The Great Barrier Reef map of 2014 has revealed that nearly 50 percent of living coral is no more, and worse comes to worst, new threats are out to get the remaining percentage of the strangely beautiful corals.
The Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia is famous for being the largest coral reef system comprising over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands that covers over 344,400 square kilometers. Unbeknownst to modern-day man however, this otherworldly undersea beauty is quickly depleting.
According to a recent study on the vast reef system, experts found out that about 50 percent of the underwater reef system has already been destroyed.
Experts believe that the main reasons why the Great Barrier Reef map of 2014 doesn't look that good include the damaging cyclones throughout the recent years and the abundance of coral bleaching and acidification.
Reef historian Ian McCalman in Sydney gushed about the problematic situation in the Great Barrier Reef recently, and according to him, somehow the popularity of the tourist destination is not enough to keep it intact.
Nevertheless, McCalman agrees that the reef system's popularity has also helped in containing some things like tourist pollution.
The coral reef historian and expert said that the government's decision to make massive reef ports and bigger coal parts may have also contributed to such a huge loss for the Great Barrier Reef.
In relation to global warming, Charlie Veron, a notable coral scientist says that in Australia alone everything keeps on getting worse, with the latest threat identified to be an El Nino.
Coral bleaching and acidification are also seen as the new threats that could significantly diminish the number of living corals in the Great Barrier Reef.
Finally, McCalman gushed that another major threat in the form of coal will also most likely spell trouble for everyone.
"This issue of coal lies at the heart of current threats to the Great Barrier Reef, and symbolizes an economic mindset that reef lovers everywhere are up against," he said.
"Our government has decided that Australia's economic future lies in selling cheap coal to China and India. To do this the Federal and Queensland state governments need to expand existing coal ports on the Reef because these provide the cheapest and quickest shipping routes to Asia," he added.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
