Great Barrier Reef, Australia: history, description and interesting facts

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:46

The exploration of this largest reef barrier off the coast of exotic Australia was initiated by the great navigator James Cook. The first ship that managed to pass between the coast of the mainland and this most powerful reef system along a narrow strait was his sailing ship Endeavor.

The article provides information about an amazing natural object - the Great Barrier Reef (Australia).

A bit of history

James Cook's sailboat passed more than 1000 kilometers without charts along the most difficult fairway, replete with underwater rocks and shoals, which became a miracle of nautical art. Even the famous Cook experienced the treachery of the waters of these places. His ship nevertheless ran into a reef, as a result of which the hull was damaged, but, throwing part of the cargo and all the guns overboard, the English captain was able to get off the dangerous cliff and get to the shore.

Since then, more than two centuries have passed, and during this time, many ships have suffered and sunk on the Australian coral barrier reefs. Even place names in this area of the Coral Sea speak ofgreat danger of these places: the islands of Hope, Tormenting Bay, Cape Troubles.

Despite all this, the waters of the Great Barrier Reef attract many here like a magnet in search of shipwreck treasures.

Location

Where is the Great Barrier Reef? The most wonderful creation of nature stretched for more than 2900 km along the coast of Australia (northeast). Onoa is the world's largest coral system, the greatest living structure on the planet. This miracle is located in the Coral Sea, it stretches almost parallel to the coast of Queensland.

This powerful system stretches from south to north. It starts at the Tropic of Capricorn, which is located between Gladstone and Bundaberg, and ends in the Torres Strait, which separates New Guinea from Australia. In the northern part, at Cape Melville, the complex is located only at a distance of 32-50 km from the coast, and from the south side it breaks up into separate small groups of reef formations, moving away from the coast almost 300 km in some places. It is to these places that real fans of diving make a pilgrimage.

About the origin of the reef

The origin of the Great Barrier Reef (Australia) occurred approximately 25 million years ago as a result of the movement of the lithospheric plate. At that time, the entire coast of the region, today called the state of Queensland, was completely flooded with tropical waters. Coral larvae, which were brought here by the warm currents of the ocean, remained fixed on the ground.

Colonies withover time, they began to grow and cover large areas of the seabed. The process continued for thousands of years, which led to the birth of this miracle of nature. Intensive growth of stratification occurred simultaneously with the rise of the ocean level. The Great Barrier Reef has an ancient history of strata dating back approximately 10,000 years. The youngest sites, located on the peaks of older ones, have formed over the past 200 years. They are located at a depth of about 20 meters.

Description

The complex includes almost 3000 different reefs and a large number of islands (more than 900), which dotted the lagoon. The total area of the stone sea giant is 344 thousand 400 square meters. km. It is almost impossible to establish the exact size, due to the fact that the area of \u200b\u200bthe islands changes depending on the ebb and flow of the tides. The complex from the point of view of sciences (biology, geology) is one of the greatest wonders created by nature. It has global significance.

Some of the islands of the Great Barrier Reef (about 100) are always covered with vegetation. There are high islands (approximately 600) surrounded by their own reefs.

For comparison, it can be noted that the total area of the barrier is larger than the UK.

About coral polyps

The Great Barrier Reef is so large that it can be seen from space. This fact is very impressive, given the size of the creatures that "built" such a powerful object.

This system is formedbillions of small animals no larger than a grain of rice. These are coral polyps, whose appearance is similar to a tiny upside-down jellyfish, located in a stone bowl. They live in colonies. They are not able to build reefs on their own, so microscopic algae, which are imprisoned in the tentacles of animals, are helpers for them. Thanks to them, sunlight is converted into energy food for corals. This symbiosis is able to convert minerals into calcium carbonate, which builds skeletons.

This is how each of the multiple colonies grows and develops, building up whole limestone massifs on the ground. It should be noted that this world is fragile and defenseless: even a slight increase in temperature can lead to the death of coral polyps.

National Park

The Great Barrier Reef was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981. Previously, in 1979, a national marine park was established here.

The territory of the reef complex has been used since the time of the active settlement of Australia by the ancestors of the Aborigines. This was approximately 40,000 years ago.

The background of the nature reserve is interesting and deserves attention. The first European who discovered this system in 1768 was Louis Antoine de Bougainville, but he did not claim to secure the rights to it by France. England's Royal Navy captain Matthew Flinders sailed around the mainland in the early 19th century. He did this to map his coastline. Charles Jeffries in 1815 studied the reef from the sidemainland.

