THE GREAT BARRIER REEF WORLDS LARGEST CORAL REEF SYSTEM REEFS ISLANDS STRETCHING AREA THE REEF THE CORAL SEA THE COAST QUEENSLAND SEEN OUTER SPACE STRUCTURE LIVING REEF TINY CORAL POLYP WIDE DIVERSITY WORLD HERITAGE SITE CNN THE SEVEN NATURAL WONDERS OF THE WORLD QUEENSLAND NATIONAL TRUST STATE ICON PROTECTED MARINE PARK LIMIT IMPACT HUMAN USE FISHING PRESSURES ECOSYSTEM RUNOFF CLIMATE CHANGE CORAL BLEACHING CYCLIC POPULATION OUTBREAKS STARFISH STUDY PUBLISHED THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES HALF CORAL COVER ABORIGINAL AUSTRALIAN TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER LOCAL CULTURES POPULAR DESTINATION WHITSUNDAY ISLANDS CAIRNS TOURISM ECONOMIC ACTIVITY GOOGLE LAUNCHED UNDERWATER STREET VIEW REPORT OCEAN TEMPERATURES DISTINCT FEATURE THE EAST AUSTRALIAN CORDILLERA SMALLER MURRAY ISLANDS TORRES STRAIT BRAMBLE CAY THE SOUTH COAST PAPUA NEW GUINEA THE NORTH THE UNNAMED PASSAGE LADY ELLIOT ISLAND FRASER ISLAND IN THE SOUTH SOUTHEAST AS THE CROW FLIES PLATE TECTONIC THEORY AUSTRALIA RATE CENOZOIC EASTERN EXPERIENCED PERIOD TECTONIC UPLIFT DRAINAGE DIVIDE VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS LEADING CENTRAL SHIELD VOLCANO BASALT HIGH ISLAND BASIN CORAL REEFS GROW MILLION YEARS AGO NORTHERN QUEENSLAND TEMPERATE WATERS SOUTH THE COOL SUPPORT THE GREAT BARRIER REEFS DEVELOPMENT COMPLEX TROPICAL DECLINE SEA LEVEL INCREASE DIAMETER ABOVE DEPTH NEED CANNOT ABOVE SEA LEVEL SEDIMENTATION REGIME QUICKLY DEVELOPED DIVIDING RANGE RIVER DELTA TURBIDITE CONDITIONS THE SEA LEVEL LOWERED SUBSTRATE BUILD UP EDGE TOO FAR AWAY SUSPENDED SEDIMENTS YEARS AGO PARTICULARLY INTERGLACIAL PERIOD HIGHER SEA LEVELS WATER TEMPERATURE THE LAND THE CURRENT GREAT BARRIER REEF COASTAL PLAIN ERODED HILLS THEMSELVES REMNANTS OLDER RARE RESEARCH COOPERATIVE RESEARCH CENTRE CORAL SKELETON DEPOSITS DATE MILLION YEARS AUTHORITY EVIDENCE COMPLETE STRUCTURES GBRMPA BELIEVED BEGUN PLATFORM THE AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF MARINE SCIENCE THE BEGINNING OF THE LAST GLACIAL MAXIMUM THAT TIME ROSE AS IT CORALS SUBMERGED THE HILLS COASTAL THE PRESENT SURROUND CONTINENTAL ISLANDS THE CONTINENTAL HERE RISEN THE LAST RESEARCH CENTRE ESTIMATES THE AGE SATELLITE IMAGES LIMESTONE PLATFORMS RELICS PAST PHASES THE REMAINS ANCIENT BARRIER SIMILAR THE KIMBERLEY WESTERN WORLD HERITAGE AREA DIVIDED BIOREGIONS NORTHERN RIBBON REEF DELTAIC REEF NOT FOUND THE REST ATOLL ATTACHED THE MAINLAND FRINGING REEF COMMON SOUTHERN FURTHER NORTH PRINCESS CHARLOTTE BAY CRESENTIC REEF SHAPE THE MIDDLE EXAMPLE LIZARD