Ecosystems at Risk – Comparative Study – Part 1 of 4 – The Great Barrier Reef

Introduction

Welcome to a four-part online comparative study for the HSC Geography topic of Ecosystems at Risk.

This is the first of the four parts. In this part, you are introduced to your first case study: The Great Barrier Reef. The second part will introduce another ecosystem, and the third and fourth parts will form the comparative study between the two ecosystems at risk. Upon the completion of the online comparative study, you should have a strong understanding and application of geographical issues with relation to ecosystems at risk, as well as two case studies to support your knowledge.

Good luck, and have fun.

Task

You have been selected to become a geography expert. As a part of your training, you have been asked to complete a comparative study of two ecosystems at risk.

The first case study that you will research is the Great Barier Reef.

Process

Open a Word document. You will complete most of the following activities in it.

Watch the following videos:

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5FztaBTgD8 align:center]

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bn2xkIJhte4 align:center]

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEWJAEkGeNk align:center]

Describe what coral is, and how it is made.

Watch the following video:

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2d5VdQzAC_Y align:center]

Use the following link for an information site about the Great Barrier Reef.

http://www.mrstevennewman.com/geo/GBR/index.html

On the left side of the page is a table of contents. Select "1.1 Location and Latitude".

Using the information from the site and the video, describe the location of the Great Barrier Reef.
Open Google Earth. Locate the Great Barrier Reef, and save a screenshot of it.

Watch the folowing video:

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn7Ie_KOWvc align:center]

Use the following link, and view the information and map presented.

http://www.coral-reef-info.com/where-are-coral-reefs-located.html

Analyse the global locations of coral reefs, and why coral reefs tend to be located there.
Evaluate how consistent the Great Barrier Reef is with the location trends for coral reefs in general.