Coral Bleaching Lab:
Dear Student, Are you fascinated by coral reefs where every surface, nook, and cranny is bursting with life. These oases of life are found around the tropics, where sunlight and sea surface temperatures are fairly even throughout the year. But there’s a problem - rising ocean temperatures are seriously affecting the health of coral reefs. Your job will be to investigate the consequences of rising temperature on reefs around the planet. Let’s begin by investigating the locations of coral reefs around the world and the temperature range in which they can survive. A map of coral reef locations around the world. Use this website (Click Here) to access the different levels you'll be researching and answering questions.
Part A - Investigating locations of coral reefs around the world. Click on Level 1, complete the activities and questions below:
1. Generally, coral reefs are found in shallow waters between ______ degrees N latitude and ______ degrees S latitude.
2. In the United States, coral reefs are located off the coasts of which states?
3. Corals have a limited temperature range within which they can live. Most corals survive in what temperature range (use degrees Celsius.)
Part B - Measuring water that is warmer than normal. Your mission! An oceanic heat wave is causing severe coral bleaching at reefs across the globe. It’s the worst bleaching event in history. To what extent are the corals on the Great Barrier Reef at risk? You have been selected to join a team of scientists who will analyze temperature data to find out. Can you locate the Great Barrier Reef from space? Click on Level 2 and scroll down to the activity titled ‘Measuring Water That Is Warmer Than Normal.’ The graph shows real temperature data (collected by satellites) along the Great Barrier Reef during Summer 2017. Use the graph to answer the questions below:
4A. On the Great Barrier Reef, how warm does the water need to be for corals to bleach?
4B. How many weeks did the temperatures exceed the ‘bleaching limit’?
4C. How many degrees above the bleaching limit did the sea surface temperature rise during the week of Feb 18th, 2017?
5. Are the corals on the Great Barrier Reef at high risk, moderate risk or low risk of bleaching due to heat stress? Use the temperature data to explain your answer.
6. As you work through Level 2, keep a list of questions that you have about coral bleaching in the table provided in the performance task.
Part C - Identifying the effects of coral bleaching on coral reefs around the world. Your mission: Congratulations! You have been selected to join a team of scientists who will be investigating the health of coral reefs around the world. Your current mission is to look for evidence of coral bleaching and mortality at four reefs in the Pacific Ocean. Put on your goggles and get ready to take the plunge. Visit the reefs using the map in Level 3. Making Observations. Click on Level 3 and read all the text until you get to the activity titled ‘Identifying the Effect of Bleaching on Coral Reefs.’ Make sure you understand what healthy, bleached, and dead coral look like. Once you get to the 'Identifying the Effect of Bleaching on Coral Reefs' use the map tool to visit each of the four coral reefs in the western Pacific. Examine the photos and complete the table in the performance task. As an example, Reef #1 is partly completed for you.
7. Complete information for Reef #1
8. Complete information for Reef #2
9. Complete information for Reef #3
10. Complete information for Reef #4
11. How many of the reefs you visited showed signs of bleaching?
12. Has the health of these coral reefs changed over time? If yes, describe the changes you observed.
13. If you were a scientist, what more would you want to know to better understand coral bleaching?
14. What is one way that you could more accurately measure the amount of coral bleaching taking place at these locations?
Part D - Monitoring coral reefs in the world. Your mission: You and a team of scientists are setting out to monitor coral health at different locations in the Pacific Ocean. The data that you collect will be used by managers and government officials who protect these coral reefs. Put on your scuba gear and dive in with a clipboard, data sheet and a tool called a quadrat in order to collect data that will help to begin to track the health of corals at these locations. In this part you'll be answering the question: How much coral reef is dead? How much is bleached? Click on Level 3 and scroll down to the activity titled ‘Monitoring Coral Health Using Quadrat Sampling.’ Click on your assigned reef to monitor. See breakout room assignments below. Follow the online instructions, and record your data in the performance task tables. When you're done collecting data, calculate the percent dead and bleached.
Breakout Room Assignments:
Breakout Room 1: Reef 2
Breakout Room 2: Reef 3
Breakout Room 3: Reef 4
Breakout Room 4: Reef 2
Breakout Room 5: Reef 3
Breakout Room 6: Reef 4
Breakout Room 7: Reef 2
Breakout Room 8: Reef 3
Breakout Room 9: Reef 4
Part A - Investigating locations of coral reefs around the world. Click on Level 1, complete the activities and questions below:
1. Generally, coral reefs are found in shallow waters between ______ degrees N latitude and ______ degrees S latitude.
2. In the United States, coral reefs are located off the coasts of which states?
3. Corals have a limited temperature range within which they can live. Most corals survive in what temperature range (use degrees Celsius.)
