Module 5: The Ocean

I didn't grow up near the ocean.  Kind the opposite actually.  Minnesota lies essentially in the middle of the continent.  As a result the ocean was a thing of mythic qualities.

I spent four years in Duluth going to college.  Duluth lies on the western-most point of Lake Superior - the largest lake in the world in terms of surface area (Lake Baikal in Russia beats out Lake Superior when one measures volume).

While in Duluth I volunteered in the Great Lakes Aquarium.  I learned a number of interesting things there (and then referenced here).  For example, Lake Superior holds 3 quadrillion gallons of water, enough to cover North and South America with a foot of water.  Pretty shocking, really.

But the Great Lakes Aquarium, since opening, has been underwater  - financially.  It seems that there is a reason there is only one aquarium in the United States dedicated entirely to fresh water.  To help keep the aquarium afloat (sorry), they brought in an exhibit featuring things from the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the oceans.  I love Lake Superior.  But the Mariana Trench - come on now.  Ocean trumps lake in the game of water war.

Explain:

I really enjoyed the list of ocean superlatives and fascinating facts.  I think I spent too much time reading over them.  But how can you not?  Here are some gems:

Average depth:  12,000 feet! (For comparison, Lake Superior, at its deepest is a mere 1300 feet.

Average temperature: 39 degrees Fahrenheit (makes me feel bad for all the comments I made about the Bering Sea right outside my door - it's only a little below average right now)

Random gold fact: The ocean contains 20 tons of gold (the next gold rush?)

New life forms: A new form of life, that derives energy from chemical processes rather than from light, lives in the depths of the ocean where light cannot penetrate.

Oil spills: More oil reaches the oceans each year as a result of leaking automobiles and other non-point sources than was spilled in Prince William Sound by the Exxon Valdez (ride a bike)

The fragility of the ocean: A mere three degrees difference in ocean temperatures can mean ecological collapse

Extend:

I see studying the oceans to be a very strong metaphor about learning and how learning can increase our understanding of what it means to be a steward of the environment.

My students are very interested in protecting the environment. I mean, they claim that they are. But I regularly see them do things that don't necessarily reflect their views in class. The problem is far from unique to only my students. I think that it extends pretty well throughout American culture.

So the metaphor to get my students to make the connection between thought and deed?

It would start with the video explaining the connection between ocean temperature and the ecosystem. As sea temperatures rise, cold-preferring fish swim at lower depths to find cold water. The fish that had been eating those fish are now stressed to find enough food to survive.

As the populations of fish (as well as other sea-based foods) begin to suffer, animals higher up the food chain begin to feel the impact. What had started as a seemingly benign change of temperature ended up sending ripples (if not tsunamis) through the whole interrelated food chain.

This video is a good starting point for the interconnectedness of life. It lays things out the connections and helps viewers gain an understanding of how affecting one thing can affect

How does this relate to my students lives?

We might look at the potential life cycle of something like a plastic bottle that accidentally escapes the dump (a likely scenario due to the high winds we endure on a weekly basis). It's only a short jump from dump to sea, from sea to ocean current, and from there, it's now on at the mercy of the sea.

Once in the sea, the elements begin it's break down into smaller pieces. But being plastic, it will never truly break down the way organic materials do. It just becomes easier to be eaten by other creatures.

What isn't eaten ends up in one of the many great garbage patches in the ocean.  These patches arise in ocean gyres that trap litter and debris, including high concentrations of small bits of plastic and "chemical sludge" from various sources.

Layson Albatross Chic

This brings us around to consumption. At any time in the plastic bottles journey up until this point it may become (or part of it may become) lunch for a passing fish or bird. Sometimes eaten accidently, other times eaten intentionally, the result is the same - plastic has been consumed. Birds and fish, like people, do not digest plastic. As a result, what cannot be passed is not passed - it simply builds up in the stomachs and digestive systems of the animal, eventually leading to death.

A choice made at the grocery store leading ultimately to death, perhaps years later, perhaps thousands of miles away.

Evaluate:

The ocean is a wonderful opportunity to use with students. It affects life across the entire spectrum. It affects climate and weather. It influences culture and diet. It impacts immigration and trade routes. It's hard to find a subject that isn't influenced in some way by the ocean.

Sources that are interesting:

TED talk about garbage in the oceans
Great Garbage Patch on Wikipedia
NY Times Oil Spill Info

Three Colleagues
Visits this week included Amy's Explore Alaska Blog, Emerson's Explorations, and Alaskan Wisdom.

I found Amy's reflections on the same video I looked at - Warmer Oceans Affect Food Web.  Amy lives on Gambell and it was interesting to hear of the reports her students there of how the hunting of polar bear has changed in their lifetime as a result of global warming.
Cheryl, on Emerson's Explorations, took the information about gold in the ocean (enough for every person on the planet to have nine pounds) and extrapolated a number of interesting scenarios. For example, at current market value - each person would have $210, 016. An interesting situation that would be.

Tyler wrote on his blog, Alaskan Wisdom, about a bath toy disaster (think Exxon Valdez, only the cargo is plastic bathtoys) in the Gulf of Alaska. Twelve 40-foot containers were lost overboard, one of which held the precious cargo - 28,800 "Friendly Floatee" plastic bath toys. If only all such degradation of our natural environment was so benign seeming.

Follow the Container