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Global warming and the great barrier reef
An opening statement for the great barrier reef
An opening statement for the great barrier reef
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Describe the location and the ecosystem, including all known feeding relationships. What is its current status? The rivers and creeks along the wet tropics in far North Queensland are followed by massive amounts of banana farms. These farms run across 1500 kilometres of the Queensland coastline. During heavy rainfall, which is plentiful in the area, sediment and nutrients run off into the rivers and eventually end up in the Great Barrier Reef. One of the biggest threats to the Reef is Johnstone River, as it is one of the closest rivers to the Reef, and the farms along its coast are producing the highest yields. Banana farms are used very intensely and combined with the plentiful floods in the area, sediment runoff from the farms is at an all-time …show more content…
high. The Great Barrier Reef is home to a starfish species called crowns of thorns, named as such due to their round and spiky appearance, these starfish are normally a beneficial part of the Reef ecosystem as they feed on the fastest growing corals, maintaining coral diversity. However, the nutrients found in all the sediment flowing into the Reef is acting as food for the younger crowns of thorns, allowing much larger populations of them to grow. The starfish begin eating massive amounts of the Reef, bringing it closer to destruction. What are some of the impacts of human activity on the ecology? Clearly describe these and give evidence. Banana farms are producing more sediment pollution than any other type of farm in the region. About 1.4 million tonnes of sediment enters reef waters every single year, which is almost five times more than before European settlement. This pollution is causing a variety of problems for the reef. Crowns of thorns outbreaks have already caused approximately 40% of the reef to be eaten away, and the silt from the wet tropics and Johnstone river reduces water clarity by half, meaning that half as much sunlight gets to the coral. This lack of light is the reason so many young corals are dying before adulthood, making recovery in between cyclones and crowns of thorns outbreaks even harder. How has awareness of these impacts developed over time? Refer to the awareness and actions of individuals, organisations, and government if possible. Sugarcane farms have often been taking the blame for the pollution as of late, but Martin Cunningham* has produced unequivocal proof that the banana farms located along the shores of the Johnstone River are the source. His drone footage makes it undeniably clear that the Johnstone River is a major supplier of sediment for the reef, as it shows the river water completely red with visible plumes of silt pouring out of it into the Great Barrier Reef. The Australian Institute of Marine Science, or AIMS, has been researching the current state of the reef, and their work suggests that these plumes of sediment are a huge threat to the entire reef as they travel further and hang around longer than previously thought – all the way to the mid and outer shells of the reef.
What actions have been taken to lessen or rectify the impacts of human activity? Again refer to various stakeholders. The federal and Queensland state government have both promised to protect the reef. Queensland Labour government has created a plan to protect the reef called “Reef 2050”. However, Reef 2050 has more ambitious water quality goals than previous plans, but even less funding. The plan has been endorsed by the World Heritage Committee, but specifically told the governments to come back with an investment plan and that it is a matter of priority as the plan would cost billions of dollars to achieve. Banana farmers have also been working to reduce their sediment output, many have started planting grass in between rows of bananas to hold the soil in, and the Banana Farmers Council** has stated “[We need to] take all steps we reasonably can to minimise movement of soil from our farms.” Unfortunately, this is not enough. Even if every banana farm in the region operated with best practice we would only meet half of our water quality targets, more must be
done. Summarise the current position and propose recommendations and achievable ideas for action on this issue. The Great Barrier Reef is in serious danger due to the huge amounts of sediment coming from Banana farms along the Johnstone River and other rivers North Queensland and spreading all across The Reef, even the outer shells. The sediment is stopping young corals from growing to adulthood and causing coral feeding crowns of thorns outbreaks, actively eating away at The Reef preventing its recovery from cyclones and other natural disasters. The Queensland Labour Government has devised a plan called “Reef 2050”, but it has even less funding than previous more ambitious reef protection plans. Banana farmers have begun implementing methods to reduce their sediment output, but it isn’t nearly enough to save The Reef.
Port Arthur was Australia’s largest and most notorious prison holding the most vicious and hardened criminals from 1837 to its closure in 1877. The aim of Port Arthur was to produce useful goods and useful citizens, reformed men who have rejected a life of crime and embraced a law-abiding future. It was known for its tough punishment and structure. This essay will discuss the daily life at Port Arthur for convicts, punishments convicts received, trades that were practiced there and the merchandise that was created through those trades and what become of Port Arthur after transportation finished.
