Place:
The Great Barrier Reef stretches 2,300km (1429 miles) almost parallel off the Queensland coast. The exact coordinates of the reef is 18.2871 S, 147.6992 E. This famous tourist attraction is extremely significant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people because they first discovered it. A long time ago, way before Captain Cook and the European settlers came, Aboriginals fished and hunted in the surrounding water. It is also important to these people because animals such as turtles and dugongs are apart of Aboriginal dreaming. It is also important to the Australian community in general because it has become apart of our nations identity.
Space:
The Great Barrier Reef is absolutely massive. It is approximately 2,300km in length, there is 2,900 individual reefs, 900 islands, and an area of around 344,400 square kilometres. If I could associate the shape of the Great Barrier Reef with another, it would be the shape of California. The deepest found coral in the reef was at 125 metres below sea level. The closest the reef is to shore is 15km, and the furthest is 150km. A contour map will show us just how deep certain parts are of the reef. It will tell us the deepest and shallowest parts.
Environment:
In the huge space that is the Great Barrier Reef, there is an insane amount of different species of sea animals, as you would expect. Thousands of different species have been recorded in the area. This includes over 1,500 different types of fish, 134 different types of sharks/rays, six of the worlds seven threatened marine turtles, 411 different hard coral, a third of the worlds soft coral and 30 different whales/dolphins. Throughout the reef there is many islands. Since the reef is off the coast of the hot Queensland (which it's year round average temperature is 29 degrees), it is a nice, warm area. Everything about the reef is naturally made. Climate change is the biggest threat to the reef as it can have a long-term effects on its health.
Interconnection:
The tourism industry is a lot more beneficial than detrimental to The Great Barrier Reef. Sure, the snorkelling and scuba diving may be ever so slowly killing coral, tourism from the reef racks up up to 6 billion dollars per year! Climate change, pollution and global warming are all factors that are making the reef vulnerable. In the past three decades, it has lost nearly half of its coral cover!
Sustainability/Scale
There is a number of ways for us locals to help preserve the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). 1. Being careful of what you put on your lawn. You may think this sounds silly because you live thousands of kilometres away from the GBR, but products that you may put on your lawn (e.g a weed killer) flows into the water system and pollute the water, therefore harming the reef. Also, for people who like to visit the beach or go fishing, don't leave rubbish on the sand or in the water. Rubbish that gets swept away to sea can kill fish and coral, which is part of the reason the GBR is dying. When snorkelling at the GBR, make sure you follow all rules properly and don't touch the coral. Reusing and recycling is another way to help out the reef.
Change:
Over a long period of time, the GBR has definitely changed. While the whole coral reef used to be in perfect condition and very healthy. A lot of it has now died and the whole reef is now vulnerable to completely dying. I really hope that someone figures out a sure-fire way for us to preserve for generations to come. Nowadays, the water is a lot dirtier, the coral isn't as healthy, fish stocks have dramatically decreased and there are a lot fewer fish and other animals.
Bibliography:
Anon, (2017). [online] Available at: http://www.greatbarrierreef.org/about-the-reef/great-barrier-reef-facts/.
Anon, (2017). [online] Available at: http://www.mesa.edu.au/habitat/gbr02.asp.
Anon, (2017). [online] Available at: http://www.teachoceanscience.net/teaching_resources/education_modules/coral_reefs_and_climate_change/how_does_climate_change_affect_coral_reefs/.
Anon, (2017). [online] Available at: https://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/habitats/coralreefs/ways-to-help-coral-reefs/.
Anon, (2017). [online] Available at: http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/managing-the-reef/threats-to-the-reef/climate-change.
Anon, (2017). [online] Available at: https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/australia-s-great-barrier-reef-under-threat.
Great Barrier Reef. (2017). About The Reef | What Is The Great Barrier Reef?. [online] Available at: http://www.greatbarrierreef.org/about-the-reef/ [Accessed 4 May 2017].
Reef Magic Education. (2017). The History of the Great Barrier Reef - Reef Magic Education. [online] Available at: http://www.reefmagiceducation.com/?page_id=303 [Accessed 4 May 2017].
Science, L. and Earth, P. (2013). Deepest Corals in Great Barrier Reef Discovered. [online] Live Science. Available at: http://www.livescience.com/25923-deepest-corals-great-barrier-reef.html [Accessed 4 May 2017].