In eerie silence high above the earth’s surface a breath taken astronaut observes the mystery and ineffable wonder of the largest structure made by living organisms. While too far to see the diverse 1,500 fish species or 400 coral curiosities, the effulgence of this place is unmistakable. As the only living thing able to be seen without aid from the moon, the Great Barrier Reef’s splendor is not only limited to images from the ground; it seizes the interest of stars and men alike. Spanning south from Papua New Guinea to the eastern Queensland coast of Australia, its size is like no other, making a home for more species of animals and plants in a cubic meter than any other place in the world! With 2900 reefs and 900 islands, premier access the Great Barrier Reef is Australia’s most unique feature and greatest source of pride (Great Adventures). To visit this enchanted place tops the bucket lists of old and young alike, hence why it is deservingly worth the number one Australian attraction. Whether one is in Australia for animating adventure or refreshing relaxation, the Great Barrier Reef provides an once-in-a-lifetime experience for all ages through its recreational activities of world-class diving and snorkeling, in addition to its’ breathtaking, unparalleled beaches.
Why limit oneself to only brushing the surface of exploration, when Australia offers the perfect solution to befriending the bottlenose, or cavorting with the manatees through its replete diving opportunities. In a free-floating decline into a world of sharks, whales, and vibrant corals, the isolation of a soundless world is juxtaposed by the sense of community in visual sensory. A hundred feet below the surface there occurs a break in the silence as a 50 ton hu...
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A sunken nineteenth-century British cargo steamship, the SS Copenhagen, the Shipwreck Snorkel Trail, and the Biorock Artificial Reef offer snorkeling and diving adventures for all levels of sports enthusiasts.
Rouphael, A.B. and Inglis, G.J., 1997, Impacts of Recreational Scuba Diving at Sites with Different Reef Topographies: Biological Conservation, vol. 82, no. 3, p. 329-336.
The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is the world’s largest coral reef system, located along the northeast coast of Queensland in Australia. GBR stretches from the most northern part in the country – Torres Strait and all the way down to Fraser Island – the southeast part of Queensland. The distance from north to southeast is close to 2575 kilometres and the whole GBR area is covering around 344 400 square kilometres – which might be why you can see the reef all the way from space. GBR contains approximately 2900 individual reefs and not only is it the world’s largest reef but also the earth 's largest formation shaped by living organisms (Zimmermann, 2012).
Leading scientists advise climate change will cause increases to the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Rising sea levels pose a significant risk to coastal communities, while the world’s oceans could become too acidic to support coral reefs and other calcifying marine organisms. Coral reefs contain only six per cent of the area of the Great Barrier Reef, yet they provide critical habitat and food for numerous species in the ecosystem. However, climate change has already impacted coral reefs in the Great Barrier Reef as corals are very helpless against its potential impacts. Eight mass coral bleaching events has occurred since 1979, triggered by unusually high water temperatures. And because of this, zooxanthellae (photosynthetic algae) leave their tissues and corals will have no more colours hence ‘bleaching’. Without the zooxanthellae, the corals that remain gradually starve to death. Once the coral dies, fish and a multitude of other marine species are soon affected. Rising sea levels and more frequent and intense storm surges will see more erosion of Australia’s coastline, causing community and residential
The reef is the is “also the largest structure on Earth made by living organisms” (Zimmermann). The Great Barrier Reef has many different types of reefs. Nearby Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and Swain Reefs is a cresentic reef. A cresentic reef “shaped like crescents” (Zimmermann). The crescentic reefs are commonly found in the middle of the reef system. Bordering Cape York Peninsula, Princess Charlotte Bay and Cairns flat reefs can be found. Planar reefs which are the same as flat reefs can be found in the north and south parts Cape York Peninsula, Princess Charlotte Bay and Cairns. To the north of the Great Barrier Reef, the reef is twisty and narrow. When a reef is twisty and narrow, it is called a ribbon reef. The south of the Great Barrier Reef is a fringing reef. The south of the reef is very unusual, due to the fact the fringing reef is attached to the Whitsunday islands. Usually fringing reefs are not attached to any islands. Also, found all over the reefs are lagoonal reefs
Earth, an endless source of wonder and beauty, produced the Great Barrier Reef. Hustling and bustling, the Reef thrives like a busy city, teeming with life. Sheltering thousands, corals, maintain the well-being of the Reef; however, the world threatens its nature and delicacy. Populations growing and technological advances increasing, the world becomes more and more disconnected with the natural world, posing an alarming risk for the planet we live on. Although many organizations try to keep the oceans clean, because of human interference and unnatural occurrences, the Great Barrier Reef needs scientific help to adapt corals to new conditions for means of survival, putting pressure on the Australian government to save their ocean environment.
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 is one of the most fragile ecosystems in the world, it protects coastlines from the dangerous effects of tropical storms and wave action, it is also home to more than 11,ooo marine life. It is one of the world’s largest coral reefs, so large in fact that you can see if from space.
The Great Barrier Reef is extremely old and has been home to an enormous amount of living things. The Reef, being in a cycle composed of living coral growing on to dead coral proves the fact that has the Reef dating back perhaps as much as twenty million years. Due to human intervention and human pollution of our Earth, one of the seven natural wonders of the world is starting to die and disappear. Our pollution has lead to certain effects on the Reef; effects like rising ocean temperatures and acidification, physical pollution, overfishing, shipping and boating pollution, as well as indirectly increasing the amount of the Reef’s natural predator, the Crown of Thorns Starfish. The goal should be protecting, managing, and preserving the Great Barrier Reef for all current and future generations.
Matsen,Bradford. “Travel to Exotic Foreign Lands! See Beautiful Coral Reefs! And Kill Them!” Mother Jones May-June/1998/:pg60+
Climate change is predicted to become a major threat to biodiversity in the 21st century, but accurate predictions and effective solutions have proved difficult to formulate(Terence P et al., 2011). Warmer and more acidic conditions inhibit coral calcification, carbonate precipitation, and submarine cementation; These effects are expected to reduce long-term rates of reef framework construction(Lauren et al., 2012).As global warming gradually becoming severe, it’s effects on the coral reefs also leads a critical concern about the diversity and quantity of coral reefs in Great Barrier. Great Barrier Reef is not only functioned as a beautiful landscape, but also an essential component of the coral reef ecosystem. Any change of could have a great
Sweatman, H, Delean, S, & Syms, C 2011, 'Assessing loss of coral cover on Australia's Great Barrier Reef over two decades, with implications for longer-term trends', Coral Reefs, 30, 2, p. 521-531, Scopus®, EBSCOhost, viewed 28 April 2014.
We need coral reefs, and not just to make the ocean look pretty and colourful, they are more than just that…
The Great Barrier Reef is an exemplary model of the famous exotic coral reef seen in a copy of the National Geographic or the popular animated film Finding Nemo. Located on the coast of Australia, it is known as the “largest biological organism in the world” (“Human Impact on the Great Barrier Reef” par. 1). The idea bears that coral reefs are again not an assortment of organisms functioning separately but rather working together to thrive. The groups of coral that are seen in t...