Beach Biosphere (click to access the lesson) - GTM Research ReserveÂ
General Information
Student Objectives:
Students will:
understand the scientific process and how it relates to monitoring efforts
understand characteristics of the beach habitat and its relation to the coastal ecosystem/ estuarine environment
be able to list some ecosystem services of the dunes
be able to list abiotic and biotic factors that make the beach system dynamic
become aware of potential effects of climate change on coastal habitats
Time: 120 minutes
Grade Level(s): 5th+
Vocabulary:
Accretion (deposition) - a slow addition to land by deposition of water-borne sediment; an increase of land along the shores of a body of water
Abiotic - physical rather than biological; not derived from living organisms
Biotic - of, relating to, or resulting from living things, especially in their ecological relations
Coast - the part of the land near the sea; the edge of the land
Ecological goods and services (EG&S) are the benefits arising from the ecological functions of healthy ecosystems. Such benefits accrue to all living organisms, including animals and plants, rather than to humans alone.
Elevation - height on the earth's surface above sea level
Erosion - act in which earth is worn away, often by water, wind, or ice
Standards:
Florida State Standards: Florida Sunshine State Standards
Description: This field experiment gets students to the beach and in the sand! Students will explore the dynamics of Florida's Northeast coast by conducting dune profiling, sand analysis, in-shore currents, and species diversity/ abundance experiments. This lesson plan is meant to give students a broad understand of the constant changes occurring at the beach and how these dynamics effect both people and wildlife in the area.
This activity can be modified to any site that had some form of slope into a water body (ditch, pond, river, lake, etc...).
Additional Resources
Below are links to optional pre- / post- visit lessons for the classroom.