The essential use of irrigation in Australian Vineyards to maximize the productivity of vines has the detrimental effect on the surrounding waterways my contributing to water pollution. The use of irrigation in Australia has become a primary
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.
Believe it or not the current pop culture surrounding the reef is environmental protection. This mean that people are trying to protect and cleanse the reef of toxic waste and such. And the reason that comes to mind as to why they are protecting the reef is because they would want to preserve such a mythical place from the bottom of their
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.
The world is changing. The environment is yelling at us, but is society ready to listen? Climate scientists, outdoor enthusiasts, environmentalists, and politicians all have an opinion on the state of the world’s climate. There is an argument from each side, agreeing or disagreeing with the claims of scientists who are trying to show the world what is happening. The fact is that humans are changing the climate, and it is not for the better. Glaciers are melting, the polar caps are shrinking and the ocean is becoming acidic. According to a report in Ocean News and Technology “Researchers have found that increasing ocean temperatures due to climate change will soon see reefs shrinking” (Ocean News and Technology). The Great Barrier Reef off the
There are many actions we can take to help the great barrier reef survive, such us using different means of transport like walking or biking, which decreases pollutions like oils and gas, also reducing the use of plastic bottles, straws and containers will also help, as well as volunteering at a beach cleanup events.
Around the world, their are beautiful places called “the seven wonders of the natural world”. These sites are fantastic because of there fascinating views and the fact that they were naturally made, not by humans. One of these seven natural wonders of the natural world is the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef is located off the coast of Queensland, Australia. The Great Barrier Reef was formed by corals growing on submerged islands. The sea level then continued to rise, “leading to more corals growing and forming.” (Zimmerman). The Great Barrier Reef is “a mosaic of 2,900 individual reefs” and can be “seen from space and is not only the world's largest coral reef system but also the largest structure
WHAT IS SHARK CULLING Shark culling is killing large sharks that may be dangerous to swimmers on the beach. The Great white shark has been protected in Australian waters since 1998. So, what changed? Since August 2010, 15 people have been killed and 51 have been injured in 2012.
The Great barrier reef has had many recent hardships, including water pollutants and the increasing water temperature. Although it may be too late to save this particular reef we the people must not be so nearsighted to the
The Great Barrier Reef Trust was given $100 million over 4 years to keep the Reef off the World Heritage in Danger list. The trust was largely funded by cuts to the Green Army and the plan to abolish the CSIRO Environment Strategic Advisory Committee. Although climate change was considered to be a priority, there was not much to address the issue. Nothing regarding renewable energy programs was mentioned. The introduction of a renewable energy program and decreasing spending on fuel and diesel could reduce not only air pollution but also the chemical pollution in the Great Barrier
Maintaining an aquarium is a difficult task because of all the various sciences involved in keeping an aquarium safe for both plants and aquatic creatures to live in. An aquarium will fail without the proper balances between chemicals, fish, and plants. To find the balances between chemicals and bacteria, a lot of research and hard work is needed.
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...
Did you know that more than 90 percent of all organisms that have ever lived on Earth are extinct? According to Pandey, the author of Humans Pushing Marine Life toward ‘Major Extinction’, nearly 10,000 species go extinct each year, and this rate is estimated to be 1,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate (1). Human beings are causing irreversible damage to the oceans and their wildlife, which is being led by two major reasons: Commercial fishing or over-fishing, which damaged the marine environment and caused a loss in the marine life diversity, and pollution, which is a primary way of the extinction causes that drastically modifies the marine life habitat. As a result of the commercial fishing and pollution, many of the marine species will start disappearing of the oceans. Briggs emphasizes that over-fishing “has induced population collapses in many species. So instead of having less than a hundred species at risk, as was the case some 30-40 years ago, there are now a thousand or more (10).”
Today many people do not see the need to preserve corals reefs. Hence because of the lack of appreciation for the reefs, they are slowly disappearing. Many citizens do not realize the importance of these reefs, the species they hold, and the food webs that connect the ecosystems. Our American government has stated many times that they are doing all they can to preserve and to replenish our coral reefs. However, how accurate is that statement? To answer these questions, we first have to understand what a coral reef is and how it can be saved.