Great Barrier Reef seen from space. The Great Barrier Reef is a beauty visible from space. Coastal pollution

The second point of my trip to Australia was the Great Barrier Reef. About four hours' flight from Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and we are in the capital of the Great Barrier Reef, Cairns.

Cairns is located on the shores of the Coral Sea in the tropical north-east of Australia. The climate in this part of Australia is warm and humid, and therefore the city of Cairns is surrounded by greenery. Rainforest surrounds the city on all sides, and residents of Cairns from time to time have to fight the “green invaders” by clearing the streets of vines and thickets.

In Cairns, we had dinner planned at one of the restaurants, which was located 20 minutes from the hotel. The road to the restaurant was like a tour of the zoo. Our path was blocked from time to time by geckos and lizards, various beetles and insects, spiders and Australian ibises, which, by the way, are like pigeons in Australia. The evening air was filled with the aromas of flowering bushes and trees, as well as various sounds made by birds, bats, flying foxes and the noise of insects.

Early in the morning a guide came for us and we went to Port Douglas where a catamaran was waiting for us. On a catamaran we reached the depths of the Great Barrier Reef, 60 kilometers from the coast, and throughout the day we enjoyed the beauty of the coral “forests” and their inhabitants.

The Great Barrier Reef is a ridge of coral reefs and islands in the Coral Sea, stretching along the north-eastern coast of Australia for 2300 km. In the northern part the width is about 2 km, in the southern part - 150 km. Most of the reefs are underwater (exposed during low tides). Marine National Park (area over 5 million hectares, founded in 1979, included in the World Heritage List); protection of flora and fauna of coasts and shallow waters.

It is no coincidence that the islands of the Great Barrier Reef are called the eighth wonder of the world. There are a huge number of beautiful islands in the world with magnificent beaches, landscapes and crystal clear water. But the Great Barrier Reef is the largest reef system in the world and the largest structure “created” by living organisms on the planet. Of the 350 species of coral known in the world, 340 are found on the islands of the Great Barrier Reef. The necklace of islands stretches 2,000 km from Papua New Guinea to the Tropic of the South in the south.

The Great Barrier Reef includes about 2,900 reefs, whose sizes range from 0.01 sq. km. up to 100 sq. km., and more than 300 islands or shoals of coral fragments, of which about 100 are permanently covered with vegetation; and another 600 high islands, many of which are surrounded by their own reefs. Its total area is 348,698 sq. km, more than the area of ​​Great Britain.

The reef, which itself is one of the largest geological formations, is essentially composed of living creatures or coral polyps, similar in appearance to the sea anemones found offshore. These tiny primitive organisms live in huge colonies, each of which developed from an individual polyp that underwent countless divisions. Coral consists of a soft body encased in a limestone exoskeleton that forms the reef. A living reef is the product of a thousand-year cycle of life and death: the bulk of a coral reef is made up of a mass of empty skeletons of previous generations of polyps, covered with a thin layer of living organisms.

Coral reefs can exist in water whose temperature remains consistently between 22 and 28 C throughout the year, providing habitat for the most diverse community of animals known on Earth. The Great Barrier Reef is made up of more than 400 species of hard and soft corals. Stony reef-building corals come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes and include mushroom corals, brain corals, and staghorn corals in colors ranging from red and yellow to black. In addition, more than 4,000 species of mollusks have been recorded here, from chitons and gastropods to giant bivalves and octopuses, as well as countless sponges, sea anemones, worms, crustaceans and echinoderms.

Coral reefs around the world are famous for the variety of fish that visit them. More than 1,500 species of fish are known to live in and around the Great Barrier Reef, a kaleidoscope of colors and patterns as they dart in schools this way and that. The reef is also important for several species of whales, including minke whales, killer whales and humpback whales. These waters are the breeding grounds of the humpback whale; Females with cubs are often seen here. These waters are also home to six of the world's seven species of sea turtles; they are all becoming extinct and need wild islands of the reef for safe breeding. The mysterious dugong has also found safe refuge in the kelp beds found in the shallow waters off many of the reef's islands.

