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NEWS ABOUT: Great Barrier Reef

Tour Boat Ditches US Tourist on Great Barrier Reef

Snorkeler saved by another boat in the area

(Newser) - An American snorkeler exploring Australia's Great Barrier Reef surfaced to find a less-than-ideal situation: The boat that had brought him there, had, well, left him there. "The adrenaline hit in and I had a moment of panic, which was the worst thing I could have done at that... More »

William: Maybe We'll Have Aussie Honeymoon

Weather back home is 'dreadful,' he tells Aussies

(Newser) - It certainly hasn't made the official royal website yet, but Prince William hinted to hopeful Australians today that he'd like to return... as a newlywed, reports Australia's News. "I will have to come back, maybe we'll have a honeymoon in Cairns?" he told a crowd in the flood-ravaged northeastern... More »

Sultry Year Threatens World's Coral

Widespread bleaching expected in weeks to come

(Newser) - This year is set to be the hottest on record and scientists warn that could spell disaster for coral reefs. Reefs around the world are bleaching—expelling the algae that give them their color—on a scale only ever seen once before, in 1998. An estimated 16% of the world's... More »

Tanker in Danger of Breaking Up on Great Barrier Reef

Chinese coal-hauler was 9 miles outside shipping lane

(AP) - A coal-laden ship that ran aground at full speed some 9 miles outside a shipping lane in protected waters was leaking oil on Australia's Great Barrier Reef and in danger of breaking apart, officials said today. Authorities fear an oil spill will damage the world's largest coral reef, which is... More »

Congressmen Studied Climate Change—on $500K Trip

Lawmakers snorkeled, visited South Pole

(Newser) - Snorkeling, scuba diving, and penguin-watching were on the agenda when 10 members of Congress went on an 11-day trip to study climate change in early 2008, a Wall Street Journal investigation finds. Lawmakers from both parties, along with six spouses, visited New Zealand, Antarctica, and Australia's Great Barrier Reef on... More »

Kilimanjaro, Grand Canyon Among '7 Wonders' Finalists

(Newser) - Twenty-eight finalists made the cut today for the “New 7 Wonders of Nature” poll, including the Grand Canyon and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the AP reports. Organizers expect 1 billion people to vote online or by phone before the winners are announced in 2011. Other wonders up... More »

Hubby to Serve Year in Newlywed Wife's Dive Death

Alabama man admits letting his bride sink to her death off the Great Barrier Reef

(Newser) - An Alabama man will serve 12 months in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter in the death of his wife off Australia's Great Barrier Reef, the Guardian reports. Gabe Watson, an experienced diver trained in rescue procedures, made no attempt to save his wife, a novice diver, as she sank... More »

Great Barrier Reef Rebounds From Crisis

Scientists credit luck for natural wonder's 'spectacular' healing

(Newser) - Parts of the Great Barrier Reef bleached by warming waters 3 years ago have made a speedy recovery because of a few lucky breaks, the Guardian reports. Reefs typically take at least a decade to overcome human-created crises, but a combination of biological factors helped the reef's speedy healing, Australian... More »

Coral Reef's Slow Growth Worries Scientists

They blame climate change for trouble

(Newser) - The Great Barrier Reef isn't growing as fast as it should, and the consequences could be devastating for the vast species of marine life that it supports, say Australian scientists. A 13% decline in coral growth rate since 1990 is the first such drop in 400 years, says their report... More »

10 Places Already Feeling Global Warming's Heat

Hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast has taken the brunt of climate change so far

(Newser) - While some consider global warming a cautionary tale of things to come, its effects are already being felt all over the world, reports Scientific American. The worst-hit:
  • Darfur: The deserts have been crippled by a decades-long drought, and can no longer support farmers or their grazing herds.
  • America's Gulf Coast:
... More »

Sea of New Ocean Life Discovered

Scientists find new crustaceans, rays, sharks and coral

(Newser) - Over 100 new ocean species have been discovered in coral reefs off Western Australia during a global census of marine life. They include exotic soft corals, new kinds of jellyfish, rays and shellfish, and parasites that feed on the tongues of fish, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. The discoveries are... More »

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