Natural Wonders
THE GREAT BARRIER REEF
Captain
Cook had set out to explore the south Pacific in 1768 from England. In 1770 his
ship the Endeavour was stuck fast on the Great Barrier Reef. Beneath the warm
dear sea off the Queensland in Australia one can see strangle colourful gardens.
These are not full of flowers but coral reefs, made of tiny tube shaped animals
called coral polyps. As old polyps die the young polyps build new cups and raise
a wide rocky ridge just hidden by the waves.
This
is the world’s longest and largest coral reef stretching about 2010 kilometers.
The reef is also full of marine life from shellfish to much larger whale
sharks.
This fragile area is subject to climate change, pollution and human interference which are often found 50 kilometers off shore.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCQ2IwFuwxE
NORTHERN LIGHTS
Night skies are typically aglow with twinkling stars and planets and the occasional streak of a meteor or the tail of a comet, but in the northern and southern reaches of this planet, a different celestial experience is commonplace. The earth is a giant magnet, because it also has a magnetic field. This field guides the particles in the solar wind towards the poles of the earth. Near the poles these particles come down into our atmosphere. On a clear night they cause a bright moving curtain of light in the sky. The curtain is called Auroras. Near the North Pole they are called the northern lights or Aurora Borealis. Near the South Pole they are called the southern lights or Aurora Australis. They are shimmering sheets of light which have been watched by many with awe and respect. These dramatic phosphorescent lights are over the night sky producing feelings of magic and wonder. Only the northern portion is designated a wonder of the natural world.
