Future Prospects

FUTURE PROSPECTS

The Great Barrier Reef is expected to continue shrinking in size due to a variety of factors such as predation, ocean acidification, and natural disasters. Of these factors, natural disasters and predation is responsible for the most reef cover loss. Damage caused by cyclones and predation by Thorn-of-Crown starfish account for 48 and 42 percent of reef loss in the last 27 years. (4). While cyclones seem to be responsible for the most damage, its causes and whether or not its intensity is increasing is still debatable. Predation by the Crown-of-Thorns starfish, however, is well observed and can be attributed to a rise in phytoplankton availability. The sudden explosion in the availability of phytoplankton is a direct result of runoff, which provide the necessary nutrient for the starfish larvae. 

Future of the Reef
Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-08/mass-coral-bleaching-predicted-to-occur-in-2016/6838580