Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Why is the Great Barrier Reef in trouble? A simple guide
Located off the northeast coast of Australia, the Great Barrier Reef, or GBR, contains the world’s largest collection of coral reefs including 400 types of coral, 1,500 species of fish, and 4,000 types of mollusks, such as snails, clams, or squids. Stretching over 2,300km, there are some 2,500 individual reefs of varying sizes and shapes within the GBR. It was selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981. The GBR attracts divers and tourists from around the world while it is treasured by Australians and living creatures around the reefs. However, severer-than-expected coral bleaching was reported in 2016. Coral bleaching occurs when corals are stressed by changes in conditions such as temperature, light, or nutrients. Once it occurs, they expel the symbiotic algae living in their tissues, causing them to turn completely white. Since global temperatures have already risen by about 1C since pre-industrial times, it is already too warm for corals to maintain their health and colors. And there are other human-caused environmental problems to the sensitive marine creature, too.
Read the article and learn about the Great Barrier Reef.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-57938858
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