Creating a working problem statement
To help students create a working problem statement, you may want to pose some introductory questions, such as the following:

1. Is coral reef destruction really a crisis?

2. What are some possible causes of coral reef destruction?

3. What, if any, is the role of humans in contributing to coral reef destruction?

4. What is the role of global climate change in coral reef destruction?

5. Has worldwide coral reef destruction affected global biodiversity?

What will students gain from this module?
Students should develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills appropriate for complex situations. They should come to realize that environmental issues are multifaceted and that solutions most often involve compromise.

What is the focus of this module?
This module prompts students to address coral reef destruction and think about biodiversity worldwide. Students identify possible sources of coral reef destruction, examine conflicting evidence, evaluate possible courses of action, and make recommendations. As they do this, students look at man's impact on the global environment.

What is the compelling problem that students will face in this module?
Middle School Scenario: Is the cumulative weight of human activities changing the environment and destroying coral reefs—one of Earth’s last great areas of biodiversity?

High School Scenario: What are the pros and cons of artificial reefs—are they effective in preserving biodiversity that can be lost when natural coral reefs are destroyed?

What issues will students encounter as they work through this module?
Students will encounter a variety of issues related to decision making and coral reef destruction. They will learn about the water quality parameters in which coral live—and die:

• Turbidity
• Light
• Oxygen content and biological oxygen demand (BOD)
• Nutrients
• Temperature
• Salinity
• pH
• Total suspended solids (TSS)

Students will also learn about natural and human influences on coral reefs:

• Coral diseases
• Coral bleaching
• Poor fishing practices (overfishing and hazardous fishing methods, including dynamiting and cyanide poisoning)
• Runoff and other forms of water pollution
• Human waste management (how sewage and water are treated)
• Eutrophication (the effects of increased nutrients)
• Increased temperatures (the effects of El Niño as well as human-induced thermal pollution)
• Global climate change (the effects on water temperature and depth)
• Soil erosion (the effects of sedimentation and turbidity)
• Costal development and overbuilding
• Logging

In addition, students will learn about the following topics that relate to the importance of protecting and promoting coral reefs as well as laws, guidelines, and suggestions for doing so:

• Biodiversity and gene pools
• Species extinction
• Laws governing coral reefs
• Economic factors relating to coral reefs
• Coral reef management

What is the role of remote sensing in this module?
Remote sensing images can provide significant amounts of information to evaluate the health of coral reefs, but they're frequently difficult to interpret. This imagery must be looked at over periods of time. Differences in cloud cover as well as atmospheric dust and moisture are some of the things that vary quite a bit and might affect the satellite imagery. By looking at several different types of satellite imagery over a period of time, scientists can usually make some conclusions about the health of a coral reef.

Sea surface temperatures are also important in this scenario. There are several remotely sensed parameters that are used to monitor the El Niño southern oscillation. This refers to the simultaneous change in sea level atmospheric pressure patterns (southern oscillation) and water temperatures (El Niño) that occurs in the South Pacific Ocean. Two remote sensing activities related to sea surface temperature anomalies are in the Exploring the Environment^® module, El Niño: The Child Returns.

The sea-viewing wide field-of-view sensor (SeaWIFS) is a satellite-carried sensor that has provided remotely sensed imagery for the past few years. By sensing ocean color, it can detect the growth of microscopic oceanic plants called phytoplankton, which play an important role in the carbon cycle. More chlorophyll being present also means more phytoplankton is present. SeaWIFS can also detect the growth of algal blooms. Along with the advanced very high resolution radiometer instrument on weather satellites, SeaWIFS is an important tool in assessing coral health. Here are some SeaWIFS resources:

SeaWIFS Project: Satellite imaging of ocean areas.

SeaWIFS Project: Technical report series: An overview of SeaWIFS and ocean color.

How is remote sensing used in this module?
Students are introduced to the concept of remote sensing and its application in meteorology (the study of weather) and agriculture. Students will be able to examine satellite and radar images of clouds and rain. They will also be able to examine "greenness" images that display the distribution of vegetation, such as crops, at various times throughout the year.

In addition, students will learn about climate modeling. They will learn how climatologists study current weather patterns and concentrations of atmospheric gases to make predictions of future weather patterns and atmospheric conditions.

Preparation Checklist—Have you thought of everything?

Some possible student- generated questions
The following are some questions your students might ask themselves—and you—as they address the coral reef challenge:

What are the physical requirements for coral reef formation (for example, temperature, salinity, pH, etc.)?

What are the biogeochemical cycles related to coral reef formation and maintenance?

What are the main pollutants in runoff that drains into oceans?

How do pollutants react with the corals?

What marine species live on and around coral reefs?

Are there pharmaceutical products derived from corals?

What steps can be taken to clean up the pollution and how can those steps be enforced?

What is an atoll?

What is an algal bloom?

What is eutrophication and what causes it?

What role does symbiosis play in coral formation?

What is turbidity?

What is BOD (biological oxygen demand)?

What are the natural and human influences on coral reefs?