Great Barrier Reef Essay -- Wonders of the World, Australia

The Great Barrier Reef is known as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It is believed to be one of the most incredible places on this earth. This reef is the largest living organism on this planet and the only living thing on earth visible from space (2011). The warm waters of the southwest Pacific Ocean are the perfect environments to create the world's largest system of coral reefs. The Great Barrier Reef is in such pristine condition that it was listed by the World Heritage Trust as a protected site and is therefore, managed by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to ensure that its beauty is maintained for many travelers and sightseers (Edgar 2010). Due to the complexity of this natural phenomenon, human practices have led to ecological problems for the reef, but preservation efforts can provide future generations the ability to learn from and experience one of the largest oceanic coral ecosystems in the world. The Great Barrier Reef is located just off the coast of Australia. This marine park stretches over 1800 miles and is almost parallel to the Queensland coast (2011). The reef spans a distance of 65 km wide and reaches 15 to 150 km off shore (2011). At just 500,000 years old, the Great Barrier Reef is a relatively young structure. Yet even younger is the current reef's structure at less than 8,000 years old (Edgar 2010). The formation of the Great Barrier Reef is very complex. Coral reefs began to form in the region at about 58 to 48 million years ago when the Coral Sea Basin formed (Briney 2010). However, once the Australian continent moved to its present location, sea levels began to change, and coral reefs started to grow fairly quickly, changing climate and sea levels. This consequently caused them to... ...populations, some countries have invested into fish farming or aquaculture, but some controversy has followed from this practice. Studies have shown that fish farms are not helpful in sustaining the native fish, and have actually harmed them instead. There are two main types of aquaculture: onshore and offshore. These farms, often times due to overcrowded tanks, result in outbreaks of deadly diseases. An example is pop eye, an eye infection that causes swelling of the eye. On offshore farms, domesticated fish often escape through faulty and inferior netting, infecting native fish populations. Alternatively, offshore farms pose a different problem. Management of these facilities has been known to filter pure excess waste products of the fish into the ocean. The contaminated water, also full of nutrients, creates algae blooms and starves sea floor of sunlight.