1. Is there a problem?

2. Imagine the world losing this…

3. What is Ocean Acidification? Ocean Acidification occurs in steps… 1. CO2 is released into the atmosphere by factories, cars, etc. 2. This CO2 is then absorbed by the oceans, increasing the acid levels in the oceans. 3. This increased acidity reduces carbonate, the mineral used to form the shells and skeletons of many shellfish and corals. 4. This causes shells and corals to be weak and die.

4. Coral Reefs in Extreme Danger Corals are at the highest risk, since they need lots of carbonate to build their skeletons. The “tipping point” or extinction time of coral reefs could occur as soon as 2050. Remember that coral reefs also provide homes to many other creatures AND protect coastal areas.

5. Why does this matter? When the shells and corals die, this affects the entire ocean ecosystem around the world! If these smaller organisms are wiped out, then the larger animals that feed on them will suffer too. This will cause the entire ocean ecosystems to break down.

6. So what can we do about it? REDUCE the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere around the world! How? Create MORE marine protected areas! STOP damaging fishing practices to help ecosystems survive! Become educated so you can help teach others!

7. Assignments We will spend the next couple days learning about Ocean Acidification. Webquest is first…where you can learn more about Ocean Acidification from Internet resources. Then, as a “call to action” you will make a poster about this problem and what we can do about it!

8. Bibliography http://www.google.com/imgres?q=coral+reefs&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&tbo=d&biw=1280&bih=825&tbm=isch&tbnid=nA6Eo7Z87r9BbM:&imgref url=http://www.earthlyissues.com/coralreef.htm&docid=KXmoeIpjZXBvEM&imgurl=http://www.earthlyissues.com/images/coral_reef_florid a.jpg&w=580&h=378&ei=eLIFUfzBBMWJiwK1wID4Bw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=204&vpy=170&dur=448&hovh=181&hovw=278&tx=173&ty=115&s ig=106239844424737408371&page=1&tbnh=141&tbnw=219&start=0&ndsp=25&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0,i:153 http://www.google.com/imgres?q=coral+reefs&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&tbo=d&biw=1280&bih=825&tbm=isch&tbnid=yXg- Th5G5DYMRM:&imgrefurl=http://beauty-places.com/beautiful-coral-reefs/&docid=K_w4G7j8W4TxnM&imgurl=http://beauty- places.com/wpcontent/uploads/2012/10/Coral_reef_life_Fish_wallpapers.jpg&w=1600&h=1200&ei=eLIFUfzBBMWJiwK1wID4Bw&zoom=1&iact =hc&vpx=781&vpy=335&dur=511&hovh=190&hovw=255&tx=135&ty=96&sig=106239844424737408371&page=1&tbnh=148&tbnw=211&start=0&nd sp=25&ved=1t:429,r:23,s:0,i:225 http://www.google.com/imgres?q=coral+reefs&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&tbo=d&biw=1280&bih=825&tbm=isch&tbnid=GN6tcP2dvpz3rM:&imgref url=http://www.britannica.com/blogs/2011/03/beauty-fragility-coral-reefs-picture-essay- day/&docid=70a1S2zbfw1I2M&imgurl=http://www.britannica.com/blogs/wp- content/uploads/2011/02/Corals1.jpg&w=550&h=365&ei=eLIFUfzBBMWJiwK1wID4Bw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=320&sig=10623984442473740837 1&page=2&tbnh=134&tbnw=188&start=25&ndsp=36&ved=1t:429,r:41,s:0,i:279&tx=104&ty=38 http://www.google.com/imgres?q=coral+reefs&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&tbo=d&biw=1280&bih=825&tbm=isch&tbnid=Ymn9sHSVs_dZuM:&imgre furl=http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/feb/23/coral-reef-report-dying- danger&docid=XWldMZ55TIfTpM&imgurl=http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2011/2/23/1298488013408/Coral- reef-near-Fiji- 007.jpg&w=460&h=276&ei=eLIFUfzBBMWJiwK1wID4Bw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=420&sig=106239844424737408371&page=1&tbnh=139&tbnw= 201&start=0&ndsp=25&ved=1t:429,r:18,s:0,i:204&tx=114&ty=84 http://www.nrdc.org/oceans/acidification/