Your Task
Explore the threats on coral reefs today and evaluate the effect a construction of a resort would have on an island.
Threats
Research and provide information on the following threats to coral reefs. Include; how it will have an affect on the coral reef ecosystem.
Ocean Acidification - Carbon dioxide dissolving from the atmosphere to form carbonic acid. This means that the ocean becomes slightly less alkaline not acidic! (not enough acid in the world to make it acidic.) If the ocean is less alkaline corals become brittle and cannot form or get started. (Insert more information)
Global Warming - Mass bleaching - too much 02 from algae over photosynthesising, so algae is expelled and then coral bleaches and dies. (Insert more information)
Human Impacts (insert information) Runoff, Pollution, Development, Fishing etc.
Heron Island
-It is surrounded by coral reef.
-It has casuarinas cover the island.
-Mutton birds are throughout the island nesting on the ground.
-Silver gulls also live and nest in the area.
-It has a lagoon area.
-Turtles live and give birth on the island.
-The island has a large wetland area.
Now that you understand the current threats to coral reefs and the biology behind the formation of a coral reef. Evaluate the impacts on the local environment if a resort was developed on Heron Island. Don't forget to think about what impacts the resort will have AFTER it is constructed e.g. sewage, activities, obtaining freshwater and electricity, boat traffic etc.
*You may wish to do a SWOT analysis when analysing the impacts or a PMI chart when evaluating these impacts.
Coral Biology
Evaluate the affect of the development of the resort on the feeding behaviour/process and reproduction of coral species that surround the environment. Why will there be winners and loser among the corals? (Think about the biodiversity of the reef and how this will affect the food chain)
Credits:
Created with images by CoffeewithMilk - "heart reef australia great barrier reef" • oliver.dodd - "bleached" • Derek Keats - "Bleached coral that has been killed by a crown of thorns starfish, Fiji" • Derek Keats - "Bleached coral that has been killed by a crown of thorns starfish, Fiji" • CybersamX - "Bleached Coral" • pescatello - "Fishing with the boss" • MikeBird - "rubbish seaside beach" • skeeze - "oil rig explosion fire disaster" • NOAA's National Ocean Service - "Mobile Overflight" • NOAA's National Ocean Service - "Removing Marine Debris for the "Dogs that Run in the Rough Sea"" • hillarydaniels - "untitled image" • Ingrid Taylar - "Stop Trashing My Ocean ..." • ciamabue - "Heron Island" • ciamabue - "Sunset on Heron Island" • Find-cat - "heron sea nature" • ciamabue - "One of very many Heron Island turtles" • ljhar6 - "Noddy & chick" • flowcomm - "Grey heron, Maldive islands, Indian Ocean"