Barrier Islands and Sea-level Rise
Make a Barrier Island Habitat Wheel
Overview Objectives Students will demonstrate their knowledge of the future e ects of Students can refer to the sea-level rise on Assateague Island habitats from the perspectives of the DISCOVER page of the module plants and animals that live and people that visit there. as they construct a habitat wheel and draw a cross- National Science Education Standards section of a barrier island. Standard F: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives • Natural resources Procedure 1. Students can work individually or in groups of two. Have each group Grade Level cut out the parts of the wheel. 7th - 12th 2. Have the students note on the picture the location of the habitats. 3. Allow students to cut and assemble for about 10 minutes. 4. On the board, create a list of the plants and animals that live in each of these six habitats found on barrier islands. Discuss what students found unique or interesting. Ask questions to stimuate students’ Materials thoughts on possible changes due to sea-level rise for each habitat. • cardstock paper • colored markers, pencils, or Habitats: pens 1) Beach Intertidal • scissors 2) Dunes and Grass • gluesticks 3) Forest and Shrub • metal brads 4) Inland Wetland 5) Salt Marsh 6) Bay Subtidal and Mud at
Time Required 5. Have students label and draw a side view or cross section across 45 minutes Assateague Island below the picture provided. 6. Glue this to the back of the wheel model.
Discussion How do habitats change as you travel across a barrier island from one side to the other? Name two plants and animals each and how they use barrier islands. National Park Service How would a rising sea level a ect barrier island habitats and the plants www.nps.gov and animals that rely on them? How do people use barrier islands? How would a rising sea level possibly a ect people that visit a barrier island?
Integration & Application Network (IAN) University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science www.ian.umces.edu www.ian.umces.edu/learn/education_modules/barrier_islands_and_sea_level_rise/ Barrier Island Habitats Wheel Activity: Lesson Plan Cut out the wheels. re some possib what a le e e see cts o ol to f Se to a-le ing Ba ve rn cts: y Sub l R ea e Sea-level riset iwilld cause shallowis areas l l E al e s a a an w a id to change to deep waterd habitats andit l rt M hi ee e ud n h nt e w I a ac s h t E h i c species may change. h th a e a t e ct b a B s it k : a o t
o Increased storm surge will ood, L or completely submerge some
beaches. Erosion will increase. Some
species will tolerate these conditions.
change some marshes to deep water
Increased overwash will speed up Increased overwash
habitat and species may change.
island rollover. Sea-levelwill rise
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Color edge of wheel for each habitat Symbols and names of key species on Beach Intertidal - blue Assateague Island. Dunes and Grass - tan Forest and Shrub - green American Beach Blue Crab Inland Wetland - light blue Grass Salt Marsh - light green Bay subtidal and Mud at - yellow Wild Horse Cattail
Loblolly Pine Great Blue Heron
Salt Marsh Grass Hard Clam
Sea Beach Amaranth Horseshoe Crab
Sea Grass Piping Plover
Whitetail Deer
ge Cut Out This Wed
2.9% 28.8% 13%
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H a ab re ita A ts nd w La ith al in 39.8% ot Cut out circle. Color each habitat di erently. Ass T ate by % Label the correct habitat name for each ague ore Island National Seash piece of the pie chart. Student Instructions: Barrier Island Cross-Section Activity Cut out the circle of North Assateague Island. What would the island look like in cross-section? Make a cross-section drawing in the lower half of the circle, showing the change in elevation as you travel from the ocean to the bay.
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Draw a cross-section of the barrier island showing its elevation pro le here HABITATS OF A BARRIER ISLAND 6) Bay Subtidal 1) Beach Intertidal and Mudl at
5) Salt Marsh 2) Dunes and Grass
4) Inland Wetland 3) Forest and Shrub Barrier Islands Habitat Wheel Worksheet - Classroom Questions Name:______Period:______
The wheel is a tool to help you learn key concepts relating to barrier islands and how sea-level rise could a ect each of the habitats. One part of the wheel looks at key species of plants and animals found in each habitat, and another part looks at di erent land type percentages on Assateague Island.
After you have cut, colored, and assembled your wheel, use it to answer these questions:
1) What are the six main habitats on this barrier island? 2) What habitat takes up the most land area? 3) What habitat takes up the least land area? 4) What habitat provides the most important resource for large animals on the island and what resource is that? 5) What is an e ect that sea-level rise will have on Inland Wetland habitat? 6) What is an e ect that sea-level rise will have on Forest and Shrub habitat? 7) What is an e ect that sea-level rise will have on Salt Marsh habitat? 8) What are the two key species highlighted in the Dunes and Grass habitat?
After you have drawn the cross-section on the back of the wheel, describe in one paragraph what you have learned from this activity. What did you nd interesting, what was new, and what did you learn about sea-level rise and barrier islands?
In your paragraph, underline and explain the following terms: sea level rise habitat barrier island salt marsh key species dunes wetland cross-section land area saltwater intrusion