Great Barrier Reef Research Paper

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C: The MAR is a vital piece of the Ccaribbean area because of the benefits it provides to oceanic life and the people living in coastal cities and towns. E: The reef is home to over five hundred aquatic species,, but this is only 10 % of the ocean is currently discovered, leaving 90% waiting to be researched (Barbezat). The reef is home to many endangered species, including, one of them being Whale Sharks. E: Although Whale Sharks also reside in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, if they were to leave the MAR because of the dying reefs, 5-10% of the whale sharks left in the world would die (Dove, Fox, et al.). A: The reef provides a vital habitat to multiple endangered species;, that being said, if the reef goes away, the creatures within it …show more content…
Sedimentation is a large cause of death because it adds a lot of nutrients to the water. This is dangerous for vibrant corals since they aren’t used to the nutrients in dirt and soil, which causes viruses thaten kills them (Heyman, Kjerve, et. al.). The amount of sedimentation in the water could be prevented if there was a smaller amount of upturned Mangroves. Their roots are directly in the water, which causes a different current and breakage of the corals in addition to sediment in the open water. The large amount of new infrastructure on the coasts also brings sediment into the water because of runoff, which adds harsh chemicals and cement into the water (Heyman, Kjerfve, et al.). One thing that cannot be prevented is natural disasters. The major storms in the reefthis area are called tropical storms, or hurricanes. The reef provides a lot of protection to the mainland when these events occur, but it takes a toll on the structure. Corals and Polyps are destroyed, leaving only skeletons behind, leaving a lack ofwhich doesn’t provide any food for the creatures that remainare left. Other natural occurrences are eddies and current flow. Eddies are whirlpools that form when water goes against the present current (Ezer, Heyman, et. al.). In order to be able to provide better reform benefits for the reefs, there needs to be more research done on the natural occurences in the water the corals live in. This will help the reef more because then people can then use the natural occurrences to their reform

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