Most of the system was charted on pilot charts in the 1840s, making the area relatively safe for oceangoing ships to pass. Massive exports of pearls, corals and trepangs to Europe immediately began. To stop such barbaric development of natural resources, in the first half of the twentieth century, it was decided to declare some islands with adjacent water areas as marine parks, and in 1975 the Australian government passed a law on the creation of a marine reserve - the Great Barrier Reef Park. In 1997, it was included in the list of the seven natural wonders of the world.

Inhabitants of sea waters and islands

The world of the inhabitants of these waters is rich and varied. There are 1500 species of marine fish here, among which there are exotic bright clown fish, butterfly fish, parrot fish. There are moray eels, sharks (125 species in total), many octopuses and crustaceans, molluscs (4000 species), sea snakes (17 species), whales, killer whales, dolphins, dugong (an aquatic mammal is a relative of the sea cow). The latter is an endangered species and is listed in the world's Red Book.

Turtles of the Great Barrier Reef should also be noted. There are six species in total. The largest is the green turtle (or soup turtle), which is quite rare. Its length can reach 1.5 meters, weight - 200 kg or more. The Australian tortoise gained fame because of its delicious meat, and therefore it was seriously affected.

The islands are inhabited by many birds (about 240 species), including petrels, frigatebirds, boobies, white-bellied eagles, phaetons, terns, etc. Here you can also meet poisonous snakes (100 species), fantastically beautiful butterflies and many exotic animals.

Diving Paradise

In order to explore at least part of the underwater reefs of these places and get acquainted with some rare representatives of the water world, it will take more than one month.

Reefs located in the southern part of the system, where the Great Barrier Reef is located at a great distance from the coast of the mainland (up to 300 km), are very popular with divers. The chain of reef formations here breaks up into small groups, evenly spaced along the coast of the continent.

These places are so attractive for exploring ocean fauna and flora that divers often run the risk of even colliding with their colleagues underwater.

Most popular holiday islands

1. Heron is a diving paradise. Located in the southern part of the reef system, has the status of a resort. There is a secluded atmosphere here.
2. Dunk. Perfect for a bright and measured holiday on the Great Barrier Reef with the family. It is one of the most beautiful tropical islands in the world.
3. Hyman. It is one of the richest and most prestigious resorts. It offers vacationers - excellent comfortable beaches, 10 restaurants. Among the newlyweds, he is especially popular.
4. Lizard. This is a place for exclusive holidays for specialguests, for those who can afford not to save on vacation. This is one of the most expensive and famous resorts in the world. Having been there, you can fully appreciate all the advantages of another piece of paradise, which is part of the reef complex. On the coast of the island there are 24 exclusive beaches with enhanced comfort. They are located in the northern part of the reef.

Some interesting facts

1. The water around the reef is crystal clear. Corals help improve the quality of the surrounding water. This is due to the fact that they act like a filter - they catch what floats there.
2. There is a reef fee ($6 a day) which is paid by any reef visitor older than four years old. The profit goes to the park management for carrying out activities to protect the ecosystem.
3. The Great Barrier Reef is larger in area than many countries. He could take a place between Germany and the Congo (63rd place). It also surpasses many American states in terms of territory - only Texas, Alaska, Montana and California are larger than it.
4. The reef today is under serious external impact on its entire environment (climate change, overfishing, pollution, oil spill, etc.). All this leads to coral bleaching. Scientists estimate that more than 93% of reefs are currently affected by bleaching.
5. One of the solutions proposed to save the reef system is to move it to a more favorable location. In 2008, one part of the reef (5 tons) has already been transported to Dubai. But moving the entire system is technically impossible.
6. Where the Great Barrier Reef is, the hard corals that form the backbone grow at a very slow rate of only 15mm per year.
7. In 27 years (from 1985 to 2012) the reef has been badly damaged - it has lost more than half of its corals.

Conclusion

The reef is an extremely popular destination for tourists, and its resort areas bring huge incomes. So, in 2013, the profit from tourism amounted to 6.4 billion US dollars.

Australian landmark hosts approximately two million visitors each year. But, unfortunately, in addition to a favorable impact on the development of the country's economy, this also has negative consequences that inevitably destroy the entire coral complex. As a result, the government has put in place some restrictions to protect the ecosystem, but the damage caused cannot be completely prevented.