Great Barrier Reef by Terell Johnson

1 of 11

Slide Notes

Great Barrier Reef

Published on Nov 29, 2015

No Description

PRESENTATION OUTLINE

GREAT BARRIER REEF

BY TERELL JOHNSON

Photo by babasteve

Location - Coral Sea near Australia

Photo by Pilottage

Length- 1,553 miles (2,500km)

Water temperature- 24C/75F in the winter & 30C/86F in the summer

Photo by supershaggy

Water depth- Range of 10-25 meters (30-80feet) as coral relies on sunlight for growth some of the best snorkeling and diving can be done in shallow areas around the reef top.

Photo by nathanmac87

Great Barrier Reef Animals
A coral reef consists of coral polyps which are animals in the jellyfish family along with algae called zooxanthellae. In return for a cozy safe place to live the algae provide the building blocks polyps need to survive.

Thirty species of whales, dolphins and porpoises have been recorded in the Great Barrier Reef.

Photo by Christopher.Michel

The orange sea star provides color for the reef

Environmental Concerns
A tourism hotspot approximately 2 million people visit the Great Barrier Reef every year according to the Australian government. There is wide spread concern that such tourism might be harming the reef.

Photo by Bidwell, Coby

Ocean Currents
It has very strong and narrow currents which renders it difficult for the implementation of an adequate observing system.

Tides
Sea level and current data are used to show that, at least for the dominant semidiurnal tides, the northern Great Barrier Reef is permeable to tides, the longshore gradients of the phase and amplitude of the tide at the shelf break are very small, and the tidal currents are controlled by the shelf bathymetry. The bulk friction coefficient may be enhanced by the secondary circulation around coral reefs.

Websites
Www.marinebio.net
Www.onlinelibrary.com
Www.researchonline.edu
Www.livesciencecom

Terell Johnson