Threats to the Great Barrier Reef Animated floating bubbles (Intermediate) To reproduce the bubble shape effects on this slide, do the following: On the Home tab, in the Slides group, click Layout, and then click Blank. Select the circle (oval shape). On the Home tab, in the Drawing group, click the Format Shape dialog box launcher. In the Format Shape dialog box in the left pane, click Fill. In the Fill pane, click Gradient fill, and then do the following: On the Home tab, in the Drawing group, click Shapes, and then under Basic Shapes select Oval (second option from the left). Press and hold SHIFT, and then click and drag to draw a circle shape. Click the button next to Direction and select From Bottom Right Corner (first option from the left). In the Type box, select Radial. Click the button next to Preset Colors and select Calm Water (second row, third option from the left). Also in the Format Shape pane, in the left pane, click Line Color. In the Line Color pane, click Gradient Line, and then do the following: In the Angle box, enter 90. In the Type box select Linear. Also in the Format Shape pane, in the left pane, click 3-D Format and then in the 3-D Format pane, do the following: Next to Top, in the Width box, enter 50 pt, and in the Height box, enter 50 pt. Under Bevel, click the button next to Top and select Circle (first option from the left). In the Angle box, enter 110°. Click the button next to Lighting, and then under Special, select Glow (third option from the left). Under Surface, click the button next to Material, and then under Translucent, select Clear. To reproduce the animation effects on this slide, do the following: On the Animations tab, in the Timing group, in the Start list, select With Previous. On the slide select the oval. On the Animations tab, in the Advanced Animation group, click Add Animation, and then under Entrance click Appear. On the Animations tab, in the Advanced Animation group, click Add Animation, and then click More Motion Paths. In the Add Motion Path dialog box, under Lines & Curves, click S Curve 1, and then click OK. On the slide, select the animation path. Click and drag the green rotation handle to the right to rotate the path until the right side of the path faces the bottom right corner of the slide. Click and drag the right side handle to lengthen the path until it extends about one inch off the bottom right edge of the slide. Click and drag the left side handle to lengthen the path until it extends about one inch off the top left edge of the slide. On the Animations tab, in the Timing group, in the Duration box, enter 8. On the slide select the oval. On the Animations tab, in the Advanced Animation group, click Add Animation, and then under Emphasis click Grow/Shrink. On the Animations tab, in the Animation group, click Effect Options, and then click Edit Points. Click and drag the edit points and curve handles to make the path a smooth S-shaped curve from the bottom right to top left. On the Animations tab, in the Animation group, click Effect Options, and then click Reverse Path Direction. On the Animations tab, in the Animation group, click Effect Options, and then click Larger. On the Animations tab, in the Timing group, in the Delay box, enter 6. On the Animations tab, in the Timing group, in the Duration box, enter 0.1. On the slide select the oval. On the Animations tab, in the Advanced Animation group, click Add Animation, and then under Exit click Fade. To create the second bubble on this slide, do the following: Select the bubble. On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, click the arrow to the right of Copy, and then click Duplicate. On the Animation tab, in the Advanced Animation group, click Animation Pane. Drag the bubble to a different part of the slide. Select the new bubble. Press and hold SHIFT, and then drag the sizing handle to resize the shape. In the Animation Pane, select the S Curve 1 effect for the second oval. On the Animations tab, in the Timing group, in the Delay box, enter 1.4. In the Animation Pane, select the Appear effect for the second oval. On the Animations tab, in the Timing group, in the Delay box, enter 1.4. On the Animations tab, in the Animation group, click Effect Options, and then click Edit Points. Click and drag the edit points and curve handles to make the path of the second oval different from the first one. In the Animation Pane, select the Fade effect for the second oval. On the Animations tab, in the Timing group, in the Delay box, enter 7. In the Animation Pane, select the Grow/Shrink effect for the second oval. On the Animations tab, in the Timing group, in the Delay box, enter 7. Note: You can save the background of this slide template as a picture and use it in your own slides. To use the same background as this slide, do the following: To reproduce the background on this slide, do one of the following: Save the file as a JPEG (.jpg) file format. Right-click the water background on the original template, and then click Save Background. In the Insert Picture dialog box, select a picture, and then click Insert. On the Design tab, in the Background group, click Background Styles, and then click Format Background. In the Format Background dialog box, click Fill in the left pane, select Picture fill in the Fill pane, and then under Insert from click File.

