More recently coral has been used to help build up runways in the Northwestern Hawaiian islands. The basic structure of the reef is strong but it is not invincible. The reefs reflect the environment around it. If the surrounding area is healthy the reef will often be healthy as well. Acids from our car exhaust eat away at our fragile reefs along with other pollutants.
Reefs are especially vulnerable because they take so long to regenerate.
Write all answers on the board. Define and identify the different parts of a coral polyp. Have students examine a piece of coral under a microscope. Record what is happening. The acid is eating away at the coral.