Coral Reefs Module: Cycle A Group
22 February 2010
Group 1
Ashley George
Kayla Abrott
Abigail Grove
Taylor Delph
James Cannariato
PBL Step 1: Read and analyze the scenario and situation.
Coral reef scientists and managers from 45 countries met in October 2006 at the
International Tropical Marine Ecosystems Management Symposium (ITMEMS) conference
in Cozumel, Mexico. There they reported the emerging impacts of climate change on coral
reef ecosystems. Their official statement: "There is no longer any doubt that the Earth's
climate is changing, causing rapidly warming seas and ocean acidification. Warming seas
are causing increased mass coral bleaching and mortality, with little evidence that corals
and their symbionts can evolve fast enough to keep pace." The International Coral Reef
Initiative (ICRI) has approached your team to conduct a thorough assessment of the risk
and vulnerability of coral reefs to climate change. ICRI is particularly interested in your
recommendations of how to deal with the situation. They plan to use your
recommendations for a major campaign to promote reef conservation during the 2008
International Year of the Reef.
PBL Step 2: List personal understanding, ideas, or hunches.
Abigail
There is a lot of animal and plant life living among the coral reefs. The animal life includes
many different species of fish, and the plant life includes lots of colorful species of coral,
among other species of underwater plants. This coral and other plant life provides a habitat
for lots of life. This coral survives best in salt water rather than in fresh water. Coral reefs
thrives with loads of sunlight, mainly in clear, shallow water. I think that coral reefs have
been going extinct for the last decade or so. This could be due to the fact that humans have
developed the coasts near the coral reefs.
Ashley
Coral reefs are like the garden beds of the ocean. They are colorful, expansive growths that
rest on the ocean’s bottom. Most coral reefs are visible when they are located on a sandbar,
where the ocean floor is very high, revealing sand from an aerial view. Coral reefs have a
wide variety of color and looked like plant-shaped aerated rocks. I do not know what coral
reefs are actually composed of. Coral reefs are living organisms and take a very long time to
develop. When I went snorkeling in Hawaii, our instructor told us that just the reef grows
about 5 centimeters a year. Keep in mind that coral reefs can be larger than a football field,
with the largest one found being 6000 years old. For this slow growth rate reason, it is very
important that snorkelers do not damage the coral reef by stepping down with their
flippers.
The coral reef is home to a large population of smaller fish and other undersea animals. The
coral reef protects the prey from larger fish and other predators because they cannot fit
into the small holes of the reef.
A>E: The growth of the coral reef is dependent upon the amount of sunlight it receives.
H>E: The ocean water creates a hospitable growing environment for the coral reefs.
E>B: The coral reef provides shelter and protection for fish from their various predators
that cannot fit into the small concaves of the reef.
Kayla
 Coral reefs are found only in tropical and semitropical areas of the world, and
generally within 30 degrees of the equator
 Reefs need lots of sunlight so they grow best in sunny, shallow, clear water
 They prefer salt water, and they do poorly in areas that have lots of river runoff, silt
can cover or muddy the water
 The best temperature for coral reefs is between 25 and 31 degrees Celsius, and the
salinity level is between 34 and 37 parts per 1,000.
 The current coral reefs are result from production that occurred over the past five
to ten thousand years.
 Coral reefs play an important role of providing a food source and a living for many
people, especially people of developing nations such as the Philippines and the
Dominican Republic.
 Anticancer drugs and painkillers have been developed from coral reef products.
 As of 2005, an estimated 20% of the world’s coral reefs had been effectively
destroyed, another 24% face risk of collapse as a result of human pressures, and
26% face longer term loss.
 Scientists believe most reef destruction occurs because of both natural (severe
weather) and human pressures (fishing and coastal development).
 When disease or stressful environmental conditions strike a coral reef colony the
polyps expel their algae. This algae makes the coral appear pale.
Taylor
 Coral reefs are found mainly in tropical climates. Thus at or near the equator.
 Coral reefs are comprised of small animals called polyps. They look like small alien
hands. They die and new ones come live on top of them until they eventually form the
reefs.
