1. Lesson 6: Coral future? Become an ocean explorer (ages 11-14)

2. Between 1985 and 2012 the Great Barrier Reef lost half its coral cover* * Australian Institute of Marine Science study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2012 5% lost due to bleaching 22.3% lost due to crown of thorns starfish 25.4% lost due to storm damage 47% of coral coverage remaining

3. 47% of the coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef is still healthy and able to support a wide range of life.

4. 25.4% of the Great Barrier Reef was lost due to storm damage such as Cyclone Yasi in the summer of 2010-2011.

5. 22.3% of the Great Barrier Reef was lost due to outbreaks of the crown of thorns starfish. This has been attributed to increased fertiliser use by farms near the coast.

6. 5% of the Great Barrier Reef was lost due to bleaching. This is when there is a breakdown in the relationship between the coral and the zooxanthellae caused by warming oceans.

7. Dive 6 – Coral future? -We are going to find out about the threats facing the Great Barrier Reef -This dive will be collecting information from a variety of sites and from the lab -Before you jump in, there’s a quick briefing on the range of different threats to the reef

8. High CO 2 Oceans Physical Damage Water Quality There are a range of activities to learn about threats to the coral reef…

9. Can you use what you’ve learnt to sketch how human activity harms the reef?

10. What would reef health living look like? There is pressure on the Great Barrier Reef from the development of shipping to transport coal. What do you think about this? How could farmers stop so many chemicals such as fertilisers and pesticides getting into the ocean? How could the amount of carbon dioxide emissions be reduced?

11. Dive 6 log -Complete your dive log -Consider how corals have adapted to the different conditions on the shallow reef and the deep reef. -Remember to get your buddy and dive master signatures!

12. How do you feel that your children may never see a healthy coral reef in the wild? Coral may be in terminal decline by 2048…

13. SlidePhotoCredit 4Storm damageAIMS Long-term Monitoring Team 6Bleached reefGreat Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority 9Human impact sketchDigital Explorer All other images and photos Catlin Seaview Survey Photo credits