Estuaries, Adaptations, & Human Impacts (8/15/12)

Description:

New Jersey is graced by 120 miles of coastline, much of which is framed by a ribbon of beautiful sandy beaches. Before sediment and critters make it to these beaches, they travel through the extensive estuaries that occur in New Jersey. Take a tour of several components of the Delaware Bay estuary and hear from local scientists to discover how these summer playgrounds can also serve as interdisciplinary outdoor classrooms. Encounter the different processes that create estuaries found on the Atlantic coast of New Jersey and the features that define and distinguish an estuary. Explore how a variety of animals overcome the harsh conditions of the estuary and make it their home, and how their populations fluctuate over time. Examine first hand the impacts that people are having on our estuaries, discuss future impacts, and learn about current solutions that are helping to restore our New Jersey estuaries. Throughout the day of field and lab trips you may even get a little muddy!

Program & Materials:

Introduction to Estuaries – Aboozar Tabatabai

Introduction to Oysters & Modelling– Dr. Daphne Munroe

Introduction to Human Impacts on Estuaries – Dr. David Bushek, Laura Whalen, and Josh Moody

Visit the Hudson Rive Plume COOL Classroom Human Impacts Activity to explore an online interactive that teaches your students about some of the issues we discussed during the progam.