Environmental Threats to the Great Barrier Reef Allison Botkin

General Information The Great Barrier Reef is located off of the Queensland coast of Australia The Great Barrier Reef is approximately 3,000 km (1,800 miles) long The reef is home to: -400 species of coral -1,500 species of fish -200 types of birds -20 different species of reptiles

Environmental Threats to the Great Barrier Reef Human Threats: -Ship wrecks/accidents -Oil Spills -Tourism -Over-fishing Natural Threats -Coral Bleaching -Rising climate and water temperatures

Human Threats Since 1987, approximately 283 oil spills have occurred taken place in the waters above and surrounding the Great Barrier Reef In 2010, a shipping accident caused 3 km of damage to the reef that could take years to recover from $1 billion is made from the fishing industry each year in Australia; this is causing a decrease in the fish population Tourism activities on the reef, such as “reef-walking”, are damaging the ecosystems

Coral Bleaching Zooxanthellae and coral need to exist within the same ecosystem in order for coral to survive and be healthy Warmer sea temperatures causes zooxanthellae to escape from the coral which causes the coral to loose its vibrant colors and turn white Without zooxanthellae, the coral will die within 4-6 weeks In 2002, 60% of the Great Barrier Reef was affected by coral bleaching due to warmer weather causing an increase in sea temperatures If no changes are made with rising sea temperatures, the Great Barrier Reef will bleach 97% each year by 2050.

Rising Climate and Water Temperatures 97% of the Great Barrier Reef is at risk of coral bleaching every year if the temperature rises only 2-3 degrees Celsius The marine life and ecosystems on the Great Barrier Reef need a controlled level of sea temperature to maintain stable

Save The Reef! Approximately ½ of the Great Barrier Reef has been lost since 1985! With the sea temperatures rising, all 1,600 species of fish (approximately) that live in the Great Barrier Reef will be affected. Protecting the Great Barrier Reef is essential to keep the plants, animals, and ecosystems healthy!

Works Cited About the Great Barrier Reef. (n.d.) Retrieved March 17, 2014, from Climate change impacts on fish. (n.d.). Retrieved March 16, 2014, from this-mean-for-species/fish this-mean-for-species/fish Gammon, K. (2012, October 1). Half of Great Barrier Reef lost in past 3 decades. Retrieved from decline.html decline.html Great Barrier Reef facts and information. (n.d.). Retrieved March 16, 2014, from Great Barrier Reef foundation. (n.d.). Retrieved March 16, 2014, from change/what-is-coral-bleaching change/what-is-coral-bleaching Threats to the Great Barrier Reef. (n.d.). Retrieved March 16, 2014, from