BACKGROUND:
A coral's living requirements can help one predict
where large numbers of coral may live in the world. They need shallow
water that is clean (sediment free) and prefer warm water. Using
these requirements have students look on a map and predict where corals
live.
PROCEDURE:
- Go over with students where warm
ocean currents may occur on the World Placemats. Warm water would
be found around the equator especially.
- If you have a Hydrographic Globe, have students identify
shallow areas. This would be around the Carribean, Australia, Bering
Sea, Arctic Sea and Mediterranean to name a few.
- See if students can locate sediment free area.
A clue would be that no large rivers would be close.
- If students can find these three parameters, then they
should be able to predict where corals live. Remember, that there
may be submerged islands that can also be good for coral growth
Bering Sea and Arctic Sea are too cold; Mediterranean is too
polluted. The Pacific and Atlantic both have shallow areas.
The map below delineates areas that have large coral reefs.
Shaded areas are where coral reefs are presently
found.
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