Part B - Measuring water that is warmer than normal. Your mission! An oceanic heat wave is causing severe coral bleaching at reefs across the globe. It’s the worst bleaching event in history. To what extent are the corals on the Great Barrier Reef at risk? You have been selected to join a team of scientists who will analyze temperature data to find out. Can you locate the Great Barrier Reef from space? Click on Level 2 and scroll down to the activity titled ‘Measuring Water That Is Warmer Than Normal.’ The graph shows real temperature data (collected by satellites) along the Great Barrier Reef during Summer 2017. Use the graph to answer the questions below:
4A. On the Great Barrier Reef, how warm does the water need to be for corals to bleach?
4B. How many weeks did the temperatures exceed the ‘bleaching limit’?
4C. How many degrees above the bleaching limit did the sea surface temperature rise during the week of Feb 18th, 2017?
5. Are the corals on the Great Barrier Reef at high risk, moderate risk or low risk of bleaching due to heat stress? Use the temperature data to explain your answer.
6. As you work through Level 2, keep a list of questions that you have about coral bleaching in the table provided in the performance task.
Part C - Identifying the effects of coral bleaching on coral reefs around the world. Your mission: Congratulations! You have been selected to join a team of scientists who will be investigating the health of coral reefs around the world. Your current mission is to look for evidence of coral bleaching and mortality at four reefs in the Pacific Ocean. Put on your goggles and get ready to take the plunge. Visit the reefs using the map in Level 3. Making Observations. Click on Level 3 and read all the text until you get to the activity titled ‘Identifying the Effect of Bleaching on Coral Reefs.’ Make sure you understand what healthy, bleached, and dead coral look like. Once you get to the 'Identifying the Effect of Bleaching on Coral Reefs' use the map tool to visit each of the four coral reefs in the western Pacific. Examine the photos and complete the table in the performance task. As an example, Reef #1 is partly completed for you.
7. Complete information for Reef #1
8. Complete information for Reef #2
9. Complete information for Reef #3
10. Complete information for Reef #4
11. How many of the reefs you visited showed signs of bleaching?
12. Has the health of these coral reefs changed over time? If yes, describe the changes you observed.
13. If you were a scientist, what more would you want to know to better understand coral bleaching?
14. What is one way that you could more accurately measure the amount of coral bleaching taking place at these locations?
Part D - Monitoring coral reefs in the world. Your mission: You and a team of scientists are setting out to monitor coral health at different locations in the Pacific Ocean. The data that you collect will be used by managers and government officials who protect these coral reefs. Put on your scuba gear and dive in with a clipboard, data sheet and a tool called a quadrat in order to collect data that will help to begin to track the health of corals at these locations. In this part you'll be answering the question: How much coral reef is dead? How much is bleached? Click on Level 3 and scroll down to the activity titled ‘Monitoring Coral Health Using Quadrat Sampling.’ Click on your assigned reef to monitor. See breakout room assignments below. Follow the online instructions, and record your data in the performance task tables. When you're done collecting data, calculate the percent dead and bleached.
Breakout Room Assignments:
Breakout Room 1: Reef 2
Breakout Room 2: Reef 3
Breakout Room 3: Reef 4
Breakout Room 4: Reef 2
Breakout Room 5: Reef 3
Breakout Room 6: Reef 4
Breakout Room 7: Reef 2
Breakout Room 8: Reef 3
Breakout Room 9: Reef 4
15. Complete the reef table assigned to you in your performance task. You will be specifically completing the data for the 10 yellow squares that were randomly selected for each reef. Use the example for Reef #1 to help guide you.
16. In the area you monitored, approximately how much coral is dead? Approximately how much of the living coral is bleached?
17. In order to monitor the health of this reef over time, you need to collect more data. How often do you think you should return to collect data (weekly, monthly, yearly)? And during which seasons? Why?
16. In the area you monitored, approximately how much coral is dead? Approximately how much of the living coral is bleached?
17. In order to monitor the health of this reef over time, you need to collect more data. How often do you think you should return to collect data (weekly, monthly, yearly)? And during which seasons? Why?