CORAL SYSTEM
DECEMBER 30, 2021
The Great Barrier Reef 20 Spectacular Facts
Here are The Great Barrier Reef 20 Spectacular Facts as one of the most amazing sites on Earth :
- The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia.
- This coral reef system is bigger than Tasmania and Victoria combined. It extends over 14 degrees of latitude.
- The Great Barrier Reef is about 348.700 km2, making it large enough to be visible from space. It consists of nearly 3.000 individual reefs and 900 islands.
- The Reef is one of the most complex natural ecosystems in the world with a unique range of ecological communities, habitats and species.
- The British explorer, Captain James Cook found the Great Barrier Reef when his ship, Endeavour, ran across the Reef on June 11, 1770.
- The Great Barrier Reef is officially a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1981 and now it is the only place on Earth where two UNESCO World Heritage Sites meet.
- Corals are animals, this is because they do not make their own food like plants do.
- Corals structures are made up of hundreds to thousands “polyps”, a tiny coral creatures.
- The system is in danger, it could be extinct by 2050. The global warming is the main factor as it causes the coral bleaching which is a key reason for the reef’s decline.
- Other activities that damaging coral reefs around the world include coral mining, blast fishing (capturing fish with explosives), overfishing and pollution (organic and non organic).
- If coral reefs go extinct shorelines would be vulnerable to erosion and rising sea levels would force people alongside coasts to move out of their homes.
- Coral reefs produce oxygen just like plants providing oxygen for our Earth.
- In the deep oceans surrounding there is not a lot of plants producing oxygen, so coral reefs play important role for the oceans to keeping alive many species in it.
- The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority manages and protect The Reef. They work with Australian Government, industry and community to preserve and taking care of the area.
- Many plans have been put in place to protect and conserve. The Reef Trust planning to reduce poaching and illegal hunting.
- Coral reefs system have been around the world for over 500 million years.
- The Great Barrier Reef age is relatively young at 500.000 years. The most modern form is only 8.000 years old, developed just after the last Ice Age.
- Over half a billion people in the world depend on reefs for their living : income, food and protection from storms and erosion.
- Coral reefs also provide jobs for local communities and create opportunities for tourism. It supports multi billion dollar tourist industry.
- For the last decades scientists have been warning the danger of this extinction if nothing is done to stop the impact of man-made climate change.
related post