Climate Change and the Great Barrier Reef: A Vulnerability Assessment

Vulnerability Cover Image Climate change is recognised as the greatest long-term threat to the Great Barrier Reef. Projections show sea and air temperatures will continue to increase, sea level is rising, the ocean is becoming more acidic, intense storms and rainfall will become more frequent and ocean currents will change.

Climate Change and the Great Barrier Reef: A Vulnerability Assessment is a peer-reviewed publication compiled as a collaboration between the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and over 80 leading climate and tropical marine experts. It provides expert assessments of the vulnerability of Great Barrier Reef species, habitats and key processes to climate change and identifies possible ways to respond to the climate change challenge. Managers and scientists will find this book valuable as a basis on which future decisions can be made, as well as anyone with an interest in tropical marine ecosystems.

Brief summary of the publication.

The book has been divided into sections that deal with species groups, habitats and processes, and management of the Great Barrier Reef.

Introduction - provides background information on the Great Barrier Reef, current and future climate scenarios, climate change implications for physical oceanography and the concept of resilience as it relates to the Great Barrier Reef and climate change.

Preliminary pages [Adobe Acrobat Format 1210KB]
Chapter 1 - Introduction to the Great Barrier Reef and climate change [Adobe Acrobat Format 1388KB]
Chapter 2 - Climate and climate change on the Great Barrier Reef [Adobe Acrobat Format 1583KB]
Chapter 3 - Impacts of climate change on the physical oceanography of the Great Barrier Reef [Adobe Acrobat Format 1696KB]
Chapter 4 - Ecological resilience, climate change and the Great Barrier Reef [Adobe Acrobat Format 677KB]

Species and species groups - assesses the vulnerability of species such as tropical marine microbes, plankton, fish, corals, seagrass and whales to the effects of climate change in the Great Barrier Reef.

Chapter 5 - Vulnerability of marine microbes on the Great Barrier Reef to climate change [Adobe Acrobat Format 1842KB]
Chapter 6 - Vulnerability of Great Barrier Reef plankton to climate change [Adobe Acrobat Format 3715KB]
Chapter 7 - Vulnerability of macroalgae of the Great Barrier Reef to climate change [Adobe Acrobat Format 2804KB]
Chapter 8 - Vulnerability of seagrasses in the Great Barrier Reef to climate change [Adobe Acrobat Format 1476KB]
Chapter 9 - Vulnerability of mangroves and tidal wetlands of the Great Barrier Reef to climate change [Adobe Acrobat Format 962KB]
Chapter 10 - Vulnerability of reef-building corals on the Great Barrier Reef to climate change [Adobe Acrobat Format 700KB]
Chapter 11 - Vulnerability of benthic invertebrates of the Great Barrier Reef to climate change [Adobe Acrobat Format 1267KB]
Chapter 12 - Vulnerability of fishes of the Great Barrier Reef to climate change [Adobe Acrobat Format 864KB]
Chapter 13 - Vulnerability of chondrichthyan fishes on the Great Barrier Reef to climate change [Adobe Acrobat Format 592KB]
Chapter 14 - Vulnerability of seabirds on the Great Barrier Reef to climate change [Adobe Acrobat Format 1004KB]
Chapter 15 - Vulnerability of marine reptiles in the Great Barrier Reef to climate change [Adobe Acrobat Format 710KB]
Chapter 16 - Vulnerability of marine mammals in the Great Barrier Reef to climate change [Adobe Acrobat Format 961KB]

Habitats - assesses the vulnerability of the major habitats including reefs, pelagic environments, coasts and estuaries and islands and cays to the effects of climate change. This section also provides an assessment of how climate change will affect the geomorphology of coral reefs, reef islands, beaches and coasts, and a historical perspective of coral reefs and climate change over geological time.

Chapter 17 - Vulnerability of coral reefs of the Great Barrier Reef to climate change [Adobe Acrobat Format 880KB]
Chapter 18 - Vulnerability of pelagic systems in the Great Barrier Reef to climate change [Adobe Acrobat Format 708KB]
Chapter 19 - Vulnerability of coastal and estuarine habitats in the Great Barrier Reef to climate change [Adobe Acrobat Format 690KB]
Chapter 20 - Vulnerability of island flora and fauna in the Great Barrier Reef to climate change [Adobe Acrobat Format 965KB]
Chapter 21 - Vulnerability of geomorphological features in the Great Barrier Reef to climate change [Adobe Acrobat Format 1021KB]
Chapter 22 - Using the past to understand the future: palaeoecology of coral reefs [Adobe Acrobat Format 1149KB]

Conclusions - provides a synthesis of the implications of climate change for communities and industries, a summary of the key vulnerabilities and examines management implications for the Great Barrier Reef.