GREAT BARRIER REEF

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19448, 6 November 1925, Page 11

GREAT BARRIER REEF

ITS SECEETS AND WONDEES .GREATEST MARINE SURVEY SYDNEY, Oct. 22. t One of the wonders of Australia—* and tor that matter the world—is the Great Barrier Beef, the coral reef that runs for a thousand miles along the Queensland coast and at varying distances from it. Pages have been written about the reef, but so multitudinous tare its secrets and wonders that pages more might still bo written without unfolding a tithe of all it holds enwrapped. Just at present it is being surveyed, not only by cartographers, but also by scientists. This survey, described as the greatest marine survey ever undertaken, has been in progress for more than a year. The Commonwealth. Government is contributing £lOO,OOO annually for the work, which is expected to occupy seycitil years. I.t is in charge of Captain J. Edgehill, a British naval officer, and the vessels that are engaged are the Australian Navy survey vessels Moresby and Geranium.

Thu scientific director of the survey is Mr Charles Hedley, formerly of the Sydney Museum, who recently issued a report on his work. In this, Mr Hedley says that many interesting phenomena have been observed. He includes in these facts that one reef was found to be growing 15 different kinds of coral and that another flourishing reef was suddenly destroyed by a deluge of rain killing the eoral-build-mg polypi. The nciLliern limit of the Barrier is believed to be duo to the muddiness of the waler discharged into

the sea by the i'ly and other Papuan rivers and its southern limit to the increasing cold due to higher latitude, it has been discovered that the south ernmost corals endure a minimum temperature of 60 degrees, but only for a lew days in midwinter. In reference to the many openings which occur in a general east and west direction through the Great Barrier, it was formerly considered that they marked old entrances to the sea of the present coastal rivers. This hypothesis has been abandoned since a closer examination shows that no casual connection exists between these openings in ihe Barrier and the present rivers, nor has any evidence of defined river valleys through the area been found. But the interesting fact is mentioned in Mr Hedley’s report that in the Port Curtis district the trend of the betrunked Fitzrcy River may be followed through the Barrier. The investigation is not confined to the survey and examination of the coral reefs. It includes an examination of the geblogy, natural history, meteorology land other scientific aspects of this immense natural feature. Interesting observations have already been recorded. It has been found, for example, that when the frigate bird fails lo make its prey disgorge its fish, he seizes the outstretched wing of his victim in his beak and with a jerk dislocates ti joint. From the ornithological point of view special interest lies in the enormous colonies of tropical seabirds which congregate to breed. The report states that though seabirds, excepting cormorants, arc protected, no attempt seem to be made to enforce the law', and consequently such important assets as eggs and guano Uro neglected. Surely this survey, in which many distinguished men representing all branches of science are co-operating with naval men. is as unique as the feature of the earth’s surface that they aro investigating.