ISLAND THE FAR NORTH SWAIN REEFS PLANAR CAPE YORK PENINSULA THE ISLANDS ENDANGERED SPECIES ENDEMIC THIRTY SPECIES PORPOISES THE DWARF MINKE WHALE HUMPBACK DOLPHIN HUMPBACK WHALE POPULATIONS DUGONG FISH LIVE ON CLOWNFISH BASS SEVERAL SPECIES SNAPPER CORAL TROUT SPAWN ELSEWHERE SEVENTEEN SEA SNAKE WARM WATERS UP TO DEEP NORTHERN SECTION NONE SEA TURTLE BREED THE GREEN LEATHERBACK SEA TURTLE HAWKSBILL TURTLE LOGGERHEAD SEA TURTLE FLATBACK TURTLE OLIVE RIDLEY SEA TURTLES GENETICALLY THE OTHER FIFTEEN SEAGRASS BEDS DUGONGS FISH HABITAT GENERA SEAGRASSES HALOPHILA HALODULE SALTWATER CROCODILE LIVE IN MANGROVE SALT MARSH NESTING SALT WATER CROCODILE SHARK STINGRAY SKATE CHIMAERA CLOSE MOLLUSC THE GIANT CLAM NUDIBRANCH CONE SNAIL PIPEFISH NINE SEAHORSE SEVEN SPECIES FROG BIRDS SEABIRDS SHOREBIRDS VISIT NEST ROOST SEA EAGLE ROSEATE TERN REGIONS PLANT SPECIES NORTHERN ISLANDS SOUTHERN ISLANDS WHITSUNDAY REGION THE PLANTS PROPAGATED ASCIDIAN BRYOZOAN FOUR HUNDRED HARD CORAL SOFT CORAL THE MAJORITY GAMETE BREEDING MASS SPAWNING EVENTS TRIGGERED THE RISING SPRING LUNAR CYCLE DIURNAL CYCLE THE WEEK FULL MOON OUTER SOFT CORALS BELONG TO FIVE HUNDRED MARINE ALGAE THIRTEEN GENUS HALIMEDA DEPOSIT CALCAREOUS MOUNDS SURFACE RAINFOREST PRIMARY THREATS HEALTH SHIPPING OIL SPILL SKELETAL ERODING BAND DISEASE BONY CAUSED PROTOZOAN HALOFOLLICULINA CORALLASIA THE LOSS FACTORS GREATEST THREAT CLIMATE CAUSING ELEVATED SUMMERS ANNUAL GLOBAL WARMING ABLE KEEP UP INCREASING LEAD CAUSES DETRIMENTAL ECOLOGICAL RANGE LEADS SEEK THUS CHICK PREDATORY AFFECT AVAILABLE BLEACHING BENTHIC COMMUNITIES DOCUMENTED RECENT THE FACE RISING BLEACHED THERMAL STRESS POLLUTION DECLINING QUALITY RIVERS NORTH EASTERN FLOOD COMES FARM ADJACENT FARMING INTENSIVE CROPPING SUGAR MAJOR BEEF CATTLE DAMAGE OVERGRAZING AGRICULTURAL NUTRIENTS CHEMICALS FERTILISER HERBICIDE PESTICIDE REPRESENTING HEALTH RISK THE CORAL BIODIVERSITY PROBLEM COASTAL WETLAND FILTER TOXINS HELP THOUGHT THE POOR LIGHT OXYGEN COMPETITION ALGAE RELEASE NITROGEN PHOSPHORUS POTASSIUM OCEANIC LIMITING NUTRIENT CAUSE MASSIVE ALGAL DEPLETION CREATURES SPECIES COMPOSITION KATHARINA FABRICIUS GLEN DEATH AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF MARINE HARD NUMBERS ALMOST DOUBLE FERTILIZERS AMOUNT PHYTOPLANKTON LARVAE DOUBLING CHLOROPHYLL IN THE WATER SURVIVAL RATE ENVIRONMENT DECREASING ABILITY EXTRACT ENERGY MADE UP HEAVY METALS ARSENIC WIDER MINING COMPANY QUEENSLAND NICKEL WASTE WATER INVESTIGATE OPTIONS DO NOT ENTAIL THE MATERIAL DEVELOP MANAGEMENT PLAN POTENTIAL HAZARD LEGISLATIVE CONTROL YABULU TA