The Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is found of the Australian continent is a natural wonder that is even visible from space!

As the only living collection of creatures that can be seen from outer space, the Great Barrier Reef holds a special place in the hearts of everyone that visits. The reef is a colony of organisms coexisting together to eat, feed and grow. Unlike forests and grasslands and other natural feats of Nature, the reef itself is alive and having a relationship that impacts the world in so many great ways.

The way a reef comes to be is by having colonies of corals building upon previous colonies. A reef is hard because corals have stony skeletons that they leave behind, as hard as rock. Other corals attach to and grow over them, like layers and layers of stone slowly building up. Corals in the Great Barrier Reef can be tube shaped, have domes or look like the branches of trees and shrubs. This reef grows approximately one point three centimeters every year.

Individual coral colony members are called polyps, and are made up of a clear body that usually harbors algae. That's where most coral gets its colour from. Coral polyps are related to sea anemones and jellyfish. By giving the algae a safe home in shallow water, the algae is able to turn sunlight into sugars that can be used by the coral for energy. The interdependency of these species on the Great Barrier Reef is just one of the things that makes this natural wonder so special.

Another lure to the Great Barrier Reef are the different creatures that call the unique world wonder home. The sea grass that grows in some areas in great abundance attracts dugongs and sea turtles. Salt water crocodiles prowl the salt marshes and mangroves along the edge of the reef, and thirty species of whales, porpoises and dolphins frolic and play here. Dwarf minke whales and humpback whales migrate and wander through and around the deeper parts of the reef.

Because the Great Barrier Reef is so important to the ecology of the whole world, donating clean ocean water and moderating temperatures ocean wide by its biodiversity and corals, it is slowly becoming more and more protected. The Queensland communities that are near the reef each have different mandates that govern how the reef is used. There is no doubt that the Great Barrier Reef is a popular tourist attraction, but the goal is to minimize the impact humans leave on the reef when they drop anchor, go scuba diving or fish in the area. Approximately two million people visit the reef every year. Such a popular tourist destination must be protected for future generations, so that the children of tomorrow can come and safely view the Great Barrier Reef through glass bottom boats, eco-friendly snorkeling and diving, and see such a wonder of nature for themselves.