Last week, Year 11 Marine students had the opportunity to expand their skills set to perform a set of snorkelling procedures to allow them to conduct transects and investigations into the factors affecting coral reef ecology. This will assist with their assessment task when we visit Lady Musgrave next year.
Participation in a range of experiments and investigations will allow students to progressively develop their suite of science inquiry skills while gaining an enhanced appreciation of the relationship between environmental change and the capacity of organisms to adapt. An understanding of coral reef ecology and the connectivity between marine ecosystems allows students to appreciate the processes of reef development and change. Throughout the unit, students will develop skills in conducting real or virtual laboratory work and carrying out spatial or temporal change investigations. They will construct and use models to describe and interpret data about the formation, change and resilience of the Great Barrier Reef and associated marine protected areas.