Great Barrier Reef Facts

Flashcards about the Great Barrier Reef.

Great Barrier Reef Location

Off NE Australia; Queensland

Number of Reefs in the Great Barrier Reef

3000

Length of the Great Barrier Reef

2500km

Species in the Great Barrier Reef

1500 fish species, 400 corals, 130 sharks/rays

Number of tourists per year to the Great Barrier Reef

2.6m visitor days

Economic value of the Great Barrier Reef

$6bn/year

Jobs for locals related to the Great Barrier Reef

70,000

Fishing Value of the Great Barrier Reef

$1bn/year

Environmental value of the Great Barrier Reef

An unparalleled location of ecological importance

Amount of fish species found in the Great Barrier Reef

10% of world's fish species found in GBR

Coastal defence provided by the Great Barrier Reef

Reef acts as natural barrier to coastal storms, stopping coastal erosion and protecting the land and property behind it.

Research potential of the Great Barrier Reef

High for cures of cancer and other diseases

Carbon storing capacity of the Great Barrier Reef

1.8 gigatons of carbon stored

Climate Change Impact on the Great Barrier Reef

2-3C warming will put 97% of GBR in danger of bleaching

Coral Bleaching

Stressed polyps expel algae; ripple effects up the food chain as corals die

Storm Runoff in Increasingly Urbanised Catchment Areas

Drainage basin is increasingly urbanised; Litter, sediment, and fertiliser are washed into rivers and down into the ocean.

Sediment Impact on the Great Barrier Reef

Sediment is transported down to the coast, deposited on the GBR, and smothers coral (stops photosynthesis of corals)

Nitrogen from Fertilisers

Causes harmful algal blooms - food for COTS

COTS

Crown of thorns starfish

Crown of Thorns Starfish (COTS) Impact

Devastating at eating the reefs; 15 COTS in one hectare can remove 90% of the living tissue

Australia's emissions cut target by 2030

43%

Changing Farming Practices impact to the Great Barrier Reef

Storm runoff (threat 2)

Built sediment traps

This means sediment settles in the traps and doesn't go in to the rivers and onto the GBR

How do farmers bind soils?

Planted vegetation to bind the soils - This means less sediment is washed in to the rivers and onto the GBR

Plant soya beans

Absorb lots of the water -This means less runoff and therefore less capacity to carry sediment

Starfish Terminator

A device that kills 200,000 COTS per year, with >99% effectiveness and faster than humans

Great Barrier Reef Location

Off NE Australia; Queensland

Number of Reefs in the Great Barrier Reef

3000

Length of the Great Barrier Reef

2500km

Species in the Great Barrier Reef

1500 fish species, 400 corals, 130 sharks/rays

Number of tourists per year to the Great Barrier Reef

2.6m visitor days

Economic value of the Great Barrier Reef

$6bn/year

Jobs for locals related to the Great Barrier Reef

70,000

Fishing Value of the Great Barrier Reef

$1bn/year

Environmental value of the Great Barrier Reef

An unparalleled location of ecological importance

Amount of fish species found in the Great Barrier Reef

10% of world's fish species found in GBR

Coastal defence provided by the Great Barrier Reef

Reef acts as natural barrier to coastal storms, stopping coastal erosion and protecting the land and property behind it.

Research potential of the Great Barrier Reef

High for cures of cancer and other diseases

Carbon storing capacity of the Great Barrier Reef

1.8 gigatons of carbon stored

Climate Change Impact on the Great Barrier Reef

2-3C warming will put 97% of GBR in danger of bleaching

Coral Bleaching

Stressed polyps expel algae; ripple effects up the food chain as corals die

Storm Runoff in Increasingly Urbanised Catchment Areas

Drainage basin is increasingly urbanised; Litter, sediment, and fertiliser are washed into rivers and down into the ocean.

Sediment Impact on the Great Barrier Reef

Sediment is transported down to the coast, deposited on the GBR, and smothers coral (stops photosynthesis of corals)

Nitrogen from Fertilisers

Causes harmful algal blooms - food for COTS

COTS

Crown of thorns starfish

Crown of Thorns Starfish (COTS) Impact

Devastating at eating the reefs; 15 COTS in one hectare can remove 90% of the living tissue

Australia's emissions cut target by 2030

43%

Changing Farming Practices impact to the Great Barrier Reef

Storm runoff (threat 2)

Built sediment traps

This means sediment settles in the traps and doesn't go in to the rivers and onto the GBR

How do farmers bind soils?

Planted vegetation to bind the soils - This means less sediment is washed in to the rivers and onto the GBR

Plant soya beans

Absorb lots of the water -This means less runoff and therefore less capacity to carry sediment

Starfish Terminator

A device that kills 200,000 COTS per year, with >99% effectiveness and faster than humans