The islands are also important for many species of water and seabirds. More than 240 species nest on low sandy and coral islands; Among them are petrels, phaetons, frigatebirds, six species of terns, including roseate terns, fulmars, grey-bellied sea eagle and osprey.

The article uses material from the Internet resource: http://www.naturelifepark.com

The Great Barrier Reef is the most extensive coral reef in the world. This is a huge ridge that is located in the Pacific Ocean off the northern and eastern coasts of Australia. It includes almost 3 thousand individual coral reefs.

The Great Barrier Reef, one of the main ones on the world map, stretches for more than 2,500 km; it is the largest natural object in the world, which is formed by living organisms. It can be easily seen from space.

Description

The Great Barrier Reef is made up of miniature coral polyps. In the process of their life activity, they form a huge colony and create calcareous structures, which subsequently become coral reefs.

Thanks to this great coral reef, the life of a huge number of microorganisms living in it is maintained. This is a real wonder of the world, which in the 80s of the last century was included in the famous UNESCO Cultural Heritage List.

Today, as a result of human economic activity, which includes tourism, the Great Barrier Reef is gradually being destroyed. According to Australian scientists, over the past 30 years it has lost more than half of its coral polyps.

History of discovery

This incredible natural site has been known to mankind since ancient times. The Great Barrier Reef was used by the Aboriginal people of Australia and the inhabitants of the islands located near the continent and became firmly entrenched in their history and culture.

According to scientists, the Barrier Reef in Australia has existed for several million years. And today, there, in the warm, clean and transparent sea water, new polyps appear again and again, and young reefs are located on the tops of old formations.

Formally, the GBR was discovered by the famous English navigator James Cook in 1770, whose ship ran aground at low tide on the Great Barrier Reef. The tide that soon arrived saved his ship and the entire crew.

This vast ecosystem is home to at least 400 species of corals ranging from red to copper in color. Most species have a hard skeleton, which later becomes the basis of coral islands, but there are also species with soft skeletons.

Several hundred species of fish, adapted specifically to this ecological system, also live here, incl. a whale shark, and the most important enemy of the corals that make up the Great Barrier Reef, the crown of thorns starfish.

In these warm and clear waters, many species of whales, sea turtles, incl. endangered species. The Great Barrier Reef is home to a wide variety of crabs, shrimp, clams, octopus and squid.

The reef is protected by UNESCO, and CNN named it one of the wonders of the world. The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest ecosystem, home to more than 400 species of corals of different shapes and colors, 1,500 species of fish, whales, dolphins, sea turtles, lobsters, crayfish and other water inhabitants.

The small islands that make up the reef are inhabited by a variety of birds - more than 240 species. However, the flora on the islands is not rich.

You can’t go and see the underwater beauty everywhere - there is a strictly defined area where tourists can relax, go diving and fishing, swim in the sea and go on short boat trips. The Great Barrier Reef is very fragile, despite the precautions taken, the reef has lost more than half of its polyps due to tourism since 1985.

The most expensive and comfortable islands of the reef are Hayman and Bedarra. Lizard, Magnetik and Henon are ideal for diving. Dunk, Hamilton, Keppel and Fraser are suitable for lovers of both beach holidays and diving, nightlife and other delights of tourism.

High-quality beach holiday - on the islands the shores always look much more picturesque, and the proximity of the Barrier Reef with its rich nature and clear sea water makes the beaches even more attractive. In addition, due to the increasing flow of tourists willing to pay in full to explore the coral wonder of the world, the quality of hotels and service remains at the highest level.

Extreme water sports. If you are tired of a measured holiday, arrange a little fun adventure for yourself!

• Diving is the main reason why people from all over the world come to the islands of the Great Barrier Reef. Nowhere else in the world will you see such a concentration of colored corals, algae, bright tropical fish, sea turtles, crabs, octopuses, squids and other inhabitants of sea waters. Touching anything underwater is strictly prohibited.
• Helicopter tour - green islands and reefs are really worth seeing from above; this kind of air tour is becoming more and more popular among vacationers.
• Walking on yachts and boats.
• Fishing - you can go fishing in strictly designated areas, and then they will cook for you any sea reptile you caught. Spearfishing with guns is prohibited, as is commercial fishing.
• Whale watching - In winter, majestic whales come to the Great Barrier Reef and you can not only watch them live, but also swim with them.

