Turning the Tide on Trash: Great Lakes
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Turning the Tide On Trash A LEARNING GUIDE ON MARINE DEBRIS Turning the Tide On Trash A LEARNING GUIDE ON MARINE DEBRIS Floating marine debris in Hawaii NOAA PIFSC CRED Educators, parents, students, and Unfortunately, the ocean is currently researchers can use Turning the Tide under considerable pressure. The on Trash as they explore the serious seeming vastness of the ocean has impacts that marine debris can have on prompted people to overestimate its wildlife, the environment, our well being, ability to safely absorb our wastes. For and our economy. too long, we have used these waters as a receptacle for our trash and other Covering nearly three-quarters of the wastes. Integrating the following lessons Earth, the ocean is an extraordinary and background chapters into your resource. The ocean supports fishing curriculum can help to teach students industries and coastal economies, that they can be an important part of the provides recreational opportunities, solution. Many of the lessons can also and serves as a nurturing home for a be modified for science fair projects and multitude of marine plants and wildlife. other learning extensions. C ON T EN T S 1 Acknowledgments & History of Turning the Tide on Trash 2 For Educators and Parents: How to Use This Learning Guide UNIT ONE 5 The Definition, Characteristics, and Sources of Marine Debris 17 Lesson One: Coming to Terms with Marine Debris 20 Lesson Two: Trash Traits 23 Lesson Three: A Degrading Experience 30 Lesson Four: Marine Debris – Data Mining 34 Lesson Five: Waste Inventory 38 Lesson Six: Sources of Marine Debris: From Street to Surf, From Hand to Sand UNIT TWO 45 The Effects of Marine Debris 53 Lesson One: Marine Animals and Harmful Debris 56 Lesson Two: All Tangled Up 59 Lesson Three: How Harmful Is Marine Debris? UNIT THREE 65 Working Towards Solutions 75 Lesson One: Nations and Neighbors 81 Lesson Two: A Scientific Cleanup 87 Lesson Three: Communicating for a Clean Future 89 Lesson Four: Taking Action 93 GLOSSARY OF MARINE DEBRIS TERMS DIVE DEEPER: Other Resources on Marine Debris • NOAA’s Marine Debris Program website: www.marinedebris.noaa.gov • EPA’s Marine Debris website: http://water.epa.gov/type/oceb/marined- ebris/index.cfm TURNING THE TIDE ON TRASH: A LEARNING GUIDE ON MARINE DEBRIS Acknowledgments & History of “Turning the Tide on Trash” Team members on the 2007 edition were: Project Manager & Contributor Seba Sheavly, Sheavly Consultants, Inc. Primary Writer Katie Register, Clean Virginia Waterways, Longwood University Editor Sara Bennington McPherson Other Contributors Bertha Walker, Sheavly Consultants, Inc. Katherine Weiler, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Graphic Designer Michael Myers, J. Michael Myers Design For questions concerning this lesson guide, please contact the NOAA Marine Debris Litter cleanup Program by email at marinedebris.web@ noaa.gov. This document was originally developed in 1992 for the US Environmental Protection DISCLAIMER Agency’s (EPA) Oceans and Coastal Protection This learning guide provides links to various Division by Eastern Research Group, Inc., of web pages which are not part of the NOAA Lexington, Massachusetts. It was revised and or EPA web family. These sites are not under updated in 2007 by Sheavly Consultants, NOAA or EPA control, and NOAA and EPA Inc. of Virginia Beach, Virginia with support are not responsible for the information or from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric other links found there. The presence of Administration’s (NOAA) Marine Debris Program these links is not intended to imply NOAA through Contract Number AB133F06CN0193, or EPA endorsement of those sites, but to “Web-based Education Campaign for Marine provide a convenient link to relevant sites Debris Awareness & Prevention.” Portions of the which are managed by other organizations, curriculum were updated in 2012 by the NOAA companies, or individuals. Marine Debris Program. -1 TURNING THE TIDE ON TRASH: A LEARNING GUIDE ON MARINE DEBRIS For Educators and Parents: How to Use This Learning Guide Turning the Tide on Trash: A Learning Guide taken out and put into the ocean. Human on Marine Debris is an interdisciplinary guide development and activity leads to pollution designed to provide maximum flexibility in the (point source, non-point source, and noise classroom. The guide can be used as a stand- pollution) and physical modifications (changes alone teaching tool, orindividual activities within to beaches, shores, and rivers). In addition, the guide may be used to supplement work in humans have removed most of the large other subject areas. Students searching for vertebrates from the ocean. science fair projects can also adapt some of these lessons into research