"Habitat Degradation: Ocean Acidification"

• In this watercolor and colored pencil piece, scientist and artist Jill Pelto uses ocean pH data to illustrate how ocean acidification affects marine species like clownfish. 
• The text below the artwork will help students understand why ocean acidification makes it difficult for clownfish to survive. 
  

Positives

• Students will learn that ocean acidification is destabilizing the ocean ecosystem.
• The linked references provide more information on the effects of ocean acidification on marine species.

Additional Prerequisites

• Students should be familiar with the following concepts: habitat degradation, pH levels, carbonic acid, and carbon emissions.

Differentiation

• In art classes, students could analyze how Pelto used color, line, and negative space to convey the clownfish's loss of habitat.
• In science classes, students could research other marine species that are having difficulty adapting to the increase in pH levels and make a poster or piece of digital artwork to showcase how ocean acidification impacts the species.

• Other resources on this topic include this experiment that shows students why ocean acidification occurs, and this lesson plan and video on the relationship between CO₂ and the acidity of water.

This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.