Jessica Wetzel, The Ohio State University’s Sustainability in North Queensland 2016 student blogger, writes:

One of the most popular tourist attractions in the world exists just off the coast of Australia: The Great Barrier Reef. The reef is iconic to the country and is known for its beauty. What people don’t realize, and what we have learned about on this trip is our impact on this natural landmark.

A huge issue is the large presence of algae on the coral, an imbalance that is a result of human activity. A large-scale solution would be for each person to reduce their carbon footprint, which can be done in several ways, from reducing the amount of red meat we eat to using reusable water bottles and coffee cups. However, my group had the opportunity to make a more direct change, by physically removing algae from a quadrat of the reef.

We learned how to snorkel and also how to effectively remove the algae in several ways. Not only did I learn an incredible amount from marine biologist, Dr. Adam Smith, but I had fun doing so and I was able to make a difference. To spread the word to locals on this opportunity to help, the Ohio State students and I were able to collectively write an article and were published in the local newspaper, which was possibly the coolest part of the entire experience.