Mission to the Great Barrier Reef Marine science has always been fascinating to me as a researcher Imagine how excited I was to receive an email today from a conservation organization called Reefs Alive I am heading to Australia to study one of the most amazing natural structures in the world The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef ecosystem I have been asked to investigate how the reef is holding up against threats to its survival Some of those threats are coral bleaching outbreaks of crown-of-thorns sea stars damage to coral from fishing equipment and storms habitat loss from new developments increased ship traffic I plan to volunteer on some new projects that study and record changes to the reef My trip will take me from the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef all the way up to the Lizard Island Research Station 6
I was surprised to learn that the Great Barrier Reef is made up over 2,900 individual reef systems and over 900 islands Reefs are ridges of living corals in the sea The Great Barrier Reef stretches more than 1,400 miles 2,300 kilometers up the east coast of Australia Inner reefs are found close to the shore They are about 115 feet 35 meters deep Outer reefs grow where the seabed begins to drop much lower The reefs farther out from shore can be up to 6,500 feet 2,000 meters deep Most of the reefs are protected in an area called the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park GBRMP The diversity of life here is the reason it was named a World Heritage Site in 1981 The Great Barrier Reef is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World 7
Field Journal Day 1 Lady Musgrave Island I got my first view of the Pacific Ocean as I drove down Captain Cook Drive into the town of 1770 The southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef lies beneath its brilliant blue waters I took a catamaran to Lady Musgrave Island It took 75 minutes to cross the choppy water but it was worth it Lady Musgrave is the only island in the Great Barrier Reef that has a lagoon deep enough for boats Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders such as the Ngaro and Gurang tribes are the only people allowed to use the resources of the Great Barrier Reef They hunt fish and trade goods along traditional routes 8
I met with park rangers stationed on the island They watch over green and loggerhead sea turtles during the breeding and nesting season The rangers make sure visitors to the beach do not disturb the turtles Hatchlings can lose their sense of direction and die on the beach if they are picked up or touched To protect them the island is closed to tourists from February to March when the hatchlings make their way to the water The rangers also count the nesting females each year to estimate the population natstat STATUS REPORT ST456 part B Green turtle Threats Loss of habitat due to development pollution and capture by fishing equipment Status Endangered internationally threatened in the USA Name Loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta Description Loggerhead sea turtles are the largest hard-shelled sea turtles They return to the beaches where they hatched to nest If sea turtles are disturbed as they leave the water to nest they may turn around and not nest at all Light and noise can also throw them off Any human interference can drastically affect the number of hatchlings Attach photograph here 9