How to get there

To spend a few days on one of the picturesque islands of the Great Barrier Reef, you need to get there by helicopter or boat. These types of transport are not only convenient, but also the most interesting. After all, a helicopter gives you the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the reef from a bird's eye view, and a boat ride will bring special pleasure, because you will sail on clear blue water and watch the approaching small islands.

Contacts

Address: Coral Sea QLD, Australia

Phone: +61 7 4750 0700

GBR is the world's largest coral reef, which is located in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Australia. One of the Earth's most spectacular ecosystems is in dire condition. These are the major issues threatening this magnificent natural wonder.

A magnificent aerial view of Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

As you probably already know, the Great Barrier Reef is in big trouble. About 50 percent of the reef's coral cover has already been lost, and the remaining 50 percent is predicted to disappear by 2050 unless serious action is taken.

The clock is ticking, and the unprecedented coral bleaching events of 2016 and 2017 have only demonstrated how fragile and urgent the situation is today.

The Australian National and Queensland Governments spend about $200 million annually to protect the reef. Although many say that this is not enough.

Why is the reef so important?

The Great Barrier Reef is not called “big” for nothing. The size of the reef is truly enormous: it can be seen from space, it stretches for more than 2,575 kilometers (that's the distance from Moscow to Paris), and covers 344,000 square kilometers.

But this massive area is not just an ocean with corals. The Great Barrier Reef consists of 3,000 individual reef systems, 600 tropical islands and approximately 300 coral reefs. This complex labyrinth of habitats provides shelter for an astounding diversity of marine plants and animals - from ancient sea turtles, reef fish and 134 species of sharks and rays, to 400 different hard and soft corals and a variety of seaweeds.

The reef acts as a farm for the fishing industry that feeds hundreds of thousands of people. In addition, tourists flock to the reef to experience its incredible beauty and spend an estimated $6 billion a year to do so.

What are the threats to the reef?

A number of measures are being taken to protect the reef. Addressing coral die-offs is costly and complex because there are several major threats to the health of the reef, all of which must be addressed.

What is coral bleaching?

In recent years, the Great Barrier Reef has experienced widespread coral bleaching due to high ocean temperatures.

Coral bleachings are responses of corals to environmental stress. Discoloration is a visible signal indicating that something is very wrong.

Bleaching does not directly kill corals, but it does weaken them greatly, often leading to death later as they become more vulnerable to disease. Corals, as you remember from biology, are animals that live in symbiosis with certain photosynthetic algae called zooxanthellae.

However, this relationship can be disrupted by environmental stress, namely high seawater temperatures, the risk of which is increasing due to anthropogenic climate change. This thermal stress can cause the coral to shed its zooxanthellae, as they produce corrosive substances in the heat. Corals without zooxanthellae become colorless (hence the term "bleaching").

Changing of the climate

1. Ocean acidification:
Since the 1700s, about 30% of the extra carbon dioxide that humans have pumped into the atmosphere has been absorbed by the oceans. This has changed the chemistry of the oceans, making them more acidic (a process known as ocean acidification), which makes it difficult for corals (and many other marine animals) to form their calcium-based skeletons.

2. Cyclones:
Climate change is also contributing to the development of more powerful tropical cyclones, which can cause significant damage to small coral reefs. Additionally, during cyclones or other severe storm events, more fresh water and sediment enter the ocean, essentially suffocating the corals.

3. Increase in sea level and temperature:
The rapid change in coastlines caused by a warming climate means that plants and animals have little time to adapt to changes in sea level and temperature.

Overfishing

Protected areas around the Great Barrier Reef tend to have richer biodiversity.

When more fish are caught than the ecosystem can support over time, it is overfishing. On the Great Barrier Reef, this is due to sport and commercial fishing for some large, predatory fish such as coral trout and snapper. A less diverse reef is a less resilient reef, and this impacts the health of the corals. Predatory fish are critical to maintaining a balanced reef ecosystem, but predators such as coral trout, snapper, and emperor fish remain prime targets for both recreational and commercial fishing. In areas where commercial and sport fishing was allowed, numbers of predatory fish were lower, as was biodiversity. Protected, closed areas can have at least twice as many fish or more, making them attractive to poachers. Illegal fishing in restricted areas is on the rise.

