Barrier Reef - can it cope with flood damage - Australia

Read the full article here :  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12190895

EXTRACT:

As flood waters in the Queensland capital Brisbane begin to recede, scientists are casting their eyes out to sea and wondering whether the region's greatest natural feature, the Great Barrier Reef, will be scarred by the experience.

This is the world's largest reef system - in fact, the largest thing on Earth made by living organisms, stretching for 2,600km along the coast.

Its myriad of islands and tendrils teem with fish, also supporting dugongs, dolphins, turtles and shellfish - and because of all that, a tourist trade worth several billion dollars per year.

The flood waters emerging from Brisbane itself are not a major concern, as the reef lies further north.
But northern rivers are also seeing flow rates way above normal.

Christmas Island crabs

National Geographic Did you know? The red crab is a Christmas Island, Australia, original found nowhere else in the world—some 120 million individuals cover the rain forest floor. Red crabs play a vital role in rejuvenating the forest. Their burrowing turns over the soil, which they fertilize with their droppings.

Red Crab Animal Profile | Great Migrations - National Geographic Channel

on.natgeo.com

Great Migrations red crab animal profile includes in-depth facts, 3D interactive red crab, and videos. Tune in this November for a global television event from National Geographic, Great Migrations.