Great Barrier Reef

8th Drift Street

Coral Sea, Queensland

Australia

7th of February, 2024

Dear Jimmy – the Dolphin,

Hope you are in the pink of health and enjoying your life in the Pacific Ocean. I am writing this letter to share with you the problems we are facing because of global warming and as a result melting of our glaciers. I am very fortunate to be an inhabitant of the Great Barrier Reef which is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. It is a beautiful and unique ecosystem with many diverse corals, but unfortunately it is all getting destroyed as a result of global warming.

Now let me tell you how it is getting destroyed. Human activities, like pollution from factories, vehicles and burning of non renewable fuels have added to the air pollution on Earth. This has significantly increased greenhouse gases in our atmosphere leading to rising temperatures. As you may already know, our home – the Oceans, play an important role in absorbing Earth’s heat. But as an effect of Global Warming, the temperature of Ocean Water is also rising. Corals have a protective layer of Phytoplanktons (Marine Algae) over them which is now perishing due to higher ocean temperature. This has made the corals very fragile and easily degradable. These phytoplanktons also perform photosynthesis and are responsible for creating 80% of oxygen for our planet Earth. They provide food, shelter and protection to many sea creatures including our childhood friends Jerry – the Shrimp, Squeaky – the fish, Handy – the Octopus and Shelly – the Turtle. I am afraid that if this continues the same way, marine life will soon be extinct! It is very sad that our human friends have taken the oceans for granted and have considered it as an infinite place to dump all sorts of waste. But the effects are now seen.

I recently heard from my friend, Bubble – the polar bear who lives in the Antarctic. He depends on sea ice to walk over it in search of his food – seals. As this sheet of ice is becoming thinner and smaller, he is facing challenges in hunting for his food. Seals and Walruses also need this surface to rest, reproduce and protect themselves from bigger marine predators. The glaciers are melting due to global warming leading to rise in sea levels. These glaciers helped to maintain Earth’s temperature by reflecting back heat into the atmosphere. But now its getting difficult.

With this I end my letter, I would like to hear your concerns too.

Your dear friend,
Tom – the Sea Horse