Upload
youpaperorg
View
215
Download
2
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
What happened to the Great Barrier Reef? Find out here...
Citation preview
Why The Great Barrier Reef Is Even More
Important Than We Ever Thought
As newest research shows, the world-famous Great Barrier Reef in Australia is
more then just a formation held together by calcium carbonate structures.
The world-famous Australian reef is furthermore providing an effective barrier
against landslide-induced tsunamis.
The Great Barrier Reef
is the world's largest
coral reef stretching
over an area of
approximately
344,400 square
kilometres. A large
part of the reef is
protected by the
Great Barrier Reef
Marine Park, unfortunately the other part is currently endangered by oil
companies, who suspect a large amount of oil being hidden under the Great
Barrier Reef’s surface.
An international team of researchers published this week an article in Marine
Geology about a landslide and tsunami that happened around 20,000-14,000
years ago at the coast of Maryland. At that time, it caused a 2-3m wave that
would later hit the coast of Australia. The wave could have killed thousands of
Aborigines. But, as the research team states: "However, if one did occur, our
findings suggest that the Great Barrier Reef is doing us a great service because
of its ability to absorb some of that potential wave energy."
Consequently, destroying the Great Barrier Reef would have far-reaching
consequences for Australia’s population today, including less protection in case
of landslides and approaching tsunamis.