In this activity, students will examine how ectothermic animals, such as ghost crabs, regulate their body temperature by moving to different environments.
In North Carolina, six types of habitats have been identified as playing a crucial role in the production of North Carolina's coastal fisheries resources. The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources have deemed these habitats important for protection and enhancement. In this activity students will examine these six habitats along with three additional ones by learning about their location in the estuary, their function and how they differ from the other habitats.
In this activity students will learn about the many factors, both man-made and natural, that affect fish populations in the estuary. By learning how humans have a negative influence on estuarine fish populations, students will learn how to become better stewards of the environment.
In this activity students will learn about the red drum fishery, how to generate a graph from current fishery data and to use the graphs to estimate fish age and weight based on length.
This activity is designed to show students how spat or oyster larvae rely on a hard substrate for survival. Students will also learn the importance of oysters to an estuary and how recycling oyster shells helps the oyster population.
In this activity students will explore density (weight per unit volume or weight for the same amount) of several different salt solutions. The solutions demonstrate the changes in salinity that occur as freshwater streams enter the salty ocean.
In this activity, students are given roles in a skit designed to illustrate how a salt marsh works and how the organisms in it interact with each other.
In this field experience, students work in teams to conduct topographic surveys (beach profiles) using a pair of Emery rods (profile poles), a metric tape, and a sight level to accurately survey a shore from the foredunes to the waterline. Students also measure wind speed and direction, estimate the width of the surf zone, and observe the breaker type. They note the wave direction, height and period, and estimate the longshore current speed and direction using a float, stop watch, and tape measure. If time permits students can also quantify the vegetation present along the profile and collect sediment samples for laboratory analyses. Back in the classroom, students analyze their data and look for relationships among the observed phenomenon.
In this activity students will learn the different processes that shape tidal rhythms. They will also learn how to read tidal charts and graph tidal information.