BioBeyond - Then and Now

Do you notice anything about the distribution of bleaching?

The bleaching gets worse the further north you go

What patterns (or trends) do you notice in the graph over time? Select all that apply.

The size of the warming anomalies is increasing Higher temperatures are more frequent globaly

What patterns (or trends) do you notice in the graph over time?

The sizes of the warmer anomalies are increasing Higher temperatures are more frequent now The sizes of the cooler anomalies are decreasing

What are some observations you can make about McCall Glacier? Select all that apply.

The tip of the glacier has retreated over time

Now that you have observed a change in the temperature around the reef and a change in distribution of the bleaching, what might be happening? Select all that apply.

The water around the northern part of of the reef is warming the most The water around the northern part of the reef is more polluted

Perhaps, you've studied this topic before, heard things in the news, or simply have an opinion based on your own experience. What is your impression of Earth's average temperature over the last 100 years? It is increasing ...

Weather: Single thunderstorm, Daily temperature, Daily humidity, Single hurricane, Single tornado Climate: Annual average temperature, Annual average precipitation, Annual Average precipitation, Annual average days of sunshine

Drag and drop the the three coral states below to show the transition from healthy coral to bleached coral.

algae inside the coral, algae outside the algae, no algae

Based on what you've seen so far, how do you think these changes relate to Climate Change?

coincidence

On most days, the Atlantic Ocean off the eastern coast of the United States is what compared to the average?

warmer

There is a significant amount of data showing that the average global surface temperature is ___ , glaciers are ___, average global sea temperature is ___, and coral reefs are ___.

warming, melting, warming, experiencing bleaching

As you just learned, the waters off the coast of the US are getting warmer. Do you think this is having an effect on coral reefs?

yes

What trend do you see in the map?

Cooling is limited to a small region

Shown to the right is a second map, with red dots showing the location of reefs worldwide. Which areas you identified above also contain large concentrations of corals? Select all that apply.

Coral Sea Northern Pacific Ocean

Hypothesis: If Earth's temperature is increasing, what would you expect is happening around Australia and New Zealand in the following areas?

Land temperatures are increasing Glaciers are decreasing Sea surface temperature is increasing Coral reefs are thriving

According to the map above, which areas are at highest risk for bleaching? Hint: orient yourself to the equator, which goes through the map horizontally and makes a roughly equal top and bottom. Select all that apply.

Northern Pacific Ocean Northern Atlantic Ocean Coral Sea

Where do you think most of the liquid water from these melting glaciers ends up?

Oceans

How many years from 2000 forward had an average land temperature above the 20th century average (including the year 2000)?

16

Approximately what percentage of the US experienced cooler temperatures in January 2014 compared to the average temperature from 1981-2010 (not counting Alaska or Hawaii)?

5

Examine the Florida panhandle indicated by the arrow on the map. If you went snorkeling in 2015, what might you have seen based on the information from this map?

Abundant bleached coral with some not recovering.

Which parts of the world did the migration of the north polar vortex affect? Please select all that apply

Asia North America Europe

Think back to what you saw about glaciers in the US. How does the change in New Zealand glaciers compare?

Both US and New Zealand glaciers are shrinking

Reflecting on the data you just observed on the prior screen, which of the causes of coral bleaching will become more frequent and powerful? Select all that apply:

Increased water temperature Overexposure to sunlight

What is the trend in the Reference Glacier data?

Glaciers are decreasing in mass

What is the pattern in all three lines on the graph?

Heat content is increasing

What patterns (or trends) do you notice in the graph? Select all that apply.

Higher temperatures are more frequent in Australia

Take another look at the graph. Instead of focusing on individual years, do the data suggest an overall trend for North America? Please select all the trends you see in the graph.

Higher temperatures are more frequent in the US