Analytic Essay

ORIGIN STORY:

Elise started out DEEP knowing nothing about what she was going to do. The ocean ecosystem is massive and there wasn’t one thing that Elise was particularly interested in. One day, Elise looked up different ocean plants, and found a webpage all about mangroves. She was instantly fascinated by what they do, where they grow, and how beneficial they are to the world. Elise found a specific article that studied how mangroves work against storm surges and was curious to see where she could take this topic. After brainstorming, a project idea was developed to recreate a mangrove forest and observe how mangroves effectively stop strong ocean waves from flooding coastlines. 

RESULTS + HYPOTHESIS:

My mangrove experiment showed exactly what my hypothesis predicted: An expanse of mangroves will effectively stop a storm surge and protect and prevent a coastline from flooding. The popsicle stick roots did a wonderful job simulating real mangrove roots. The waves caused by my DIY wave maker lost almost all of their power/energy when they went through the “forest”, which resulted in no flooding on the “coast”. My results show that mangroves are very effective in protecting coasts from storm surges and flooding. 

ERROR ANALYSIS + IDEAS FOR FURTHER EXPERIMENTATION: 

My experiment is scaled way down. I used popsicle sticks and pipe cleaners as the mangroves, and my experiment had no wind involved, unlike a real storm surge. These factors may have caused error in the exact display of results, but had an effective way of representing how mangroves work to soak up storm surges. According to my research, it would take thousands of meters of mangrove forest to reduce flooding on a coast. Clearly, I could not actually represent that exactly, so the results may be faulty. If I were to redesign my experiment, I would try to find a way to incorporate a wind element. Storm surges are caused by high winds, so the fact that there is no wind source may prove that my experiment didn’t necessarily replicate real effects that mangroves have against them. For further experimentation, add soil to the bottom of the forest and see how the water struggles to erode sediments when faced against the mangroves. My experiment results can be used to predict that real mangrove forests can prevent actual waves and help to protect an actual coast from flooding. 

CONNECTIONS:

My scientific results show that mangroves are effective to protect coastlines from flooding and damage caused by storm surges. My results impact the natural world by protecting all living things that may be destroyed if left vulnerable against storm surges and floods. Mangroves are so important for housing and shielding wildlife from natural disasters, but when they are cut down because of excessive shrimp farming, all those plants and animals are left in danger. For humans who live in coastal areas, their safety and well being are put at risk when mangroves are being cleared, leaving a coast fully exposed to something like a storm surge. 

Humans and leaders need to limit shrimp farming and stop cutting down the mangroves. Not only do mangroves protect, but when they are cut down, the carbon dioxide that the roots and soil hold is released, contributing to global warming. Mangroves clearly have so many benefits to the entire ecosystem, so to put multiple species of wildlife unprotected for our own human benefit (that really isn’t to our benefit) is morally wrong. My experiment should evoke a sense of guilt. Mangroves do good. They provide for our human race. We have no excuse to be ungrateful to them and harm them.