Marine Debris

The ocean currents and atmospheric winds have carried garbage around the world with certain areas receiving the worst of it. The “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” in the northern Pacific has millions of pieces of floating trash spread out over an area the size of Texas. The science lesson “NAME HERE” addresses how these processes work while this lesson discusses the impact that this trash has on living organisms, organizations (such as NOAA) who are working to fix this problem, efforts in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands, and things that individuals can do to help.

Goals

  1. Teach students about the damage that marine debris is causing in our oceans
  2. Show students the sources of marine debris and ways to make a difference to prevent more from accumulating in the future
  3. Teach students about the various forces that determine how marine debris travels, including ocean currents, atmospheric winds, weather systems, the Coriolis effect, etc.

Objectives

  1. Through scientific publications, blogs, news articles, and movies, students will learn about the marine debris problem and the impact it is having on the ocean and its inhabitants
  2. Students will use software and interactive websites to analyze and review data of marine debris
  3. Students will form groups to choose a particular topic (such as a type of debris, an animal affected, etc.) within marine debris to do an in-depth report
  4. Students will participate in beach cleanup(s) following appropriate procedures so as to record data in a meaningful, analyzable way

Resources & Websites

  1. Turning the Tide on Trash: A Learning Guide on Marine Debris (EPA) – PDF - Originally developed by the Environmental Protection Agency, this set of lesson plans and background information introduces educators, students and researchers to the topic of marine debris. The interdisciplinary education guide is designed to provide maximum flexibility in the classroom: it can be used as a stand-alone teaching tool or to supplement work in other subject areas. Appropriate for Grades 1 through 12.
  2. CoastWatch Software (NOAA) - A package of software tools for working with earth data sets distributed by the NOAA/NESDIS CoastWatch program. The tools allow data users to easily manipulate and visualize data.
  3. NOAA Marine Debris Program - Extensive information and resources provided by NOAA including an introduction to marine debris, teachers’ resources, a very extensive list of scientific references, and other useful information for teachers, students, and scientists.
  4. NOAA Office of Response and Restoration - NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) protects coastal and marine resources, mitigates threats, reduces harm, and restores ecological function. The Office provides comprehensive solutions to environmental hazards caused by oil, chemicals, and marine debris. This website provides a number of things for students and teachers, including games, lesson plans, case studies, FAQ’s, etc.
  5. NOAA Ocean Watch (Central Pacific) - Provides a variety of live and archived remote sensing data for the Central Pacific Ocean.
  6. Northwest Hawaiian Islands Multi-Agency Education Project - Excellent resource that provides very extensive selections of lesson plans in science and environmental stewardship for students of all ages.
  7. Ocean Conservancy - Ocean Conservancy promotes healthy and diverse ocean ecosystems and opposes practices that threaten ocean life and human life. Through research, education, and science-based advocacy, Ocean Conservancy informs, inspires, and empowers people to speak and act on behalf of the oceans. In all its work, Ocean Conservancy strives to be the world’s foremost advocate for the oceans. This website provides useful news and activities in your community and is the leader of the annual International Coastal Cleanup event.
  8. University of Hawaii Department of Oceanography - Provides links and resources for organizations around Hawaii.
  9. Seeking Marine Debris Blog - A blog about the oceanographic cruise on the NOAA ship Oscar Elton Sette to use an unmanned aerial system to detect marine debris in the Subtropical Convergence Zone.

Scientific Reference Materials

  1. See NOAA Marine Debris Program website for more references
  2. Trashed: Across the Pacific Ocean, Plastics, Plastics, Everywhere (Charles Moore)