25/04/2020

INVESTIGATING AN ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE

Year 9 Geography Report.

coral reefs 1

Coral Reefs

Coral reef are the Tropical Rainforests of the sea They are under threat from a variety of human and physical factors.

There have been strategies proposed to save them 25/04/2020 coral reefs 2

Task

To research the coral reef ecosystem using internet sites.

To write a report on the threats to the coral reefs ecosystem and some of the possible solutions. (This could be in the form of a fact sheet.) 25/04/2020 coral reefs 3

What is coral?

Corals are tiny animals, called polyps, that are related to and look like sea anemones. Each coral secretes a stony cup of limestone around itself as a skeleton. The polyps divide as they grow and form coral colonies. As the coral colonies build up on top of each other, they gradually form a coral reef. Individual coral colonies may be up to 1000 years old. Coral reefs may be many thousands of years old. 25/04/2020 coral reefs 4

Where is coral found?

Coral reefs grow in warm, sunny, regions, mainly between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, extending further north and south only where there are warm currents. They cover an estimated 300,000 - 600,000 sq km, and are found in the waters of over 100 countries 25/04/2020 coral reefs 5

Your Task – to write a report which should include ..

What is coral?

Where are coral reefs located.

Why are coral reefs important?

Why are the under threat?

What is being done to conserve them?

Resources – word documents in Year9 Geography folder Internet sites – www.coralreef.org/coralreefinfo/ www.wcmc.org.uk/marine.data/coral_mangrove www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/marine/what_we _do/coral_reefs/about/ 25/04/2020 coral reefs 6