Taking the Pulse of a Changing Planet: Unit Four

Unit Four: Ecosystem Health

Theme: Systems and Interactions Subject: Biology, Earth, Physical Science		Pulse People: Dr. Michael Newman
Unit Concept: Humans cause change in the marine environment in a variety of ways. We harvest its resources (fish, petroleum, etc.), we build our homes on its shorelines, and we use it to transport goods. In this unit, we will study how scientists use coastal observing systems and real-time data to monitor and predict changes in our coasts’ environment.

Classroom Activity	Synopsis
Oil Spills: Where will the Spilt Oil Go? from MA COSEE	Students manage a hypothetical oil spill in Delaware Bay using coastal data. They check their management strategy using a shareware computer simulation program called GNOME.
Exotic Species in Ballast Water- Coastal Ecosystems “Catching a Bug” from across the Planet from MA COSEE	Students will play the invasive species game to illustrate some basic features of the problem of ballast water introductions. Each player manages a different port and tries to maintain financial success without accumulating too many nonnative species in their port. At the end of the game, the group compares each ports success and reviews the strategy behind each player's actions.
Field Trip: Search for Point and Nonpoint Sources from MA COSEE	Students will be looking at various sources of contaminants in the Choptank River. Locations and the types of sources will be recorded and placed on a map for comparison to real-time data from the area.