barrier reef tagged posts

Coral is growing on the Great Barrier Reef after first being grown in tanks, say researchers. Sperm and eggs were taken from the wild to grow larvae which was then delivered to damaged areas of reef.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/science-environment-42159469/breakthrough-in-coral-restoration-say-researchers

Predictions of the death of the Great Barrier Reef are wide of the mark, according to one of the most prominent researchers in the field. Marine biologist David Bourne from James Cook University says global warming and other pressures will not end up destroying the reef – but will instead bring about major changes in biodiversity.

“There is always going to be winners and losers,” he says. “The reef is still going to be there, it just may be a very different reef to what we have today.”

And perhaps the key element in determining which species of coral thrive and which suffer in the reef’s future might be bacteria.

Bourne says the volcanic seeps in Papua New Guinea dramatically affect the diversity of coral reef species...

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is slowly diminishing to death. The coral reef is constantly being attacked by the crown-of-thorns starfish, one of the biggest natural threats to coral reefs. Crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) has an incredible appetite and can damage coral reefs to the point of extinction. These starfish, Acanthaster planci, feed on live corals only. This animal has several biological attributes that contribute to its ability to undergo massive population fluctuations through time.

Mike Hall, Principal Research Scientist at the Australian Institute of Marine Science, explained how the rarity of the giant triton sea snail may be one reason why the crown-of-thorns is now such a threat to the survival of the Great Barrier Reef.

The scientists from University of the Sunshine Coa...

The Great Barrier Reef is in the worst state it’s been in since records began and it will be ‘pretty ugly’ within 40 years, Australian scientists say. Experts claim the world’s largest reef is facing threats from coastal development, such as a massive port-related dredging project at Abbot Point, the most northerly deepwater coal port of Australia, situated 25 kilometres north of Bowen, Queensland. Farm run-off and poor water quality are also endangering the reef, scientists say.

A Senate committee is investigating how the Australian and Queensland governments have managed the reef, ahead of a UNESCO decision next year about whether to list it as a World Heritage site in danger.

The Australian Coral Reef Society – the oldest organisation in the world that studies reefs – says coral cover...