Great Barrier Reef

The coastal zone is used for fishing, transportation, recreation, waste disposal, cooling and drinking water and is potentially a source of energy from tidal and wave power. Many of these activities pose an environmental threat to coastal systems, both physical and biological, through pollution, siltation, dredging, infilling and a host of other activities that alter the way natural systems operate (Masselink and Hughes 2003). Ironically, armor is supposed to be a protection factor when in…

The Invisible Marine Overload In every environment, there is an essential balance that must be maintained. Otherwise, those environments would suffer major consequences and ultimately, become dysfunctional. Though no ecosystem is perfectly in check, there is an extent to how unstable it can become before issues emerge. Unfortunately, this balance in the oceans has been further disrupted recently by one of many species: the jellyfish. These gracefully drifting creatures have not…

kill off the Sharks, the thinking goes, these larger fish thrive and consume the algae-eating species at a rate much higher than normal. The coral reef then becomes smothered by algae and dies.” ("Shark Conservation in the United States and Abroad") The repercussions, if this is the actual cycle, would be not only aesthetic but economic because coral reefs provide both food and tourist-generated dollars. “We don’t yet have empirical data to prove this hypothesis.”("A Closer Look at Shark…

Hawaii is surrounded by crystal clear and refreshing water. There are many types of marine life that are swimming around in the beautiful waters of Hawaii, such as green sea turtles, humpback whales, and manta rays. The Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle is one of the first turtle species ever discovered in Hawaii. The can be spotted from the beach. Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles are the largest hard-shelled turtles in the ocean (Murphy). They are regularly found resting under underwater ledges, basking on…

The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument management guide has acquired an extensive list regarding some of the possible threats that may pose a potential risk to the park’s conservation efforts. These risks are all or partly the direct result of human interactions with the park, they are as follows: threats to migratory birds, population decline in Hawaiian monk seals or green turtles, effects on various species, fish, marine invertebrates and spinner dolphins, coral damage, release of…

disease and les likely to return. Not only that, because of how long it takes for them to grow, they may not actually grow because they could be overgrown by weeds and algae, which leads to coral not having anywhere to grow, leading to not all of the reef returning and recovering. "Even in ideal conditions, about 1/4 - 1/3 of a coral population dies each year from background mortality. They can die from old age, disease, predation, competition with a neighbor, erosion of their skeleton,…

ecosystems? Not only do coral reefs provide humans with billions of dollars in environmental services such as tourism, food, but they are extremely beneficial to the economy. So what is a coral reef? According to the NOAA, a coral reef is a “A mound or ridge of living coral, coral skeletons, and calcium carbonate deposits from other organisms such as calcareous algae, mollusks, and protozoans.” (Noaa.gov) Many people don’t realize how important the health of coral reefs are to our society. For…

In this report, the evaluation will assess the negative and positive impacts of proposal 1 and 2, to help determine which of the proposals will benefit the Gold Coast community. The key negative and key positive points of the social, economic and environmental will be evaluated. Proposal 1 is the extension of Moreton Bay Marine Park to include protection of The Spit and Broadwater as park and conservation zone. The conservation of the Spit will support the local community and tourism as people…

avoided. If this fish enter these waterways it would potentially end most life in the oceans and make it difficult for family and friends to go into beach waters. The Red Lionfish is a threat because they have the power to wipe out an entire local reef community due to their aggressiveness, wide range of prey, also with their ability to survive throughout the year in right…

WARMER OCEANS ARE NOW LINKED TO DANGEROUS NEUROTOXINS IN SHELLFISH Thanks to global warming the whole earth, even the oceans are heating up. This is having many new and potentially life-threatening changes for both ocean life and humans. A mysterious, potentially deadly neurotoxin has been found in many new shellfish. Phytoplankton produces a natural acid called Domoic acids which in small doses it's harmless. However, when it is produced in excess it becomes poisonous to people. "The shellfish…