coral reefs

Often during travels I do my best to explore coral reefs. Coral reefs are my favorite subject to tie in Chemistry and Biology into real world lessons, through a lens of environmental chemistry. I’ve compiled some image of the organisms that exist in the different spaces visited.

Coral reefs are filled with wild life and provide shelter and nutrients to a wide variety of sea animals. Many coral reefs are essential in maintaining a healthy ecosystem within the ocean from invisible bacteria to large sharks to have enough prey to consume. Coral reefs are also essential in balancing carbon dioxide levels. As the reefs are formed from calcium carbonate, the same material that exists at the foundation of seashells.

In most recent visit to Phuket there were several crab. The crab I found to be blue swimming crab, popular in the Indo-Pacific. First I noticed the abandoned shells that are creating a layer on the rocks themselves, it was fascinating, a little disturbing but looked part of the rocks. The crabs were seen in the early morning in a protected part of the beach. The shells form on the natural rocks and enlarge them overtime. The shells are filled before being fossilized by other crustaceans as they outgrow their shells.

Also while in Phuket were several jelly fish, the jelly fish would wash ashore the local beaches. Some beaches were set to be a hazard becaue so many jelly fish were in the shallow waters. The fish were washed up by excessive winds, but just the jelly fish were in the shallow waters.

The other coral reef visited this year was in Akumal, Mexico. The first thing I noticed in Akumal was the excessive bleacing in the water. Bleaching meaning that it was not very lush and green, just a few fish a tortoises. There were several people on the beach making the bleaching possibly due to human contamination. Because of the bleaching in the plants in displays a lack of nutrients. Which explains the few fish, but there were a few tortise existing in the space. The tortises can consume the grass and are free from larger predators.

The only fish in Akumal were blue fish, Blue Tang fish. The fish were in a small school and were able floating right about the grass in relationship with the tortoises. The coral reefs that I observed were not as lustrous yet this year, but using travel in lessons about relationships between living organisms as well as a balanced ecosystem could spark deeper conversation in the classroom. And to ignite learners with a world view perspective.