NOAA announced the third global bleaching event in which has already become the longest event recorded, affecting coral reefs for consecutive years.

Overpopulation by any species can have negative effects on any ecosystem, and an explosion in the starfish population led to the species eating away at the Great Barrier Reef. And as the COTSbot's university website says, the movement of nutrients to sea from land in the area since the 1960s has “accelerated outbreaks of COTS” to the detriment of the reef.

The great barrier reef. An Australian icon. It makes an income of around 5-6 billion dollars per year. It is so big it covers over 2600 km and 900 islands. That is nearly the same area as Italy.

The reef’s fish are slowly but surely declining due to overfishing, and the Australian Parliament passed a law that prohibits fishing in ⅓ of the reef, but it is still an issue (Kummer 76). The fish and other animals are being threatened by coastal runoff of wastes toxic to them, coral bleaching, and the invasions of crown-of-thorns starfish. The coral bleaching is caused by wastes in the water and the sun. This is slowly making the coral decline, and the GBRMPA is trying everything they can to prevent this (75). As for the crown-of-thorns starfish, outbreaks of them occur about every 17 years, and half of the coral decline is because of them (“About”). During the 1960s, plans were made for mining and drilling on the reef. These plans were never followed through with, but it is unclear whether it will happen in the future or not. This could damage the reef, and the GBRMPA is still trying to shut the plan down today (Kummer 55). Lastly, the Great Barrier Reef lies in a tropical zone threatened by typhoons frequently. These typhoons really damage the coral and the animals that live on the reef. The future of the Great Barrier Reef is unclear, but the GBRMPA is still managing it with great care today (Hoffman

Global warming and climate change is the biggest threat the reef is having to face. Global warming is an effect of pollution caused by humans. Rapid urban development causes an increase ic carbon emissions which leads to an increase in greenhouse gases. A build-up of these gases cause temperatures to rise which will also increase the ocean temperature. This will have a negative affect on coral and put them under stress because they need a stable climate to thrive. During times of stress algae called zooxanthellae (gives coral vibrant colors) is expelled leaving the coral bleached white. This is called coral bleaching (Smithsonian). There have been two mass coral bleaching events in 1998 and 2002 (Great Barrier Reef). But, scientists anounce that these events aren’t over with yet. In fact, they will start to become more common with the rise of oean temperatures. Scientists are predicting that the biggest coral bleaching event yet will take place in the next few months (Smithsonian). Pollution and waste are also big factors in the decline of the reef. Not only do they affect the Great Barrier Reef, but many other ecosystems as well. Eight percent of the coastline along the Great Barrier Reef is used for cattle grazing or crop growing. Fertilisers, pesticides, and animal waste are all things that farms either use or produce and

There are several dominant theories concerning the cause of reef bleaching. Some scientists believe that the complex causation of the GBR’s endangerment is from El Nino effects or the warming of ocean waters naturally. Another theory is that human impact has caused the GBR’s endangerment, but the topic is debated heavily by scientists and scholars. Support is given to natural causes being the cause of bleaching partly because of the money that is generated from tourism and fishing from the GBR. Some people believe humans have had an adverse effect on the GBR through pollution, overfishing, and the poisoning of the reefs. In 2016, an article announced to the world that the GBR died and an obituary was released. In reality, the GBR is not completely dead, but it is dying. This damage has been happening for decades, but scientists can trace the major damages to at least 3 major bleaching events since the 80’s. Some scientists say that the reef can still recover from the bleaching while others say that it cannot. The scope of this event is significant as humans realize that the damage to coral reefs goes

Coral reefs are threatened by global warming. They can only live in waters between 18 C and 30 C. Therefore, with the increase in temperature of the surrounding water, there has been an unprecedented increase in the number of coral bleaching events during the past 2 decades (which have had some of the warmest years in history). When ocean temperatures get too high, coral polyps lose the symbiotic algae inside them, causing them to turn white, or "bleach," and eventually die.

There was a recent research expedition around the Coral Sea, which contains the Great Barrier Reef observing how much coral bleaching is happening. Coral bleaching is the process where the coral expels a symbiotic organism within its tissue, causing the coral to lose its color, stop growing and most likely die. This bleaching that is occurring as a result of rising global temperatures and has only started occurring in the late 20th century. Of the over 500 reefs analyzed during this expedition, only 4 showed no signs of bleaching, and the bleaching has close to a 50% mortality rate for the coral. The article I linked discussed the potential economic impacts this might have, relating primarily to tourism and fishing. With regards to tourism,

Jon Brodie is a Research Scientist for the Australian Centre for Tropical Freshwater Research at James Cook University in Townsville in Australia. He has over 30 years experience in the environmental research field, working with different areas. He used to manage the Water Quality Research and Management Program for the GBRMPA for 11 years. His primary research area is associated with water quality issues for the GBR, and he is also highly involved in the policy advice to the Australian government regarding management of water quality issues for the reef. Brodie has published many articles and reports in his field. And he’s one of the experts when it comes to water quality and water pollution in GBR. He also used to work for GBRMPA for several years. Unfortunately we didn’t have the chance to meet him in person, but we still managed to receive answers to our questions from him through emails.

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

Between 1979 and 1990, more than sixty episodes of coral bleaching have occurred around the world due to human impact. Since then, even more events have taken place because of water temperatures rising. Within just the Pacific Ocean the Great Barrier Reef has been affected by coral bleaching the most severely, but Hawaii and Japan have also been affected. Australian scientists informed CNN that, “More than two-thirds of the coral in Australia's Great Barrier Reef is experiencing shocking

It is thought that worldwide climate change could play a role in the increased amount in coral reefs bleaching.