Blog Post 8: The Great Barrier Reef

According to Wikipedia.com, “the Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reef and 900 islands stretching for over 1,600 mi over an area of approximately 344,400 square 133,000 sq mi. The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland in north-east Australia.”

What is a coral reef? A coral reef is “a reef composed mainly of coral and other organic matter of which parts have solidified into limestone,” (Dictionary.com).
According to Dictionary.com, Corals are “Any of numerous small, sedentary cnidarians (coelenterates) of the class Anthozoa. Corals often form massive colonies in shallow sea water and secrete a cup-shaped skeleton of calcium carbonate, which they can retreat into when in danger. Corals are related to the sea anemones and have stinging tentacles around the mouth opening that are used to catch prey.” More simply, “a hard, stony substance consisting of the skeletons of these animals. It is typically white, pink, or reddish and can form large reefs that support an abundance of ocean fish.”

Why are the reefs important?

“Coral reefs benefit a healthy world by providing:
Habitat: Home to more than 1 million diverse aquatic species, including thousands of fish species
Income: Billions of dollars and millions of jobs in more than 100 countries around the world
Food: For commercial fishing enterprises and for people living near coral reefs, especially on small islands
Protection: A natural barrier protecting coastal cities, communities, and beaches
Medicine: Potential treatments for many of the world's most prevalent and dangerous illnesses and diseases,” (http://www.coral.org/resources/about_coral_reefs/why_care).

To view the complete list of how coral reefs benefit a healthy world, click here.

Did you know….

• The Great Barrier Reef is so large that it can be seen from space
• It is the world’s biggest single structure made by living organisms

Dangers to the degradation of the reefs:

Water Polution: “Oil, gas and pesticide contamination posions coral and marine life. Reefs are harmed when human, animal waste and/or fertilizer is dumped into the ocean or when rive systems carry these pollutatnts to reef waters. These pollutatnts increase the level of nitrogen around the coral reefs, causing overgrowth of algae, which smothers reefs by cutting off their sunlight. Trash also kills coral reef animals. Floating trash can cover reefs, blocking off sunlight that polyps need to survive. Turtles often mistake plastic bags for jelly fish and eat them. The plastic blocks the turtle’s digestive tract, causing them to starve to death. Lost or disgarded fishing nets- called ‘ghost nets’ can snag on reefs and strangle thousands of fish, sea turtles and marine mammals.”

Coastal Development: “Coastal populations have risen, increasing the pressures on coastal resources. This has led to a multitude of problems for coral reefs. In many areas, developers have constructed piers and other structures directly on top of coral reefs. At one time, big cities such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Manila and Honolulu had thriving coral reefs. Long ago, these reefs were destroyed by human pressures. Now, reefs growing near other coastal communities are experiencing the same coral degradation.”
To view the complete list click here.