Talk:Coral bleaching

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The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) has been described as “one of the most amazing wonders of the natural world.” With its increddible beauty, tourists world wide flock to see the natural wonder. The Great Barrier Reef is really one of the most magnificent creations on earth.


As we are regularly reminded in the news and by the government and other organizations that the reef is under many possibly fatal dangers. These include pollutants run off, over fishing in some areas, tourism vessels creating water pollution, tourists sun creams killing corals, tourists inadvertently braking corals, tourist and fishermens ankers braking large areas of coral, possible oil spills by tankers going through the great barrier reef with loads of oil and fuels and the threat of global warming. All of the risks could lead to this precious ecosystems death.

But coral bleaching seems to be the worst problem that reef is currently facing. Thought to be caused by run off from the numerous cane fields the poisons affects the corals as well as the warming temp of the sea.


[1] Mike Young 10:57, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

that is a horrible reference. The chance of coral starving from lack of zooplankton due to overfishing is highly unlikely, esp. for scleractinian hermatypic corals. Most likely high SSTs and climate change will cause greater coral death over a huge range. Corals relies on symbiotic algae to provide 95% of its energy. Zooplankton is very important but the connect between coral--zooplankton and overfishing is extremely weak.

Statement added "Scientists also predict that the Great Barrier Reef can only last for 20 to 30 years. If nothing is done to stop these problems, it will be gone forever.". Was deleted from Coral Bleaching section because there is no evidence of this to my knowledge of a scientists declaring that the GBR can only last 20 to 30 years. In 20 to 30 years the GBR might be algae dominated or single coral species dominated or heavily degraded but no publication cites GBR not existing. --Squahsoc (talk) 10:40, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] new section

should there be something on effects of coral bleaching?Akid 10:22, 24 August 2007 (UTC)

yeah probably, add coral bleaching effect on reproduction, larave dispersal, coral abundance, coral mortality, fish habitat, tourism etc. . --Squahsoc (talk) 20:57, 18 December 2007 (UTC)