Global Warming is NOT destroying the Great Barrier Reef… at least not alone

Posted by lindseyshoe

The Great Barrier Reef of Australia is under attack. While most agree that global warming is contributing to the threats of this unique biome, the future of the Great Barrier Reef is being attacked from a variety of enemies.

The Great Barrier Reef, located in the Coral Sea off the coast of Queensland in northeast Australia, is the largest coral reef system in the world with over 2,900 individual coral reefs and 900 islands that stretch over 1,600 miles.
The Great Barrier Reef, which can be seen from outer space, is the world’s largest structure created by living organisms. The reef is made up of billions of tiny organisms know as coral polyps which support an incredible diversity of life. The Great Barrier Reef was selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981 and has been called one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World.
The Great Barrier Reef is Home to:
*400 species of coral
*30 species of whales, dolphins and porpoises
*125 species of shark, stingray and skates
*6 species of sea turtles come to the reef to breed, including two genetically distinct populations
*15 species of sea grass
*5,000 species of mollusk
*9 species of sea horses
*7 species of frogs
*215 species of birds
*17 species of snakes
*over 1,5 million birds use the reef to breed
*2,1095 plant species, three of which are endemic
*more than 1,500 species of fish
Terry Hughes, Coral reef ecologist and Professor at James Cook University, says that coral reefs around the world are under increasing pressure from a few major sources: global warming, over-fishing, and the clearing of rain forests.
Additionally, many fringing coral reefs are affected by the run offs from land clearing, farming, and urban development.
The Great Barrier Reef is also being impacted by all of these factors.
What is Bleaching?
Global warming and rising water temperatures have been blamed for an event called “bleaching.” Bleaching occurs when corals under stress expel their algal cells and lose their color. This is much more than an aesthetic loss. It can lead to the death of corals. In recent years, while some areas of the Great Reef Barrier recovered from bleaching with low levels of coral death, in other areas over 90% of corals died. There were massive bleaching events in the summers of 1998 and 2002 and a more isolated bleaching in the southern region of the Great Barrier Reef in 2006.
Scientists agree that bleaching events are occurring more frequently than in the past.
John Bruno, associate professor of Ecology at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill reminds us all that while coral may not be widely visible in places where people live around the world, their role is critical.
Bruno says, “They play a role analogous to trees that create forests. When corals die, so do the fish and invertebrate animals that live on reefs.”
Over-Fishing Also Threatens this Unique Habitat
Fishing in the Great Barrier region is important on both sides of the equation. Over fishing stresses and threatens the Great Barrier Reef.
Fishing has such a large impact on the economy that it should also be one of the great motivators for protecting the reef. History has shown us many examples: from Bermuda and Jamaica, to Micronesia and Newfoundland, that fisheries can quickly be collapsed by over-fishing. (Fishing and tourism in the Great Barrier bring in an estimated $750 million annually.)
Dr. David Bellwood explains that “When we remove a fish, for example, from some reef, we are not just removing a fish. We are losing part of a function; that fish did something on the reef and it’s what it did that may be critically important.”
One specific example of the burden of over fishing is the Crown-of-Thorns Starfish. Crown-of-thorns starfish are a coral reef predator. Kept in balance, these starfish are not a significant threat.
However, in recent years, outbreaks of the sea stars have devastated the coral reefs. Outbreaks are believed to occur in natural cycles, but over-fishing of the predators of the crown-of-thorns starfish is believed to increase these cycles.
What is blooming?
Blooming sounds picturesque and sweet but “blooming” in this case refers to the backwash of a variety of chemicals and hazardous products that travel through the reef. During seasonal flooding, chemicals used in agricultural areas are sent through mainland rivers to the Great Barrier Reef to the ocean. The impact to the Great Barrier Reef is no less than devastating.
While global warming is without a doubt contributing to events such as coral bleaching, global warming alone cannot take all of the blame for the threats and challenges currently being experienced by ,the Great Barrier Reef. Water pollution, or blooming, which results from over development and non eco-friendly agricultural methods, and over-fishing, are equally vicious enemies attacking the Great Coral Reefs around the world, and threatening the magnificent collection of life forms that call the Great Barrier Reef home.
There are solutions to these issues, and many people are working on them. Important for all of us to remember however, is that whether we live near a reef, or simply visit one as a tourist, these parts of our planet are just as important to our existence as the air we breathe, for the air we breathe is directly dependent on what happens with our world’s coral reefs.
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We (Carrie and Jonathan) recently applied for “The Best Job In the World”.
While we weren’t shortlisted for this amazing contest,we did create a 1 minute video for the application process to explain “blooming” and how it can affect the reef. If you’d like to know more, watch the quick video below.