Data

Supporting Data

Bleaching occurs as a result of climate change which in turn is brought about by anthropogenic increase of CO2 emissions in the atmosphere:

These images draw a correlation of increasing water temperature brought about by this increase in CO2 and coral bleaching:

[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/GBReef_TempChlorophyll_200602.jpg/250px-GBReef_TempChlorophyll_200602.jpg]


And this is what the reefs look like up close as this increase in acidification occurs:

[http://www.seos-project.eu/modules/coralreefs/images/ocean_acidification.jpg]


References: 


Goggin, Louise. "The Great Barrier Reef: Will It Still Be Great Next Century? by Louise Goggin : Articles : Terrain.org." Terrain.org: A Journal of the Built & Natural Environments : Issue No. 28 : Image. Web. 22 Nov. 2011. <http://www.terrain.org/articles/12/goggin.htm>.


The Great Barrier Reef - a World Heritage Listed, Natural Inspiration. Web. 18 Nov. 2011. <http://www.greatbarrierreef.org/>.


"The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Values." Home Page - Australian Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (SEWPaC). Web. 19 Nov. 2011. <http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/world/great-barrier-reef/values.html>.


Holland, Jennifer S. "Great Barrier Reef - Pictures, More From National Geographic Magazine." National Geographic Magazine. May 2011. Web. 18 Nov. 2011. <http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/05/great-barrier-reef/holland-text/1>.

Improving These Prospects

Maintaining or Keeping the Great Barrier Reef Positive

[http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/05/great-barrier-reef/doubilet-photography]

In order to stem the decline of the Great Barrier Reef we must first limit the negative factors that we can immediately control. Though the reef is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, ships are still allowed to pass through the reef. This has led the devastating spills in the past (the 2010 oil spill as an example) that pollute the waters and damage the fragile coral. Future collisions with the reef are still a very real possibility so circuitous routes are necessary to help improve the Reef's prospects. 

Commercial, recreational, and sustenance farming all occur on the reef, and all of which must be cut down to sustain the health of the reef and its biodiversity. This fishing is what has allowed fauna that prey on coral polyps to thrive in the absence like the crown-of-thorns starfish. Australia has already sectioned off a third of the reef as a no fishing zone, and since then the coral trout population has bounced back and scientists believe these zones may stem the outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish. That is not to say that recreation and tourism should be discouraged outright, as the industry brings in revenue used to research the reef and promotes awareness of the Reef's importance. That being said, construction of hotels to accomodate tourism is harmful to the reefs, so the construction of new hotels must be kept to a minimum.
Finally, by curbing use of herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizer, runoff into the Coral Sea will be less severe, reducing the amount of coral bleaching taking place. 

Future Prospects

Future of the Great Barrier Reef


Based on anthropogenic climate change, I would expect more episodes similar to the El Niño incident in the late nineties, and more often, perhaps even annually. These instances will further increase water temperatures and increase the rate of coral stress and therefore bleaching. This increase in temperature will also decrease the phytoplankton population, which will starve reef life in the foreseeable future if anthropogenic climate change is not curbed. The overfishing (commercial, recreational, and sustenance) which I do not see ending will also further hurt the biodiversity of the reefs which currently support a great deal of endemic species and thousands of non endemic species of marine life. However, based on the resilience that the reef has demonstrated in the past, I would not say that the Great Barrier Reef is necessarily doomed. For example, some fish may blossom in the wake of the influx of nutrients, and when the fish experience a boom, the coral will too.

[http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/world/great-barrier-reef/values.html]

Status of the Great Barrier Reef

Historical State of the Great Barrier Reef

[http://www.greatbarrierreef.org/history.php]

The Great Barrier Reef was largely unknown to man until British explorer James Cook and his ship collided with Endeavour Reef near what is now modern Cooktown in June 1770. Though Cook and his crew gathered little scientific data regarding the Reef, his mishap was of great importance because it promoted awareness of the Reef on a global scale. 


While the Reef may have appeared to Cook and company to have been relatively pristine at this time, the history of the reef is one of disaster, yet the Reef has proven to be quite resilient in wake of these disasters. For centuries, the movement of tectonic plates, mass extinctions, ice ages, and fluctuations of atmospheric and ocean conditions have been responsible for the expansion and erosion of the Reef. However, today the Reef faces new anthropogenic threats that are endangering its health and chances for future recovery.


Current Threats to the Reef

Today, the reefs that make up the Great Barrier Reef are being greatly harmed by the relatively quick change in the planet's climate. As water temperature rises, coral bleaching takes place, the coral often becomes "stressed" and will expel the unicellular organisms (the zooxanthellae) which keep the coral healthy and pigmented from within their tissue. Coral bleaching has also been tied to other  sediment runoff, salinity changes, and herbicides.

[https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir9rBhP_-HpbUUKHEZpiRGDIYu_DufDkk9Z99MRHEK3qxvWfOfQUNZWjqHNn17_65SEsBVDsxUB8X5weEM7eouBMmhgz1a9t581wP5sqz5SvJ3lh-QHtP6P96bb8quASjGEDoFTLYhbycU/s400/coral-bleaching.jpg]

The use of herbicide, pesticide, and fertilizers eventually runs off into the Coral Sea, degrading the quality of the water therein and threatening the viability of the Reef. A massive episode of runoff off the coast of Queensland occurred due earlier this year following the mass flooding of Australia. In 1997, a severe instance of El Niño that was responsible for the rise in water temperatures by several degrees fahrenheit in some areas caused mass amounts of coral bleaching. Changes in ocean levels, both up and down also influence the well being of the Reef, as declining water exposes the coral to the ultraviolet light of the sun and rising water can drive coral deeper obstructing them from receiving their need for light. Humans are also overfishing keystone species, thereby harming the natural food chains and balance of the reef ecosystems. 

Not all threats to the Great Barrier Reef are anthropogenic, however, as some fauna are proving difficult for the Reef to handle. Namely, the crown-of-thorns starfish has been a considerable threat to reef life as they feed on coral polyps, which can decimate reefs. Their population density explodes in periods of overfishing of their predators, and this exacerbates the damage to the reefs.  

[http://media.treehugger.com/assets/images/2011/10/Crown_of_Thorns.jpg]

In 2010, the Great Barrier Reef Oil Spill, caused by a Chinese cargo ship that struck the Reef. As the ship dragged across the reef, it began spilling nearly 5 tonnes of oil into the Coral Sea, the effects of which are still being felt today. 

Images of the Ecosystem

Views of the Great Barrier Reef


The Great Barrier Reef viewed as a whole:

[http://www.greatbarrierreef.org/]


Now let's get a closer look at some of the 3,000 individual reefs spanning over 1,400 miles that make up the Great Barrier Reef: 

[http://travelsfy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Australia_Great_Barrier_Reef_Marine_Park.jpg]


Yet the biodivirsity is most apparent when viewed much more closely:

[http://s.ngm.com/2011/05/great-barrier-reef/img/great-barrier-reef-diver-615.jpg]

Location

Where is the Great Barrier Reef? 

The Great Barrier Reef is made up of over 3000 individual reefs and coral cays, as well as hundreds of islands, all of which are located in the Coral Sea off the north-east coast of Queensland, Australia. 

[http://www.greatbarrierreef.org]

 [http://www.divetheworldliveaboards.com/images/map-great-barrier-reef.gif]