RAINS HELPS TO COOL GREAT BARRIER REEF

[Anonymous]

Rains helping cool Barrier Reef
Recent
torrential rain and monsoons in northern Queensland have provided some
rare relief for the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.The poor conditions
have significantly reduced ocean temperatures, making them the coolest
for up to five years.It has been a blessing for the corals – usually in
the summer they are at risk of serious scorching and bleaching.The
Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest living organism, stretching
over more than 345,000 sq km.It is also the world’s most protected
marine area and has been under threat from a combination of global
warming, pollution and over-fishing.

Cooler water
Scientists
had predicted that this summer would be a tough one for the reef. They
feared that extreme heat would scorch the coral. But recent storms that
dumped torrential rain across much of Australia’s north-east have
brought some unexpected good news.

GREAT BARRIER REEF
More than 2,000 km long
Home to 1,500 types of fish
Only living thing the naked eye can see from space

The
region’s normally warm seas have been stirred. Jeff Maynard of the
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority says the water has become
cooler.”This year reef temperatures have shown that temperatures for
the majority of the Great Barrier Marine Park are below the long-term
averages we see for this time of year,” he said.”So right now we’re
considering bleaching risks to be low compared to bleaching years like
’98 and 2002.”The future, however, still does not look good.
Researchers believe as the world’s climate continues to change the
bleaching of the coral will become increasingly common.Bleaching occurs
when unusually warm seas cause the organisms that make up the coral to
die. All that is left is a white limestone skeleton.The Great Barrier
Reef is home to 1,500 types of fish and at more than 2,000 km long, it
is the only living thing the naked eye can see from space. 

[Author]

March 13, 2007 at 10:38 AM