Shipping

In April 2010, the Chinese-registered bulk coal carrier Shen Neng 1 ran aground in shallow waters of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

Large ships filled with Australian minerals (often shipped to China) also threaten the reef with physical damage if they go into distress, as the 2010 disaster proved. A Chinese ship called Shen Neng 1 landed on a reef and dumped tons of toxic fuel oil on fragile corals.

Coastal pollution

Arguably, much of the work to protect the reef has been done in the area of ​​reducing the runoff of toxic chemicals from agricultural areas adjacent to the Queensland coast into the ocean.

Crown of thorns (starfish)

The crown of thorns starfish has become a major threat to the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem.

Over the past three decades, 40 percent of coral losses have been caused by starfish, a native coral-like species that is part of a balanced reef ecosystem. Unfortunately, the starfish population has increased dramatically in recent decades. This may be due to excess nitrogen from agricultural runoff, which can increase the amount of plankton, the starfish's main food source. Nitrogen runoff from farms in North Queensland is causing algae blooms in reef waters. This algae is the main food source for starfish larvae, producing population explosions that destroy corals.

To combat these starfish, a program has been implemented that will reward people for catching and destroying excess starfish.

The future of the Great Barrier Reef

Coral reef surrounding a green island near Cairns, North Queensland, Australia.

The future of the Great Barrier Reef remains unknown. Many organizations are working hard to minimize the wide range of threats threatening the reef, and the good news is that at least some of these efforts seem to be working, but we need to act quickly to prevent the extinction of this natural wonder .

August 9th, 2016

The Great Barrier Reef is home to over 1,500 species of fish, but this is just one of its many attractions to this amazing natural wonder. Known for its unparalleled natural diversity, the Great Barrier Reef is one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World and is the only living thing on Earth that can be seen from space.

The Great Barrier Reef was recently named the best place in the world to visit by News and World Report. The ranking was based on a methodology that combined traveler opinions with expert analysis. These breathtaking photos will show why the Great Barrier Reef took first place.

The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system. It consists of more than 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands, and extends over 2,240 kilometers.

The Great Barrier Reef runs along the coast of Queensland in northeastern Australia, starting at the tip of Cape York Peninsula and all the way to Bundaberg.

The Great Barrier Reef has an endless list of unique activities to offer tourists.

Of course, scuba diving is the most popular activity for tourists. Although the reef has suffered from the effects of climate change, it has unparalleled ecological diversity, with much of it hidden beneath the water's surface.

For non-swimmers, these magnificent wonders can be viewed on glass-bottomed boats.

The Capricorn Coast and Queensland offer a variety of underwater tours.

Scenic helicopter tours offer a bird's eye view of the reef - the best way to fully appreciate how vast the Great Barrier Reef really is.

Hot air balloon rides offer the same views from the air, but at a slower pace.

Day trips to the islands of the Great Barrier Reef combine the best of both worlds: visitors can swim and snorkel among underwater wildlife and see the beauty of rainforests and sandy beaches.

For lovers of sailing holidays, there are ideal conditions here. Catamarans and other small boats can be rented. Large boats with their crews can be rented for overnight or multi-day cruises.

Rafting the Tully River in North Queensland requires no experience and offers the chance to see world heritage listed rainforests.

No trip to Australia would be complete without seeing some of the big creatures. In Hartley, at the crocodile farm, guests can see crocodiles up close and meet koalas.

The Rainforest Cable Car helps visitors discover Australia's rainforests.

An area rich in history and heritage, North Queensland also offers one-of-a-kind dining and shopping options.

Guests can enjoy the best of Australian food and wine under ancient rainforest trees.

Just off the coast of North Queensland, the village of Kuranda is a great place to learn about life in the region's indigenous community.

Kuranda is also world famous for its markets. The stalls are open every day of the year and offer a wide range of Aboriginal artefacts, handcrafted leather goods, jewelery and artwork.