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Great Barrier Reef

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Great Barrier Reef

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Why the
Great Barrier Reef
is special

The Great Barrier Reef stretches 2300 kilometers (1400 miles) in the Coral Sea along Australia's northeastern coast.

It consists of 3,000 coral reefs plus many islets, atolls and coral cays.

The Great Barrier Reef supports 10,000 species including 1500 types of fishes and 200 kinds of birds. Other inhabitants include whales, dolphins and sea turtles.

The sheer beauty of its fish and coral waterscapes draws two million tourists annually who come to see the underwater spectacle via diving, snorkeling and glass-bottom boating.

Tips & insights on
the Great Barrier Reef
in Australia

Misnomer

The name "Great Barrier Reef" is a misnomer. The entity is really a collection of many distinct coral reefs.

Ecological threats

This natural Australia wonder is a complex and delicate eco-system that can be damaged or even destroyed.

Visitor impact
Great Barrier Reef conservationists fear that the large influx of visitors and their collateral effect on pollution are damaging the very natural wonder that people come to celebrate.

Overfishing and pollutants
Culprits include boats, farms, ranches and industry.

An even greater threat
Many scientists see an even greater threat: Global Warming. It's unlikely that the Great Barrier Reef of Australia would survive if the water temperature rose by 5% or so over its current average.

How coral reefs are created

It's an intricate process, but here's a quick overview:

Bases
The thick bases of a coral reef is made from the skeleton remains of the ancestors of a miniscule marine animal called the coral polyp.

Polyp
Each new coral polyp produces a protective skeletal shell around itself. It then attaches itself to neighboring coral polyp shells to form sizeable, fantastically configured colonies.

Coral colors

The lavish coral colors are not produced by the polyps. They are created by a photosynthesizing algae that lives symbiotically with the coral polyps.

Water

Except during the polyps spawning season or after a storm, the Great Barrier Reef water is crystal clear. This makes underwater viewing superb.