Why is the Great Barrier Reef popular?

Why is the Great Barrier Reef popular?

One of the world’s seven natural wonders, it is a prized World Heritage Area, the largest coral reef system and the biggest living structure on the planet. It sprawls over a jaw-dropping 344,400 square kilometres – an area so large that it can be seen from space.

Do tourists affect the Great Barrier Reef?

How Tourism Threatens Corals. When tourists accidently touch, pollute or break off parts of the reef, corals experience stress. The coral organisms try to fight off the intrusion, but this process often leads to coral bleaching—when corals expel the brightly colored algae that live in them and become completely white.

Who discovered the Great Barrier Reef?

Captain James Cook

What year will the Great Barrier Reef die?

The Great Barrier Reef is at a critical tipping point and could disappear by 2050. The Great Barrier Reef is at a critical tipping point that will determine its long-term survival. Coral bleaching as a result of global warming is a key reason for the reef’s decline.

How old is the Great Barrier Reefs?

Although coral reefs have been around for over 500 million years, the Great Barrier Reef is relatively young at 500,000 years, and this most modern form is only 8,000 years old, having developed after the last ice age.

What is unique about the Great Barrier Reef?

The Great Barrier Reef is unique as it extends over 14 degrees of latitude, from shallow estuarine areas to deep oceanic waters. Within this vast expanse are a unique range of ecological communities, habitats and species – all of which make the Reef one of the most complex natural ecosystems in the world.

What would happen if the Great Barrier Reef disappeared?

The colossal Great Barrier Reef has been building for 20,000 years! The disappearance of coral reefs from our planet could lead to a domino effect of mass destruction. Climate change and bleached coral will make coral-based tourism unappealing or non-existent, which will lead to job losses.