Latest Barrier Reef Stories
April Flowers for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is the world's largest coral reef, and the only living thing on Earth that is visible from space. The Great Barrier Reef is approximately 3000 kilometers long and up to 65 kilometers wide in some places. According to new research from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS ), the Great Barrier Reef has lost half of its coral cover in the last 27 years. The research team attributes this...
The Great Barrier Reef is being damaged by the use of agricultural pesticides, claims a new Australian government report on water quality at the World Heritage site.According to the Australian Associated Press (AAP), the report shows that more than 60,000 pounds of pesticides leak into the Great Barrier Reef each year, while the government has deemed that the water in the reef is "moderate" in quality.The report card, which was released on Friday, was based on data collected from...
The Chinese coal carrier that ran aground and was stuck for nine days on the Great Barrier Reef has caused damage that could take decades to recover, experts said on Tuesday.The Shen Nang 1, which wrecked into Douglas Shoals in Queensland on April 3, left a two-mile long scar in the coral, according to Great Barrier Reef chief scientist David Wachenfeld, who called it "the largest ship grounding scar we have seen on the Great Barrier Reef to date" in an interview with ABC."It...
A Chinese coal carrier that has run aground in northeastern Australia has officials scrambling to prevent a major oil leak from pouring into the Great Barrier Reef.The Shen Neng 1 was moving at full speed when it struck Douglas Shoals in Queensland on Saturday, and according to various reports, it suffered a breach of its fuel tank and has started spilling oil.In a statement released Monday morning, Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ) noted that the ship has already lost two of the 1,000 tons of...
SYDNEY, Australia -- A bout of coral bleaching hitting Australia's Great Barrier Reef could be as bad as an episode in 2001-2002 that affected 60 percent of the reef, scientists warned Tuesday.An international team studying the world's reefs said in a statement that water temperatures for the past four months off Australia's northeastern coast have been well above long-term averages."We were all very concerned when we saw the temperature readings for December," said Prof. Ove...
Latest Barrier Reef Reference Libraries
The noble feather star (also known as the yellow feather star) reaches up to 15.75 inches in diameter with a cup-shaped body. There can be 35-40 arms extending out of the central part of the body. The arms are primarily yellow with the underside having a variation to include black, green, or white. The noble feather star feeds on food debris, phytoplankton and zooplankton. Phytoplankton and zooplankton are microscopic organisms that are present mainly in the layer of the oceans that is...
The Barrier Reef Anemonefish (Amphiprion akindynos) is native to the marine lagoons and reefs in the Western Pacific Ocean. It lives at a depth of around eighty-two feet in temperatures fluctuating between fifty degrees Fahrenheit to 89.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Its range includes northern New South Wales, the Loyalty Islands, Tonga, New Caledonia, Coral Sea, and the Great Barrier Reef. They are typically seen near or within the tentacles of their host anemones. They will inhabit anemones like...