 They thrive in shallow warm water.
 They need saltwater. Tend to not grow where there is a lot of freshwater imput.
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Sunshine is a crucial part of their survival. If waters become clouded with sediment or
other particles, it becomes very hard for them to survive.
It takes a long time for coral to form. It is a process that takes thousands of years. I also
know that coral reefs are being degenerated and cannot grow back fast enough to
regenerate.
They are often equated to the rainforests of the sea.
I also know that Al Gore mentions them playing an important part of the carbon cycle in
his movie/powerpoint presentation.
Coral reefs provide habitat for many know and unknown underwater species.
Like rainforests, it is believed coral reefs may possess unknown cures to sicknesses and
diseases.
Largest coral reef is the Great Barrier Reef near Australia.
James
I know that coral reefs are one of the most diverse and fragile ecosystems on the planet.
Occurring primarily in Salty, Warm water (ie: The Tropics), there is a biological diversity
equaled only by the rainforest. The ecosystem is built primarily upon coral, which are “live
rock” organisms, which secrete substances to expand outward. Coral are extremely
colorful, and some are even poisonous. Coral Reefs are home to all sorts of marine and
aquatic life, harboring an incredibly variety of fish, sea turtles, sea horses, sharks, and
crustaceans. The environment is also extremely fragile, so it is important that humans take
every precaution to preserve this ecological treasure.
PBL Step 3: Our ESS Analysis
Ashley
A>E: The growth of the coral reef is dependent upon the amount of sunlight it receives.
H>E: The ocean water creates a hospitable growing environment for the coral reefs.
E>B: The coral reef provides shelter and protection for fish from their various predators
that cannot fit into the small concaves of the reef.
B>E: When humans snorkel in coral reefs they damage the coral and cause it to die.
Abby
Hydrosphere:
Coral reefs exist above and below sea level in the water. They grow best in sunny, shallow,
clear water. They prefer salt water. Water matters a lot to coral reefs, because a whole reef
can die off if the water salinity is off balance, or if there is too much fresh water.
Lithosphere:
Coral reefs do poorly in areas where there is a lot of river runoff. Silt can cover a whole reef
or muddy the water, blocking the sunlight, and causing the reef to get “sick”.
Atmosphere:
The sun plays a huge role in the life and health of a coral reef. If the reef does not get a lot of
sun, then the coral can become unhealthy, changing the life cycle of the animals and plants
involved, thus damaging the reef and causing it to die as well.
Biosphere:
Coral reefs are comprised of 800 known species of reef-building coral worldwide and
hundreds of species of soft corals and deep-sea corals. Coral reefs are home to more than
one quarter of the ocean’s whole biodiversity. The number of reef species is unknown,
although estimates range from 600,000 to 9 million. The coral in a coral reef resemble
plants characteristically, but they are actually animals. The coral are fed by plankton and
sunlight.
A delicate balance also has to be maintained between the animals that feed on and live
among the reefs. If any of these factors are thrown out of whack, the polyps in the reef will
be eaten away by predators, devastated by disease, or simply become so stressed that they
die. The reef then provides nesting areas and hiding spots for numerous species of small
fish and invertebrates. These in turn attract larger animals to the reef in search of food.
Kayla
 Coral bleaching = when light reflects off sand rather than coral, and the loss of algae
causes the coral to turn white.
 Coral reefs are vulnerable to elevated temperatures, when coral expel their algae
(A>H>Coral)
 Coral reefs can recover from bleaching, but often there is a high mortality rate
 Green house gases in the atmosphere can raise global temperatures, which in turn
can raise water temperatures and is a large contributor to coral bleaching.
(A>H>Coral)
 Oceanic currents in the Atlantic Ocean can cause a rise in temperatures in other
waters, may be due to volcanic activity.
James
E>A>H>B: Global Warming causes an increase in water temperature. The coral are
extremely fragile and in response to the increase in water temp. die off.