Threats from human activity Shipping accidents Oil Spills Tourist visits

Natural Threats Coral bleaching Crown of Thorns Starfish El Nino/El Nina and Climate Change

Shipping Accidents The Great Barrier Reef sees a huge amount of ocean traffic pass through its waters every day of the year for tourism and commercial purposes (like coal transports). Debris and other foreign objects from ships enter the water and remain there for a long period of time. Shipwrecks (including ships running aground) can damage the reef. Many larger vessels passing through the oceans of the reef can release a substance known as Tributyltin (or “TBT”) which is used as to preserve the condition of ship hulls that is toxic to sea water and which can damage marine organisms where it is released.

Oil Spills Oil drilling is banned on the reef but spills caused by passing oil container ships have still continued to occur, The most recent oil spill occurred in 2010 when the Chinese bulk coal carrier Shen Neng 1 – travelling 10 kilometres outside the regulation shipping lane – struck the reef, scraping along its surface for a substantial length and creating a massive grounding scar over 3 kilometres in length (the longest in recorded history). As a result, some of the damaged areas have become uninhabitable for marine life. Experts believe the reef may take up to 10 to 20 years to recover from the incident. To date, 283 total oil spills have occurred over the waters of the Great Barrier Reef since 1987.

Over-fishing The fishing industry earns over $1 billion per year to Australia. Fishing on the reef occurs for commercial and leisure/sport. The majority of the reef is off-limits for fishing with an emphasis on reef sustainability. Trawling inevitably leads to other species getting caught in the nets as a side effect. The nets themselves can also damage the ocean floor and its inhabitants as a result of its “drag effect”. Fishing also adds additional pollution from the boats.

Impact of Advances in Fishing Technology

Tourism Millions of tourists visit the Great Barrier Reef every year. Pollution from boats, walking on the reef, runoff from sunscreens and many other activities all have a negative impact on the reef. This is also not taking into account intentionally or neglectfully destructive practices such as littering and various other forms of man-made pollution.

Coral Bleaching Corals are given their vibrant colours as a result of the algae who inhabit them. When the water temperature rises, the warmer waters kill off the algae which then leads to the coral losing its colouration and results in the “bleach” effect. The death of algae in turn results in the death of creatures that use them as their primary source of food, which once again has a ripple effect up the chain and renders the affected section of reef a veritable underwater ghost town. Scientists and researchers largely attribute the relatively sudden changes in water temperature to such natural phenomenon as the El Nino effect. In 2002, 60% of the Great Barrier Reef experienced bleaching. The reef can recover from bleaching if the water temperature returns to normal quickly.

Crown of Thorns Starfish The Crown of Thorns starfish feeds on the polyps of coral, releasing neurotoxins to absorb the tissue of the coral and quite literally “sucking the life” out of the reef’s backbone. If there are few predators (such as the Giant Triton) around, the Crown of Thorns can destroy parts of the reef. Many researchers believe that the current abundance of Crown of Thorns starfish could be a result of agricultural runoff which increases the amount of algae which serve as food for the starfish.

El Nino and Climate Change The El Nino effect can cause an increase in water temperatures. This can cause coral bleaching. Climate Change is also leading to higher ocean temperatures. Some scientists believe that the reef will become practically extinct by the year 2030. A temperature rise of 2-3 degrees C is believed to put 97% of the reef in the danger zone of bleaching every year.

Now to you… In your opinion, what is the greatest threat to the Great Barrier Reef?