CASE STUDY-Great Barrier Reef Flashcards
Are sea levels rising faster than coral can grow?
yes
Why is the GBR under even more threat from sea level rise?
it is low lying
What is the predicted sea level rise going to be on the GBR from now to 2100?
0.68m
What is the predicted sea level rise going to be in the world from now to 2100?
0.9m
What rate has the sea level been rising at since 1991?
3mm per year
what have been the modern causes of sea level change?
Thermal expansion and glaciers melting
why is the GBR even less prepared for the rise in sea level?
while the change in sea level is rather small compared to past standards it hasn’t changed much in the past 6000 years so the reef is not prepared for it.
how many many football fields does the great barrier reef approximately?
70 million
how many individual coral reefs are there in the great barrier reef?
3000
how many types of fish are there in the GBR?
1625
how many varieties of shark and ray are there in the GBR?
133
how long is the GBR?
2300 km
In the north of the GBR, how much coral has been lost?
2/3rds
how much money has granted by the Australian government to tackle climate change, crown of thorn starfish, water quality and agricultural runoff
$372 million
what is the total value of the GBR
$56 billion
what has been the reduction in land chemicals reaching the GBR and how has this been achieved?
21% reduction in the load of dissolved inorganic nitrogen in 2015-16 from the 2008-9 baseline. Reef Water Quality Protection Plan of 2009 has improved land management practices
what has been the reduction in sediment in the GBR?
14% reduction in 2015-16 from the 2008-9 baseline
what has been done to protect the biodiversity of the reef and is an example of ZONING?
the traditional poaching of turtles and dugongs is limited by size and scale
how has Australia made improvements to the reef more unified and therefore more efficient?
implementing the Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan
what have been the reductions in greenhouse gases in Queensland since 2005?
14%
what percentage of land along the GBR coast is used for cattle grazing and crop growing?
80%- this means that alot of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides are used and these can wash into the gbr
how much has sediment in the reef increased by in the last 150 years in some areas?
10x