projects. For more information on Ocean Literacy, visit http://oceanliteracy.wp2.coexploration. org/ Educational Standards The lessons in Turning the Tide on Trash A Timely and Urgent Topic provide understandings for various science- related personal and societal challenges as In the past, litter on beaches and along found in many states’ educational standards. inland waterways was considered primarily The lessons include scientific inquiry, pollution an eyesore – unpleasant to look at, but as an environmental problem, the role of otherwise not all that harmful. Through technology and personal decisions in relation research and education, people have come to environmental issues, as well as human to realize that marine debris has serious impact on the survival of other species and impacts on the marine environment, marine habitat. These lessons will develop many wildlife, human health and safety, navigation, skills, including writing, research, map and the economy. reading, analyzing, classifying, data collecting, comparing and contrasting, experiment Abandoned fishing nets and related gear, design, hypothesizing, and observing. Each plastic tarps, and other debris can smother lesson begins with a list of learning skills and crush sensitive coral reef and seagrass and subject areas. In addition to science, ecosystems and their benthic (bottom- the lessons incorporate art, language arts, dwelling) species. Each year, thousands of mathematics, and social studies. marine animals are caught in, strangled by, or ingest various forms of debris. Medical and personal hygiene-related debris, including Ocean Literacy Principles syringes and broken glass, pose obvious The lessons also are be aligned to Principle dangers to barefooted beach-goers when it 6, Essential Principle e of the Ocean Literacy washes ashore. Coastal communities lose Principles, which provide a framework to revenue when littered beaches must be increase the literacy of students with respect closed or cleaned up, and the fishing industry to ocean science. must absorb the annual costs to replace or repair vessels and gear damaged by floating Ocean Literacy Principle 6: The oceans and and abandoned debris. humans are inextricably interconnected Essential Principle e. Humans affect the Fortunately, while marine debris is one of the oceans in a variety of ways. Laws, regulations most widespread pollution problems facing and resource management affect what is the world’s ocean, it is also one for which -2 TURNING THE TIDE ON TRASH: A LEARNING GUIDE ON MARINE DEBRIS The lessons in this learning guide are FOR INLAND CLASSROOMS designed to increase students’ awareness of the impacts of marine debris and to Although this learning guide focuses teach them about pollution prevention on marine debris, trash is found in techniques. At the same time, the other aquatic environments such as activities strive to inspire an appreciation ponds, lakes, rivers, and streams. of the ocean and a commitment to the Most of the concepts associated preservation of its water quality, beauty, and with marine debris can apply to all wildlife. aquatic debris. Therefore, the use of this learning guide should not Other Pollution in the Ocean be limited to coastal areas. Teachers in inland communities can replace the Marine debris is not the only form of marine term marine debris with aquatic or pollution. Marine pollution also includes forms waterborne debris. of sewage, oil, gasoline, toxic chemicals, fertilizer, animal wastes, and pesticides that individual citizens – including students and are released on land or empty into the ocean. children – can become an immediate part of the solution. That’s because all marine debris can be traced back to a single source – people. Education: The First Step For the last few decades, a great deal of our As with any complex problem, education solid waste stream has consisted of durable is the first step to lasting, effective synthetic materials that can remain in the solutions. Marine debris is an issue that environment for many years, causing harm to will require continued attention for wildlife and habitat along the way. With the generations to come. It is essential that world’s coastal populations on the rise, it is education start with the decision-makers likely that the amount of debris entering the of the future – our children. Unlike many oceans will also increase. Consequently, it is environmental issues, children can play important that we act now to keep debris out a direct and significant role in reducing the of our oceans and waterways and preserve marine debris problem. Every child who the quality of the marine environment. learns to dispose of trash properly can be one less source of litter and marine debris. Connecting People’s Behavior to Every child who volunteers to participate Marine Debris