The next human impact to greatly endanger the Great Barrier Reef is sediment runoff. During tropical floods, runoff with fertilizer and pesticides goes into the water and cause declining water quality. This poor water quality harms the delicately balanced reef and the organisms that inhabit it. Sediment runoff was also made worse due to the loss of coastal wetlands along the Queensland coast because the wetlands are supposed to act as a natural filter for toxins. According to the Great Barrier Reef Coastal Wetlands Protection Program, this area has decreased by 50% (21). This decrease in wetlands can be explained by the increase in grazing and expansions of cropping in the area, which has also caused a decrease in native vegetation (19).
 |
| Sediment Runoff Source: http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/pages/d1df7150-79e3-4fb5-86d3-cccde89ac61d/images/mar-box6-10-floodplume.jpg |
No comments:
Post a Comment