E>H>B: A decrease in the salinity of the water causes the coral to become infected, and in
turn destroy the coral reef.
E>H>B: An increase in freshwater from a newly formed river dumping into the ocean near
the reef causes pollutants to cloud the water, causing a decrease in sunlight to reach the
coral reefs. This in turn kills the coral.
E>B: The increase of global temperature causes the coral to die off. In response, all of the
other living organisms, such as fish and plants die off as well
Taylor
(L>H>E) In the case of volcanoes erupting, this would contribute to global cooling. Global
cooling would in turn cause ocean waters to cool, making it hard for coral to grow and
possibly even killing it.
(B>H>E) Humans produce many pollutants that become diluted in our oceans, lakes and
rivers whether by direct input, runoff, or evaporation into clouds. These chemicals destroy
the delicate polyps or kill the algae that live on top of the coral, in which the coral feeds.
(B>L>E) Deforestation causes an extra amount of runoff to occur with increased amounts
of debris and other particles into oceans. This can cloud the waters above the coral,
preventing them to receive adequate amount of sunlight that they need to survive.
(E>A) In the event of coral reefs deteriorating at the significant rate they are, the less CO2
they will use to make calcium carbonate. The less CO2 they use, the more will be in our
atmosphere, which will contribute to global warming.
(An>E) Many coral reefs located in developing countries do not have very many regulations
or prevention standards set in place to protect the coral. Thus, many tourists, locals, and
poor sewage treatment harm the reefs.
(H>L) Coral reefs help break waves’ strength coming onto shore. Without them, the coast
lines would be much more vulnerable to powerful waves, which can erode the land, destroy
communities, and destroy even more coral reefs.
PBL Step 4: List what is unknown.
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What is main makeup of coral reefs?
What type of marine life call coral reefs their home?
Why do coral reefs develop different colors?
What can we do to release human pressures on coral reefs? What exactly do we do
to cause pressure in the first place?
How exactly do coral reefs play a part in the carbon cycle?
What material are coral reefs made out of?
How do coral reefs form?
Where do coral reefs form?
Why do coral reefs take so long to form?
What different colors make up the coral reef?
How do oil spills affect coral reef growth and health?
Do coral reefs need sunlight to grow? What else do they need to exist?
What kinds of fish live in the coral reef?
Are coral reef edges sharp?
What can destroy coral reefs?
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Are there any dangers in coral reefs?
Where is the largest coral reef located?
Do coral reefs only form in tropical atmospheres?
Are coral reefs documented (size, location, growth rate)?
Can scientists simulate the growth of coral reefs and make manmade coral reefs?
Are coral reefs able to survive extremely low in the ocean or is the temperature too
cold?
What do coral reefs feed off of?
Why do coral reefs have small holes?
What types of organisms live in the small holes?
What impacts do humans have on the sustainability of coral reefs?
What is a reef?
How do coral survive? Do coral eat?
What kind of animals and other plant life live among coral? Do those plants and
animals help the coral survive in any ways?
What makes coral reefs important to the greater ecosystem?
What is the global increase in temperature?
How many different species of coral exist?
Is there a genetically modified type of coral that we can introduce that will be more
resistant to the increase in temperature?
What are other countries beside the US doing to protect these biological
Disneyland’s?
PBL Step 5: List what needs to be done.
Our team is going to address the effect of climate change on coral reefs. We have divided up
different areas of research to study and present on. Abby will begin our presentation by
giving a brief overview of coral reefs and what environment they need to survive. Ashley
will talk about the three different types of coral reefs and how climate change may affect
them in unique ways. Kayla, Taylor, and James will continue the presentation with hazards
to coral reefs such as coral bleaching, ocean acidification, and human abuse, and how those
are related to climate change.
PBL Step 6: Develop a problem statement.
By developing a clearer understanding of the environmental necessities of coral reefs, we
will begin to understand the effects of coral bleaching, ocean acidification, and human
abuse in relation to climate change. Based on our understandings we will assess the risk
and vulnerability of coral reefs to climate change and present our recommendations of how
to deal with the situation.