Transcript The Great Barrier Reef - Digging-In-Deep

The Great Barrier Reef
whales
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Is found in Queensland.
Dwarf minke whales visit the reef
every year in June and July.
Dugongs grow to about 3m long, can
weigh 400 kg and live to 70 years
old.
Six of the seven species of sea turtles
in the world are found on the Reef:
Green, Leatherback, Hawksbill,
Loggerhead, Flatback and Olive Ridley.
They become sexually mature at 30-50
years and can live for up to 100 years.
Hatchlings are carried out to sea on
ocean currents, and can travel
thousands of miles around the ocean
before they are fully grown. When they
reach breeding age, they return to the
area where they hatched to lay their
own eggs.
Sea snakes
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Sea snakes have to come to the
surface to breathe, but can spend up
to 2 hours underwater between
breaths.
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The Great Barrier Reef is the world's
largest coral reef system[1][2] composed
of over 2,900 individual reefs[3] and 900
islands stretching for over 3,000
kilometres (1,600 mi) over an area of
approximately 344,400 square kilometres
(133,000 sq mi).[4][5] The reef is located
in the Coral Sea, off the coast of
Queensland in northeast Australia.
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The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from
outer space and is the world's biggest
single structure made by living
organisms.[6] This reef structure is
composed of and built by billions of tiny
organisms, known as coral polyps.[7] The
Great Barrier Reef supports a wide
diversity of life, and was selected as a
World Heritage Site in 1981.[1][2] CNN
has labelled it one of the 7 natural
wonders of the world.[8] The Queensland
National Trust has named it a state icon of
Queensland
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A large part of the reef is protected by the
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, which
helps to limit the impact of human use,
such as overfishing and tourism. Other
environmental pressures to the reef and
its ecosystem include water quality from
runoff, climate change accompanied by
mass coral bleaching, and cyclic outbreaks
of the crown-of-thorns starfish
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The Great Barrier Reef has long been
known to and utilised by the Aboriginal
Australian and Torres Strait Islander
peoples, and is an important part of local
groups' cultures and spirituality. The reef
is a very popular destination for tourists,
especially in the Whitsundays and Cairns
regions. Tourism is also an important
economic activity for the region. Fishing
also occurs in the region, generating AU$
1 billion per year
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The Great Barrier Reef includes over
2,900 reefs, around 940 islands and
cays, and stretches 2,300 kms along
the Queensland coastline. The Great
Barrier Reef Marine Park is 345,000
km2, that's larger than the entire
area of the UK and Ireland
combined!
Location of aren
Reefs may be found as deep as 250
feet below the surface. Corals that
grow below 150 feet don't make very
good reef builders.
There are three different groups in
which all reefs are classified. The first
reef type is called a Fringing reef. This
reef is formed as coral grows in the
shallow waters along the shores of
land.
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The top of the reef sits about two to
three feet below sea level.
It forms a natural break water between
the strong waves of the Pacific and the
coast of Australia.
The waters around it cover roughly
80,000 square miles, or 208,000
kilometers, an area than the state of
Minnesota.
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A barrier reef, such as the Great
Barrier reef, grows some distance
from the shore before coming close
to the surface.
tours!
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A trip to the Tropical North would not
be complete without experiencing
the wonders of the Great Barrier
Reef.
Day Trips operate from Cairns and
Port Douglas with transfers available
from Palm Cove and surrounds.
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Excellent choice of vessels from
small high speed luxury catamarans,
mid size sailing to large catamarans
that have their own platforms on the
outer reef.
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Take a scenic flight to Cooktown over
World Heritage Areas, a remarkable
way to see the diverse and vast
Australian Outback.
Hot air balloon tours
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You can fly over Cooktown to see
GBR.
Hot air balloon trips over tablelands
with a very good view.
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Thank you for watching our power
point.