ACIDIFICATION OF GREAT BARRIR REEF

The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system composed of over 2900 individuals
reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2300 km. The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of
Queensland Australia. The reef structure is composed of and built by billions of tiny organism known
as coral polyps. It is one of seven natural wonders of the world. The Queensland national trust named
it state icon of Queensland. The reef is very popular destination for tourists, especially in the
Whitsunday islands and cairns region. Coral reef provides protection and shelter for many species of
fish and sea life. A part the reef is protected by the Great Barrier Reef marine park, which helps to
limit the impact of human use such as fishing and tourism.
In March 2016 report stated that coral bleaching was more widespread than previously
thought, seriously affecting the northern parts of the reef as a result of warming ocean temperature.
Therefore ocean acidification is defined as ongoing decrease in the pH of Earth’s oceans, caused by
the uptake of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. An oil spill is one of the causes of ocean
acidification as it is release of liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially the
marine ecosystem due to human activity. The second major cause is climate change. Much of the
carbon dioxide that enters the atmosphere dissolves into the ocean. About half of this an-thropogenic
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere resulting from human activities, such as burning fossil rather than
natural processes is in the upper 10 percent of oceans due to slow mixing process. As carbon dioxide
is absorbed from the atmosphere chemical changes taken in the oceans and caused in decrease oceanic
pH with ocean. Acidification, corals cannot absorb the calcium carbonate they need to maintain their
skeleton and that supports corals and reefs will dissolve. Climate change also affect coral reefs. The
Great Barrier Reef has lost half of its coral cover because of bleaching due to increase in summer sea
temperature coral bleaching is nothing but when water is too warm corals will expel the algae
(Zooxanthellae) living in their tissue causing the coral to turn completely white. Hard corals are the
ref building corals and their stone like structure are composed of calcium carbonate, the same
substance found in the shells of many marine organisms such as crustaceans and organism that create
calcified shelter for themselves in the oceans were thought to be more at risk, because acid seas would
hinder them forming shells ocean acidification threatens coral reproduction almost all aspects of the
process. Gametogenesis may be indirectly affected by coral bleaching. Other species of calcifying
larvae have shown reduced growth rates under ocean acidification scenarios. Many oceans organism
build shell and skeleton out of two chemical that exist in sea water, calcium and carbonate. Increased
acidity slows the growth of calcium carbonate structure and under severe conditions, can dissolve
structure faster than they form. There is other effect also like food shortage for human, food web
interruption, tourism is halted, impacts of human health. Human depend on water for various purpose,
when the ocean water acidity get higher, the consumer of such water are living in perilous situation.
Man thinks of the Great Barrier Reef as a fully protected marine wonderland but this is far from
the truth the whole ecosystem the area is under enormous threat from human activities. Less than 5%
of the world heritage area receives full protection. The intergovernmental panel on climate change
(IPCC) has predicted with a medium to high degree of certainty that Great Barrier will be completely
destroyed by climate change in the next 20 to 50 years if current trends don’t change. The World
Heritage property is and has always been managed as a multiple use area. The Great Barrier Reef
Marine Park Authority, an independent Australia Government Agency, is responsible for protection
and management of the GBR Marine Park. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park act 1975 was
amended in 2007 and 2008 and now provides for the “the long term protection and conservation of the
Great Barrier Reef”. So the solution on this is cutting carbon pollution. Education of ocean
acidification to the people, use less energy. Reducing carbon footprint because coral it is very
important part of our ecosystem.