NASA Earth Blog #9

Oct 20, 2016

Great Barrier Reef

Heron Island: Like Nowhere Else on Earth

Heron Island is a 42-acre coral cay located within the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, 45 miles (72 kilometers) off the coast of Queensland, Australia. It is surrounded by a 5-mile-long (8-kilometer-long) platform reef that drains at low tide to form a large lagoon around the island.

reef along heron island Australia Great Barrier Reef — Reef off the shore of Heron Island. Credit: Jim Round/NASA JPL

First discovered in 1843, Heron Island housed a turtle canning factory in the 1920s, but today it is best known as a popular destination for tourists and researchers alike. It was declared a national park in 1943. The island includes a resort and the Heron Island Research Station, Australia’s largest university marine research facility, which is operated by the University of Queensland. The station is involved in research and education on marine sciences and the marine environment.

specimen tanks at Heron Island Research Station in Australia — Specimen tanks at Heron Island Research Station. Credit: Alan Buis/NASA JPL

Heron Island and its surrounding reef teem with life, including sea turtles, whales, sharks, rays, sea cucumbers, sea stars, Christmas tree worms, sea hares, algae, many other varieties of fish, crabs, shrimp, and of course many different species of coral. Named after the reef herons seen feeding on the reef flats, the island is a bird haven: In the summer its bird population is estimated at around 200,000. Flora include grasses, herbs and trees.

by Alan Buis / OFF HERON ISLAND, QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA /