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toc = ABOUT THE TEAM = Hello! We are all 8th graders at Bonny Eagle Middle School located in Buxton, Maine. We are the largest middle school in the state of Maine with a total of 936 students enrolled in grades 6th-8th. Each grade is separated into "Scottish Clans" with ours being Dundee. Although, our school is located in Buxton our students come from the surrounding towns: Standish, Hollis, Limington, Buxton, Steep Falls, Bar Mills, and Frye Island. This makes up the largest school district in the state of Maine. 

**STEPS IN THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE**

= = =** Step 1 - Preliminary Question(s) **=

1. How does the location affect the color of a coral reef?

2. Using astronaut photography can we decide if volcanoes are bigger in volume in a particular area, and if so which area contains the largest volcanoes?

3. Is there a difference in color between the Aurora Borealis and the Aurora Australis?

4. Does the size of a volcano determine its activity?

5. How does the size and shape of a delta change over time?

6. If a natural disaster happened can you see the effects of it on coral reefs using astronaut photography?

= = = = = = = = = = =** Step 2 - Initial Observations **=

**1. RESEARCH QUESTION:** If a natural disaster happened can you see the effects on coral reefs using astronaut photography?

**2. SOURCES TO VIEW ASTRONAUT PHOTOS:** Gateway to Astronaut Photography

**3. LIST OF SPECIFIC DATA TEAM WILL LOG FROM EACH ASTRONAUT PHOTO:** Date Image Id Camera/Lens Latitude Longitude Size of reef Before and After observations Name of reef

**4. HYPOTHESIS:** Yes, we know that Hurricanes, Cyclones, and Tsunamis occur in areas where coral reefs are located. If the storm is strong enough it can destroy a reef and this can be seen from space.

= = = = = = = = = = =** Step 3 - Background Research **=

**1. IMPORTANT TERMS AND DEFINITIONS:**
 * Barrier Reef:** A coral reef running parallel to the shore but separated from it by a channel of deep water.
 * Fringe Reef:** A reef that borders an island.
 * Cyclones:** A system of winds rotating inward to an area of low atmospheric pressure, with a counterclockwise (northern hemisphere) of clockwise (southern hemisphere) circulation; a depression.
 * Hurricanes:** A storm with violent wind, in particular a tropical cyclone in the Caribbean.
 * Tsunami:** A long high sea wave caused by an earthquake, submarine landslide, or other disturbance.
 * Polyp:** Zoology a solitary or colonial sedentary form of a coelenterate such as a sea anemone, typically having a columnar body with the mouth uppermost surrounded by a ring of tentacles. In some species, polyps are a phase in the life cycle that alternates with a medusoid phase.
 * Nematocyst:** A specialized cell in the tentacles of a jellyfish or other coelenterate, containing a barbed or venomous coiled thread that can be projected in self-defense or to capture prey.
 * Atoll Reef:** A ring-shaped reef, island, or chain of islands formed of coral.
 * Topography:** The arrangement of the natural and artificial physical features of an area.
 * Stony Coral:** A hard stony substance secreted by certain marine coelenterates as an external skeleton, typically forming large reefs in warm seas.
 * Zooxanthellae:** A yellowish-brown symbiotic dinoflagellate present in large numbers in the cytoplasm of many marine invertebrates.
 * Salinity:** Concentration of salt.
 * Calcium Carbonate (CaCo3):** A white, insoluble solid occurring naturally as chalk, limestone, marble, and calcite, and forming mollusk shells and stony corals.
 * UV-Radiation:** Energy given off from the sun that causes skin cancer.
 * Monsoon:** A seasonal prevailing wind in the region of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, blowing from the southwest between May and September and bringing rain (the wet monsoon), or from the northeast between October and April (the dry monsoon).
 * Typhoon:** A tropical storm in the region of the Indian or western Pacific oceans.
 * Calyx:** A cuplike cavity or structure (surrounds the polyp).
 * Green House Effect:** the trapping of the sun's warmth in a planet's lower atmosphere due to the greater transparency of the atmosphere to visible radiation from the sun than to infrared radiation emitted from the planet's surface.
 * Green House Gas:** a gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect by absorbing infrared radiation, e.g.. carbon dioxide and chlorofluorocarbons.

**2. EARTH SYSTEM INFORMATION:**

Coral Reefs are a huge ecosystem on earth, they contain a diverse group of plants, fungus, animals, protists, and bacteria. Because coral reefs are living they are considered to be apart of the BIOSPHERE. **3. FORMATION PROCESS:** Coral reefs are formed when coral larvae attach to submerged rocks. The coral either becomes a barrier, fringe, or atoll reef.

**4. FEATURE DESCRIPTION OR CHARACTERISTICS:** Coral Reefs appear in astronaut photographs in a range of colors from green, blue, or turquoise, they are usually surrounding a small island or off the coast of a land mass.

**5. ASTRONAUT IMAGES (2-3) THAT INCLUDE THE FEATURE YOU ARE STUDYING (links, ID#s, or images):** **AVES ISLAND** http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/QuickView.pl?directory=ESC&ID=ISS020-E-51526

**GREAT BAHAMA BANK** http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/QuickView.pl?directory=ESC&ID=ISS026-E-33179

**6. GEOGRAPHIC REGION OF FOCUS:** We will focus on the coral reefs within the Caribbean Sea

**7. IF YOU WILL CONDUCT A PLANETARY COMPARISON, PLEASE EXPLAIN:** N/A

**8. OTHER DETAILS IMPORTANT FOR YOUR RESEARCH:** We will need to see average water temperatures in this region for the past 15 years. Also, we would like to know the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, in this region, for the past 15 years.


 * Keep track of your sources in your bibliography.**

= = = = = = = = = = =** Step 4 - Experiment Design **=

**1. FINAL RESEARCH QUESTION:** Can you notice the depletion of coral reefs in the Caribbean using astronaut photography?

**2. HYPOTHESIS** **(Include a brief explanation of observations & other knowledge that support this hypothesis):** We know that water temperatures are increasing around this area due to the greenhouse effect (Increasing Carbon Dioxide Levels in the atmosphere). This is causing coral reefs to be destroyed and we think you can see this from space.

**3. IMAGE DATA COLLECTION:** **4. OTHER DATA SETS:** Water Temperature (Celsius) Chlorophyll (mg/m^3)
 * NASA's Earth Observatory**:

**5. MEASUREMENTS:** N/A


 * Keep track of your sources in your bibliography.**

= = = = = = = = = = = = =** Step 5 - Collect and Compile Data **=

**1. MASTER DATA TABLE:** Click on the link below to see our data table: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?hl=en_US&hl=en_US&key=0AixT09jKvsPkdEZLOGRob3NxREhib0RRSzNMVU1vV2c&output=html

**2. NEW DATA REQUEST INFO:**

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =** Step 6 - Display Data **=

**1. DATA TABLE(S): Under __each__ data table, list 1-3 observations.**

**2. GRAPHS: Under __each__ graph, list 1-3 observations.**

**3. MAPS: Under __each__ map, list 1-3 observations.**

**4. IMAGE ILLUSTRATIONS: Under __each__ image illustration, list 1-3 observations.**

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =** Step 7 - Analyze and Interpret Data **=

**1. RESEARCH QUESTION:**

**2. HYPOTHESIS:**

**3. ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA:**

**DATA ANALYSIS #1:**
 * **RESTATE A SPECIFIC DATA DISPLAY __OBSERVATION__ FROM STEP 6:**


 * **__INTERPRETATION__ OF WHAT THAT OBSERVATION MEANS WITH RESPECT TO YOUR QUESTION:**


 * **ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE THAT SUPPORTS YOUR INTERPRETATION:**

**DATA ANALYSIS #2:**
 * **RESTATE A SPECIFIC DATA DISPLAY __OBSERVATION__ FROM STEP 6:**


 * **__INTERPRETATION__ OF WHAT THAT OBSERVATION MEANS WITH RESPECT TO YOUR QUESTION:**


 * **ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE THAT SUPPORTS YOUR INTERPRETATION:**

**DATA ANALYSIS #3:**
 * **RESTATE A SPECIFIC DATA DISPLAY __OBSERVATION__ FROM STEP 6:**


 * **__INTERPRETATION__ OF WHAT THAT OBSERVATION MEANS WITH RESPECT TO YOUR QUESTION:**


 * **ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE THAT SUPPORTS YOUR INTERPRETATION:**

**DATA ANALYSIS #4:**


 * **RESTATE A SPECIFIC DATA DISPLAY __OBSERVATION__ FROM STEP 6:**


 * ** __INTERPRETATION__ OF WHAT THAT OBSERVATION MEANS WITH RESPECT TO YOUR QUESTION: **


 * ** ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE THAT SUPPORTS YOUR INTERPRETATION: **


 * Add additional data analysis information as needed.**


 * CONSIDERATION OF ISSUES POTENTIALLY AFFECTING YOUR RESEARCH **
 * 1. POTENTIAL ERRORS OR INACCURACIES: **


 * 2. POTENTIAL MISINTERPRETATIONS: **


 * 3. LIMITATIONS OF DATA: **


 * 4. OTHER: **

= = = = = = = = = = =** Step 8 - Draw Conclusions **=


 * 1. SUMMARIZE CONCLUSIONS ABOUT THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION: **


 * 2. SUMMARIZE INFORMATION ABOUT WHETHER YOUR HYPOTHESIS WAS REFUTED OR SUPPORTED? **


 * 3. NEWLY SPARKED RESEARCH QUESTION(S): **


 * 4. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: **


 * 5. REFLECTION OF RESEARCH: **

= = = = = = = = = = =** Step 9 - Share Research **=

= GLOSSARY = Barrier Reef: A coral reef running parallel to the shore but separated from it by a channel of deep water. Fringe Reef: A reef that borders an island. Cyclones: A system of winds rotating inward to an area of low atmospheric pressure, with a counterclockwise (northern hemisphere) of clockwise (southern hemisphere) circulation; a depression. Hurricanes: A storm with violent wind, in particular a tropical cyclone in the Caribbean. Tsunami: A long high sea wave caused by an earthquake, submarine landslide, or other disturbance. Polyp: Zoology a solitary or colonial sedentary form of a coelenterate such as a sea anemone, typically having a columnar body with the mouth uppermost surrounded by a ring of tentacles. In some species, polyps are a phase in the life cycle that alternates with a medusoid phase. Nematocyst: A specialized cell in the tentacles of a jellyfish or other coelenterate, containing a barbed or venomous coiled thread that can be projected in self-defense or to capture prey. Atoll Reef: A ring-shaped reef, island, or chain of islands formed of coral. Topography: The arrangement of the natural and artificial physical features of an area. Stony Coral: A hard stony substance secreted by certain marine coelenterates as an external skeleton, typically forming large reefs in warm seas. Zooxanthellae: A yellowish-brown symbiotic dinoflagellate present in large numbers in the cytoplasm of many marine invertebrates. Salinity: Containing or impregnated with salt. Calcium Carbonate (CaCo3): A white, insoluble solid occurring naturally as chalk, limestone, marble, and calcite, and forming mollusk shells and stony corals. UV-Radiation: Energy given off from the sun that causes skin cancer. Monsoon: A seasonal prevailing wind in the region of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, blowing from the southwest between May and September and bringing rain (the wet monsoon), or from the northeast between October and April (the dry monsoon). Typhoon: A tropical storm in the region of the Indian or western Pacific oceans. Calyx: A cuplike cavity or structure (surrounds the polyp). Green House Effect: the trapping of the sun's warmth in a planet's lower atmosphere due to the greater transparency of the atmosphere to visible radiation from the sun than to infrared radiation emitted from the planet's surface. Green House Gas: a gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect by absorbing infrared radiation, e.g.. carbon dioxide and chlorofluorocarbons.

= BIBLIOGRAPHY = "NOAA National Ocean Service Education: Corals - How Do Coral Reefs Form." //NOAA's National Ocean Service//. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. .

Dictionary.com | Find the Meanings and Definitions of Words at Dictionary.com. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. .

//The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth//. Web. 12 Dec. 2011. .

"Chlorophyll : Global Maps." //NASA Earth Observatory : Home//. Web. 16 Dec. 2011. .

"Sea Surface Temperature : Global Maps." //NASA Earth Observatory : Home//. Web. 16 Dec. 2011. .

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