QCAA Marine Science EA case studies
QCAA Marine Science EA · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The QCAA Marine Science External Assessment is the external examination component of Senior Marine Science within Queensland's QCE system. It is sat by Year 12 students who have studied the subject at school, and it contributes to their final subject result alongside school-based assessment. The QCAA Marine Science EA case studies are 5 cases and about 3,219 words.
1Upwelling, Nutrients and the Missing Fish
A coastal monitoring program samples a temperate shelf sea at two stations 60 km apart. Station A lies near a headland where prevailing summer winds blow parallel to the coast with the coast to the left of the wind direction (Southern Hemisphere).
612 words, about 3 min2Reef Zoning and a Declining Coral Trout Population
A coral reef lagoon of 45 square kilometres is divided into three zones: a no-take green zone of 12 square kilometres, a conservation park of 8 square kilometres where line fishing is allowed but netting is banned, and a general use zone of 25 square kilometres. Monitoring of a target reef fish species over eight years gives density estimates (fish per hectare): green zone 14.2 rising to 21.6; conservation park 9.8 rising to 10.1; general use zone 8.9 falling to 5.4.
646 words, about 3 min3Eutrophication, Seagrass Loss and a Nutrient Budget
An estuary of 30 square kilometres receives nitrogen from three sources: a wastewater treatment plant discharging 120 tonnes per year, agricultural runoff estimated at 90 tonnes per year, and atmospheric deposition of 30 tonnes per year. Seagrass cover fell from 18 square kilometres in 2005 to 9 square kilometres in 2023.
673 words, about 3 min4A Marine Park's Visitor Capacity and Reef Damage
A marine park receives 210,000 visitors per year at a single reef site. Dive and snorkel operators run 12 boats, each making two trips per day on 300 days per year, with an average of 18 passengers per trip.
679 words, about 3 min5Interpreting a Trawl Survey with Confounded Sampling
A fisheries agency surveys a demersal stock with a trawl net over six years. In years 1 to 3, the same vessel and net are used, sampling 40 stations per year.
609 words, about 3 min