1. Climate Change and the Great Barrier reef
By: Brad and Croix

2. Climate of Australia

3. Average daily temperature
Brad 27c=81f, 15c=59

4. Sunshine Length per day
Brad

5. Melbourne averages
Brad 50mm=2 inches; 70mm= 2.8inches; 10c=50f, 21c=70f, 8c=46f, 15c=59f, 27c=81f

6. Cairns Averages
Brad 450mm=18inches; 16c=60f, 23c=73f, 21c=70f, 27c=81f, 31c=88f

7. El Nino Southern Oscillation
What is it?
Climate forcings between high and low pressure cells affecting S. Pacific sea surface temperatures and trade wind patterns
Occurs in 2-10 year periods, most commonly in the range of 3-7 years
Contributes to world wide weather phenomena
Normal Conditions
Walker cell well established
Low atmospheric pressure over Aus and high pressure over South America- trade winds
Warm water on australian coast
El Nino conditions
Walker cell breaks down
Pressure difference weakens, coastal australia becomes dry and cool
*Croix

8. Climate Change of Australia

9. What climate change looks like for the entire area
*Croix
Biggest warming in southeast while, slight cooling in northwest

10. Temperature increase
*Croix

11. The Great Barrier Reef
Brad

12. Brad

13. What calls the Great Barrier Reef Home
2300 km long
2900 reefs and 900 islands
215 species of birds
30 species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises
6 species of sea turtles
17 species of sea snakes
350 coral species
4,000 species of molluscs
1,500 species of fish
Brad Hundreds of thousands of animals live here

14. Basics of a coral reef
Corals are a clear animal that secretes a hard Calcium Carbonate shell around them
That shell is white, but polyps live there giving the color
The abundance of life is contingent on the coral being the “primary producer” of the system (it supports the needs of the rest of the community)
coral bleaching
Brad

15. What is Coral Bleaching?
Coral is subject to unfavorable conditions and loses symbiotic relationship with algae (zooxanthellae)
Bleaching events trigger the coral to expel the algae causing them to be white, aka bleaching
Bleaching does not always mean the death of the coral
It is the duration of the bleaching event that causes permanent damage and death
*Croix
Short term conditions vs seasonal conditions

16. “There are many questions that remain unanswered
“There are many questions that remain unanswered. For example, is coral bleaching a natural signal that has been misinterpreted as a sign of climate change? Has the incidence of coral bleaching increased since 1979 or has it simply been overlooked before 1979? Are bleaching events likely to increase or decrease in intensity in the next 100 years? These questions lie at the heart of debate associated with human-induced climate change and the cost that may be borne by both developed and developing countries world-wide.”
*Croix

17. Coral reef “Tipping” Points
Corals are very sensitive to their surroundings
Optimal temp range is degrees Celsius
Warming temps are pushing them towards their max operational extent
Dissolved CO2 lowers pH
PAR and UVR have known effects when it comes to bleaching
Length of fluctuating temp matters
*Croix
Carbonic acid dissolves Calcium carbonate
Photosynthetically available radiation, ultraviolet radiation

18. Brad

19. Brad

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21. Predictions for the Great Barrier Reef
“Present evidence, however, suggests that corals and their zooxanthellae are unable to acclimate or adapt fast enough to keep pace with the present rapid rate of warming of tropical oceans” (Guldberg, 1999)
20-30 years
Sea temperatures continue to rise
Bleaching events will become more and more frequent, occurring on an annual basis
50 years
Distribution of reefs will change
*Croix

22. The Importance of coral reefs
Coral reefs are considered a multi-billion dollar resource
Tourism
They provide protection to the land from oceanic forces
Source of food and business to many people around the world
The link to climate change is widely accepted, meaning it is affecting ecosystems around the world
Could lead to many advancements in Pharmaceutical practices.
They filter pollutants out of the water like
*Croix

23. Possible Management/Intervention Methods
Reduce the acceleration of climate change
Reduce Greenhouse gas emissions
Create CO2 “Sinks” such as planting forests and capture methods
More public awareness = better practices
Legislation and regulations
Research
Documentation, monitoring trends
There is no current solution or technology to directly reverse the changing ocean warming trend
*Croix

24. The Hornsdale Power Reserve
Goal is to stabilize the power grid during peak summer hours
Located next to Hornsdale Wind Farm
Charges the battery, and sells energy
3 times larger than any other battery
Can power 30,000 homes for an hour during blackout
Brad

25. Other Reefs Around the Globe
Assuming ocean warming and acidification stay the same
Other reefs will mimic what's happened to the Great Barrier Reef
bleaching and dying
Potential dissolving of all reefs
Lose of 25% of marine species
Lose of tourism and many jobs
New reef off of amazon river mouth, facing risks from human impacts, found recently and already in danger

26. Sources