Climate Change and Coral Reefs

Gr 9 Up—This production is intended to explain how climate change is impacting coral reefs and contributing to their extinction. There are four 5-minute video modules—"Climate Change and Coral Reefs," "Coral Bleaching," "Ocean Acidification," and "The Future of Coral Reefs"—hosted by Dr. Kiki Sanford, a science educator and host of This Week in Science, a radio show broadcast from U.C. Davis, and a 28-minute presentation by Professor Hoegh-Guldberg, a marine biologist at the University of Queensland, Australia. There is a great deal of repetition throughout the four modules, and there is a lack of visual variety. The brevity of these individual segments makes it impossible to convey enough information to launch an in-depth science lesson or research project. And when viewed together, there is too much overlap. To illustrate Hoegh-Guldberg's points, the camera zooms in on graphs published in his academic articles, never involving students in the excitement of the scientist's work. The presentation is neither student-friendly nor camera-friendly. The quality of the photography is fair. It is very important that young people recognize the sobering truths that all the coral reefs in the sea might be gone by 2050—but this film does not convey that information effectively.—Jess deCourcy Hinds, Bard High School Early College Queens, Long Island City, NY