Name _______________________

David Attenborough’s Great Barrier Reef

Introduction:
Begin by opening the interactive website, and clicking explore. Watch the first video (it’s an
introduction to what you will be doing and seeing. In each chapter, you will visit a different part of
The Great Barrier Reef, and learn something about the reef, the organisms that live there, and
its potential future. At any point, if you want to navigate back and forth, use the map you will find
in the upper right corner.

The Journey:

1. Before you begin chapter 1, click on the Alucia button. Learn what you can about this vessel
and record two things that interested you.

2. Open chapter 1, The Perfect Reef. Describe two things that you learn about coral animals
(polyps) and the algae that live symbiotically with them.

3. In chapter 1, select some of the other interactives available to you and describe two things you
learn about other species that live in the great barrier reef.
 Name _______________________

4. Finally in chapter 1, stop at “The Global Destination” and describe two things you learn about
any of the annual visitors to the reefs. You can choose from minke whales, green sea turtles, or
wedge-tailed shearwaters.

5. Open up chapter 2, Understanding the Reef. After having gone through this section describe
two things you learned about the problems associated with the crown of thorns starfish.

6. Also in chapter 2, use the tools available to learn about ocean acidification and coral bleaching.
Describe one thing you learn about each.

7. Finally, in chapter 2, watch the two videos about reef geology (Discovering ancient conditions
and Reveal the Reef.) Describe two things you learned about the ancient geology of The Great
Barrier Reef and how they are studying it.

8. Open chapter 3, The Global Reef. This section is largely about how weather events and climate
affect The Great Barrier Reef. Go through it and describe two things you learned about
weather/climate trends and how they are affecting the reef.
 Name _______________________

9. Chapter 4, The Future of The Great Barrier Reef. Describe what research at Heron Island
Research Station is showing about the future of the Great Barrier Reef. Be specific to the
differences in what the reef is like today, to what it will be like in the future if no action is taken.

10. Chapter 5, Get Involved. What percent of corals have been lost in the last thirty years? What
must be done to save the rest?