GREAT BARRIER REEF Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

GREAT BARRIER REEF - Assignment Example The seabird nesting failures are also evidence on the impact of the climate related events on the coral reef system. The failures were observed between 2002 and 2005. Despite the fact that we cannot solely segregate climate events as the threat to the coral reefs systems, its effect also interact with other external pressures, unsustainable fishing and degraded water quality, increasing the threat to the coral reef system. This is a phenomenon that occurs as a result of reactions to increase in water temperatures. This has been depicted o be a possible destructive force to the great coral reef system. Corals have lots of vibrant colors due to the inhabitance of algae on them. The warm water is in hospitable for the algae as it kills them. The report by Australian Government, (2007) found that the death of the algae leads to the discoloration of the corals. The corals lose the coloration and thus the bleaching effect (Australian Government, 2007). This is the condition from which the coral bleaching gets its name. The death of algae also results to the death of creatures something that has a ripple effect on the food chain. These events have been depicted to become more clear and frequent in the coming decades. One the food chain has been disrupted due to the bleaching of the algae. The marine habitat is eradicated. The loss of the algae results to elimination of a source of food for many marine organisms. This puts other aspects of the system; marine turtles, seabirds, fish, mangroves and planktons (Australian Government, 2007). These mass die off of the sea birds have been observed during periods of unusual high temperatures. These are factors that can be attributed to the difficulties that come with acquisition of food by the parent birds. These habitats are therefore at risk with changes in climate. Degraded water quality reduces the resilience of the reefs. This can be