Natural Environmental Effects Of The Great Barrier Reef

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 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 system. It is located in Queensland and stretches 2,300 km along the coast, covering 348,000 km2. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority was established in 1975 in order to sustainably manage the natural heritage for future generations.

One environmental issues posted on the facebook group on Ecologically Conscious Social is climate change’s effect impacts on Great Barrier Reef where is one of the UNESCO world heritage sites. Great Barrier Reef is located in Queensland, Australia.

One environmental issues posted on the Facebook group on Ecologically Conscious Social is climate change’s effect impacts on the Great Barrier Reef where is one of the UNESCO world heritage sites. The Great Barrier Reef is located in Queensland, state of Australia.

Industrialisation is seen as a major threat to the Great Barrier Reef because it would have an impact on water quality and causes the destruction of habitats. this seems ideal, however, he planned to proceed with the construction of the biggest coal port which would result in the dredging of 3 million cubic metres of seabed. (White, 2013) This showed that theoretically the sustainability plan would cover the major threats but in practice it is not as effective due to projects initiated by the government as they often have underlying motives.

The floods started at the end of November 2010 and Cyclone Tasha a category 1 cyclone hit on Christmas Eve; they continued through till mid-January 2011. Cyclone Yasi then hit in February soon after the floods causing even more havoc to the already damaged Queensland.

The large heat wave that happened early in March 2016 has continued to kill the reef. Scientist of the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences, Charles Vernon, has agreed that The Great Barrier Reef was “on death row” back in 2009. It has been declared dead by the environmental stress impacts, meaning

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.

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.

Changes in the environment have had a negative effect on the health of the Great Barrier Reef. Development of coastal areas around the Great Barrier Reef and other land use has hurt the health of the reef. The effect of global warming has altered water temperatures which have killed off algae with which live on the reef and that has led to coral whitening. Contaminated water from farms and surrounding land development has disrupted the pH balance of the water by introducing more acid into the water, which does not allow proper growth. Overfishing can alter the food cycle and change the patterns on how the reef gathers food. Marine scientists are concerned that the Great Barrier Reef is vulnerable to man negative outside

Unfortunately, there are many factors that pose as potential threats to the Great Barrier Reef. The biggest threats to its health are natural pressures like extreme weather conditions and climate

Cyclone Yasi passed over the Great Barrier Reef, causing serious damage to some parts of the ocean. Approximately 13% of the reef was exposed to Cyclone Yasi, from Cairns to Townsville. Marine specialists from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority had found that initial damage assessments showed Cyclone Yasi had left varying levels of destruction to 300km of 2400km-long reef. Cyclone Yasi stripped leaves off the canopies of trees although the tropical trees have learned to adapt to this environmental disaster by having dormant shoots ready to grow quickly to fill the holes in the destroyed canopy. This cyclone caused a great amount of environmental damage.

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the natural wonders of the worlds. However, it is under threat cause of human activities, climate change, and natural disasters.

Coral reef ecosystems are heavily affected by land based pollution in both the Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Triangle. When agricultural run-off and chemicals enter waterways, the polluted water eventually makes its way to coral reef catchments. This causes damage to many coral reefs which can lead to an imbalance in the ecosystem.