Great Barrier Reef Research Paper

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SCIENCE ASSIGNMENT
THE GREAT BARRIER REEF

BY EASWARI JOEL 9.5

The Great Barrier Reef, off the east coast of Australia, is one of the wonders of the natural world. It has 2,900 individual reefs and about 900 islands. The Great Barrier Reef is 2,600 kilometres long. It was declared a World Heritage area in 1981 and added to the National Heritage list in 2007.
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The Australian Institute of Marine Science researchers recently reported coral diseases were responsible for coral death recorded on the Great Barrier Reef between 1995 and 2009. Coral diseases can cause the death of coral that has been weakened from bleaching or cyclones. These events are going to be more frequent due to the changing climate. (Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report)
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The coral reefs require clear, salty water. Pollution from the land, like dirt and mud, enters streams and rivers. It enters the ocean through its natural process of erosion and makes the water cloudy. Other materials dumped at sea are metal, glass, wood, plastic and chemicals. The build up of greenhouse gases is causing global temperature to rise which also makes ocean temperatures rise.

Tourism has positive and negative impacts on the Great Barrier Reef. Tourism helps generate income for local communities. The Great Barrier Reef generates $5-6 billion dollars each year. Tourism can help spread awareness of the delicate situation. With more people in one area the demand for natural resources can increase.

This can result in the overuse of natural resources as well as waste and pollution. This is causing ocean temperatures to rise. Coral polyps, the main component of the coral reef require a stable environment. Changes in water conditions in the Great Barrier Reef as a result of global warming and pollution have caused coral

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