Shorelines: An Environmental Survey

SHORELINES: An Environmental Survey

by: Steva Gentry and Melanie Jenkins

Objectives:

The learner will measure abiotic environmental factors, such as air and soil temperature, humidity, pH of soil and water, wind speed and direction, cloud cover, and barometric pressure.
The learner will describe the biotic environment of an organism.
The learner will collect qualitative and quantitative data.
The learner will propose hypotheses that suggest ways in which people affect an organism and its environment

National Standards :

Standard A

Select science content and adapt and design curricula to meet the interests, knowledge, understanding, abilities, and experiences of students.
Select teaching and assessment strategies that support the development of student understanding and nurture a community of science learners.

Standard B

Focus and support inquiries while interacting with students.
Challenge students to accept and share responsibility for their own learning while recognizing and responding to student diversity.

Standard C

Use multiple methods and systematically gather data about student understanding and ability.

Standard D

Structure the time available so that students are able to engage in extended investigations.
Identify and use resources outside the school.

Standard E

Nurture collaboration among students.
Model and emphasize the skills, attitudes, and values of scientific inquiry.

Standard F

Help plan and develop a school science program. (i.e. Coastal Ecology Field trip)

Summary:

This activity is a field trip to the coast but could be adapted to use on a great lake. If you are taking your group to a state park, do the paperwork and make arrangements several weeks ahead of time. They are always glad to have you, but you must get on their calendar! They will usually waive entrance fees when you make reservations for educational studies. Students will take their own data and draw conclusions about 3 very different ecosystems: the beach, the Maritime forest, and the marsh (or bay). On both the ocean side and bay side of barrier islands the tide allows for the study of three distinct areas: the subtidal (submerged always); the intertidal (submerged during high tide and exposed during low tide); and the supratidal (always exposed). The latter area can include marshes and mangrove beds.

We must remember that environmental studies cover a board range of interdisciplinary topics: Biology, Ecology, Chemistry, Physics, Geology, Meteorology, and Oceanography. Therefore the labs and field investigations should also draw from as many areas of study and include a diversity of experiences such as designing an experiment, structural observation, field trips, and analysis of data.

Because most barrier islands have been developed, it may not be possible to gather the information in a straight line from the pier to the estuary. However, if one is careful each area would produce the same results if they were located along a line that cut across (transected) the island. Our survey will include the following areas: ocean - near shore, the wave zone, the fore beach, the back beach, the primary (fore) dunes, the back dunes, the maritime forest, the supratidal salt marsh, the intertidal salt marsh, and the sound or estuary (subtidal salt marsh).

Collecting samples from the beach

Studying the Marsh Taking samples at the beach:

Prerequisites:

Activities can be used for grades 8 - 12

Materials & Equipment:

THINGS STUDENTS NEED TO BRING: (Examples)

A hat	Shoes that can get muddy and wet
Sunglasses	Bucket & shovel
Sunscreen	Clipboard & pencil
Insect repellent	Food & WATER
A towel

Link onto each ecosystem's page to get a complete list.

Procedure:

Collect abiotic data in each of the following areas: off edge of a Pier, on the Beach, in the Maritime Forest, and in the Marsh/bay

Seine Pull - Subtidal Marsh
Complete a Transect of a Barrier Island
Complete a Beach Profile

Assessment:

Write a one page paper describing and explaining how your favorite organism from one of the ecosystems studied (the Beach, the Maritime Forest or the Marsh) is specifically adapted to its environment.
Write a comparison paper picking two different ecosystems studied. For example, compare and contrast the beach and the marsh organisms (use both plant and animal species; pick at least 2 of each for your discussion).

Extension:

A visit to your local or state Aquarium would help students identify the animals that live in the waters off-shore and in the sounds (marsh/estuaries).
Research the web.

Resources:

Text:

Cumberland Country Schools (NC) - Coastal Resources Program
Student Field Book: A Field Trip To Bogue Banks
Science Supervisor / Curriculum Specialist - Fred Beyer (Retired)
Seacoast Life An Ecological Guide to Natural Seashore Communities in NC
Judith M. Spitsbergen - UNC Press 1988
Nature Guide to the Carolina Coast (common birds, crabs, shells, fish and other entities) Peter Meyer - Avian-Cetacean Press 1991

Websites:

EPA -Coastal Zone Impacts of Sea Level Rise: http://www.epa.gov/globalwarming/impacts/coastal/index.html
EPA - Global Warming and Sea Level Rise: http://www.epa.gov/globalwarming/climate/future/sealevel.html
Global Climate Change Fact Sheets - National Wetlands Research Center: http://www.nwrc.gov/climate/factshts.html
Images of the Sea Floor: http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/us_margins/
Links to Oceanographic Research Web Sites: http://www.mbari.org/ocean_servers.html
NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory: http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/

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