ACTIVITIES BOOK - Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority

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the first three posters and completed some of the activities.Flow-on effects from climate change will impact every aspect of the ecosystem. For example, ifcorals are wiped out by bleaching, fish and invertebrates will lose their homes. If plankton isaffected by ocean acidification, the entire food web could be destroyed.What you will need:1. butcher’s paper, clear glass (with whiteboardpens), a black or white board, or a smartboardInstructions:A futures wheel is a visual way ofbrainstorming a complicated topic. The topicor issue is placed in the centre, and theconsequences placed in the next ring. Theknock on effects of these consequences inthe next ring, and the final ring would bethe likely long-term outcomes of the seriesof events. The final ring might contain thelong-term worst and best case scenarios.You could also divide the wheel in two halveswith the ‘worst’ and ‘best’ case outcomes oneither side. This activity may be completed in aclass, in small groups or as individuals.Students should discuss the topic of climate change andfocus on its impacts on the Great Barrier Reef. Flow-oneffects would include impacts on plants, animals, coastal communitiesand reef-related industries.If the students need prompting, try incorporating the following discussionquestions in the brainstorming activity:• What might happen to Queensland reef industries (liketourism or fishing) if the Reef is not as productive or pretty asit once was?• What might happen to coastal towns, marinas, wharves,ports and jetties if sea levels rise?• What might happen to beaches, mangroves, rivers andwetlands if sea levels rise?• What might happen to towns in cyclone prone areas(including all of Queensland) if the severity and frequency ofstorms increases? What about islands?Try to incorporate locally relevant questions or discuss specificimpacts on your town or nearby marine ecosystems.Bright idea: Show studentsthe GBRMPA animations‘Impacts of Climate Change’(provided on Reef BeatDVD) and run a classdiscussion on shifting baselines and howthis idea applies to the Reef. Whatdoes shifting baselines mean? Abaseline is a reference point from thepast – how things used to be. If weallow these reference points to shift,we lose track of our standards andeventually accept the degraded stateas being ‘natural’. For example, what ifpeople of the future only ever see ableached reef? How will they knowwhat reefs used to be like? If we don’tknow what reefs used to be like, howcan we know how healthy they aretoday? Discuss the ways in whichclimate change could alter the Reef andcome up with ways to ensure thatfuture generations never lose sight ofthe benchmark or reference we havetoday. What are some ways to measurethe state of the Great Barrier Reef asit is today and preserve this knowledgefor the future?9Reef Beat 2009 - Climate Change and the Reef
Reef Beat Poster 4 – Ocean acidificationKey messages of Poster 4: The key issue in this poster is the fact that changes in oceanchemistry are likely to have a huge impact on corals, shelled animals and plankton (which formthe basis of marine food-chains). Ocean acidification is already slowing coral growth and isexpected to make corals, shells and some animal skeletons brittle and fragile. It may also impactlarval development.Related resources:• Reef Beat Poster 4• ‘Ocean acidification’ animation (provided on Reef Beat DVD)www.gbrmpa.gov.auwww.reefed.gov.au• Natural Resources Defense Councilwww.nrdc.org/The Natural Resources Defense Council contributed to the ocean acidification poster.Explore issues relating to global warming and the effects on our oceans.• Ocean acidification networkwww.ocean-acidification.net/This site is quite technical but has lots of good information.• Australian online coastal informationwww.ozcoasts.org.au/indicators/ocean_acid.jsp• Ridgeway School pupils create climate change animationwww.youtube.com/watch?v=4HZNhIc2wQ8A great claymation on ocean acidification. Created by students for students.Also a good idea for a class project.• Impacts of ocean acidification on coral reefs and other marine calcifierswww.ucar.edu/communications/Final_acidification.pdfActivity 1: Grow a sugar reefKey learning objective: Students will gain an understanding of how corals grow to form a reefand will learn about the impacts that ocean acidification will have on coral growth. This activityoffers an excellent introduction to acid-base chemistry and can easily be incorporated into achemistry unit.Background: Corals use a mineral called calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) to make their skeletons(other marine animals need calcium carbonate to form their shells). This is similar to teeth andbones needing calcium to be strong. Calcium carbonate is naturally present in the ocean butocean acidification is depleting this important mineral, causing shells and corals to become weakand brittle – the effect is similar to osteoporosis in humans. Here’s what’s happening on achemical level:Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in the atmosphere is absorbed by the oceans. When carbon dioxide ismixed with water it creates carbonic acid:carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) + water (H 2 O) = carbonic acid (H 2 CO 3 )More carbonic acid (H 2 CO 3 ) in the ocean is making it more acidic. This process is known asocean acidification. As the oceans become more acidic, some of the calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 )that would have been available for shell or coral-building, forms a buffer to neutralise the acid(H 2 CO 3 ).10Reef Beat 2009 - Climate Change and the Reef
Page 3: Notes for TeachersReef Beat: Climat
Page 6: Reef Beat Poster 1 - What is climat
Page 9 and 10: Reef Beat Poster 2 - Coral Bleachin
Page 11 and 12: music (musical intelligence)Create
Page 13: 1mWhat you will need:1. topographic
Page 17 and 18: Instructions:1) Add lots of sugar t
Page 20: corers). You might ask students to
Page 23 and 24: What you will need:1. the world map
Page 25 and 26: adulthood. While the turtles are gr
Page 27 and 28: Reef Beat Poster 8 - Seabirds are f
Page 30 and 31: What you will need:1. rope or chalk
Page 33 and 34: taking to help combat these pressur
Page 35 and 36: Reef Beat Poster 10 - What you can
Page 37 and 38: environmental actions that have alr
Page 39 and 40: GLOSSARY OF TERMSacid - scientists
Page 41: sustainability - in an ecological c

ACTIVITIES BOOK - Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority

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