http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/9578969/Great-Barrier-Reef-loses-half-its-coral-in-27-years.html
It is time to face the terrifying fact that the amazing Coral Reef- one of the best parts of untouched nature in the world, has lost half of it's coral in only three decades. The Coral Reef, which runs the length of Queensland’s coast and stretches 155 miles from shore, is said to have an enemy- The Crown on Thorns starfish. Marine biologists believe that this is the one creature to hold responsible for most of the disappearance of corals. When the time is right, a starfish can produce up to millions, and ten millions, of larvae, which strip entire reefs of coral. These predators, just in one gap, can swallow about a 17 inch diameter of coral- this is why it is believed to be so dangerous. Imagine millions of those... Can the Coral Reef be safe with such predators?
Another reason, is cyclone, or climate change. There has been a significant rise in the temperature of the sea, and corals can only survive at a certain temperature. This cannot be controlled by scientists, and it something the Earth is going through. However, another important factor in this Coral Reef damage is the storms. They can in no way be prevented, but are an extreme danger to corals, since they ruin their environment.
The only thing scientists can do, is work hard, on some kind of limitation of the number of Starfish. Everything else is in the hands of the Earth, and it will take at least 10-20 years to recover from such a loss...
It is time to face the terrifying fact that the amazing Coral Reef- one of the best parts of untouched nature in the world, has lost half of it's coral in only three decades. The Coral Reef, which runs the length of Queensland’s coast and stretches 155 miles from shore, is said to have an enemy- The Crown on Thorns starfish. Marine biologists believe that this is the one creature to hold responsible for most of the disappearance of corals. When the time is right, a starfish can produce up to millions, and ten millions, of larvae, which strip entire reefs of coral. These predators, just in one gap, can swallow about a 17 inch diameter of coral- this is why it is believed to be so dangerous. Imagine millions of those... Can the Coral Reef be safe with such predators?
Another reason, is cyclone, or climate change. There has been a significant rise in the temperature of the sea, and corals can only survive at a certain temperature. This cannot be controlled by scientists, and it something the Earth is going through. However, another important factor in this Coral Reef damage is the storms. They can in no way be prevented, but are an extreme danger to corals, since they ruin their environment.
The only thing scientists can do, is work hard, on some kind of limitation of the number of Starfish. Everything else is in the hands of the Earth, and it will take at least 10-20 years to recover from such a loss...
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