File:Australia and the Great Barrier Reef (MODIS 2018-04-30).jpg

English: One of the most easily recognizable and unique landforms of Australia, the Cape York Peninsula juts about 500 miles (800 km) northward from the Jardine River to the Torres Strait. The “Tip” –as it is sometimes called - lays claim to the only international border in Australia, with the northernmost post laying only 80 miles (129 km) south of Papua New Guinea. Traditionally the land of indigenous Australians, Cape York is home to three world heritage sites: the Wet Tropics of Queensland, Riversleigh (the country’s largest fossil mammal site), and the Great Barrier Reef.

The Great Barrier Reef stretches about 1,700 miles (2,300 km) along the northeastern coast of Australia. It contains more than 3,000 separate reefs and cays and is one of the most complex natural ecosystems on Earth. The Reef provides homes to thousands of animal species ranging from microscopic plankton to massive whales as well as approximately 600 types of corals.

According to a number of sources, including BBC News Australia, in recent years the reef has lost roughly 30% of its coral due to damage from a number of hazards, such as rising sea level temperatures, predation by the crown-of-thorn starfish, and pesticide, nitrogen, and sediment runoff. Aerial surveys in 2017 gave evidence of coral bleaching to about two-thirds of the reef.

On April 29, 2018, the Australian government announced their renewed commitment to rescue and restore the Great Barrier Reef. According to the New York Times, Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg said that 500 million Australian dollars ($379 million US) would be set aside to help the reef after years of devastating damage from warming waters caused by climate change. “We’ll be improving the monitoring of the reef’s health and the measurement of its impacts,” Mr. Frydenberg was reported to have said. “The more we understand about the reef, the better we can protect it.” The money is slated to be used to improve water quality, control the predatory starfish, and invest in coral restoration, as well as to enhance underwater monitoring of the reef ecosystem.

On April 26, 2018, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of the Cape York Peninsula and the Great Barrier Reef.