Coral Bleaching & Acidification
Explain the mutualistic symbiosis between coral polyps and photosynthetic zooxanthellae; describe how heat stress causes bleaching (corals expel zooxanthellae and turn white); explain ocean acidification chemistry: CO2 dissolves in seawater to form carbonic acid, lowering pH and dissolving calcium carbonate skeletons; connect reef loss to the collapse of habitat for ~25% of marine species; evaluate current reef restoration efforts
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“Has your child heard of coral bleaching? Can they explain what's actually happening to the coral — what breaks down between the coral and the tiny algae living inside it, and why warmer or more acidic water triggers this?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Conceptual
- Subject
- Science
- Domain
- Ocean Life
- Age range
- Ages 12–13