Eutrophication Animation
November 18, 2008 in Interactives
[Download the Flash File]
Eutrophication is becoming an increasing problem in many coastal regions of the world ocean. It is the process in which high nutrient run-off from land can lead to low-oxygen water environments. But it’s not a very easy concept to understand, as there are several steps in the process.
The Rutgers University Cool Classroom design team developed this interactive to help students learn about the stages of eutrophication. The animation starts with a rain event that is responsible for washing excess nutrients into the local watershed. This leads to a phytoplankton bloom. As phytoplankton reach the end of their life cycle they die and are consumed by bacteria. Finally, the high level of bacterial activity subsequently decreases the oxygen level of the water. In each stage, this interactive showcases what happens at multiple levels in the ecosystem, from the macro to the microscopic to the atomic.
This animation was developed as part of a larger unit on the Hudson Plume, in which students investigate watersheds, density, satellite temperature maps, pollution and of course, eutrophication.
Development Team
Story: Laura Dunbar & Sage Lichtenwalner
Animation: Brian Yan
Produced by Janice McDonnell & Jim Ammerman
John Ponticorvo said on September 2, 2010
Great visual presentation, clear and concise. I have the actual enviro scapes and would like to use this in conjunction with the lesson. Would I be able to have my students log on to this site? I am not sure how to do that.
Thanks
John
Sage Lichtenwalner said on September 2, 2010
Hi John, your students don’t need to log into the site, you can simply point them to this page.
Alternatively, you can download the Flash file to your computer to share the file. (There is a download underneath the image above.)
This animation can also be found within the Hudson River Plume unit on the Cool Classroom site, if you prefer a more student appropriate interface. Enjoy!