UNCCoastalStudiesInstituteOnSiteProgramming

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ProgramTitle:ExploringErosionProcesses

Figure 1 Wind driven waves lapping an estuarine shore.

ProgramAbstract:Thefocusofthisprogramistheover12,000milesofestuarineshorelinefoundinNorthCarolina.Estuariesprovideanumberofecosystemservicesofvaluetohumans.Vegetationfoundwithintheestuariesprovideprotectionagainststormsurgeandincreasedwaveaction,inadditiontobeinghometonumerousspeciesofinvertebrates,birds,frogs,turtles,andcommerciallysignificantfishandcrabpopulations.Throughthisprogramwewillinvestigatetherolevegetationplaysinmitigatingtheeffectsofstormsurgeandwaveaction,aswellasprovidingasanctuarytoahostoforganisms.Throughfieldactivitiesandclassroomexperimentationstudentswillexploresedimenterosionduetowind-drivenwaveenergyanddocumentthedifferentshorelinesfoundincoastalNorthCarolina.ProgramLength:1.5hoursGrades:6-12NCDPIStandards:6.E.2.4,8.E.1.4,8.L.3.1,8.L.3.2,8.L.3.3,EEn.2.1.3,EEn.2.2.1,EEn.2.3.1

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Background:ErosioninourEstuariesForclass:UNCCoastalStudiesInstitute:Estuariesvideo:https://vimeo.com/22518290Fortheteacher:UNCCSIScienceontheSoundLecture:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5tvOYG5hy8&list=PLX09KgwgnTc7wIirstw3l_kN9yYh3UogG&index=9SuppliesNeeded:Painttray(1per2studentsand4fortheteachertodemonstratethe4typesofsand,soil,stone,andmarsh,12x1”pieceofastro-turf1perstudentand1fortheteacher,containerofsand,containerofsoil,containerofgravelperteam,pitcherforwater,measuringcup(1perteam),wavegenerator(tupperwaretop),measuringtoolincmandstopwatchPrep:Collectmud,sand,andgravelsamples,setupsuppliesFramework:Introduction:15-minutepresentationandvideoonshorelinetypesanderosionExploringShorelinesonthegroundsofCSI:15minutesShorelinecreationexperiments:15minShorelinedevelopmentcompetition:45min.Slide1:Introduction–WelcometoUNCCSI.WearearesearchandeducationinstitutionthatispartoftheUNCsystem.Slide2:Todaywewillbetalkingaboutthedifferentestuarytypes,theecologicalservicesthatestuariesprovide,andidentifyingestuarineshorelinetypes.WewillthenheadacrossthegroundstotheMarineOperationsBuilding(MOB).Onourwaywewilllookatanddiscussthedifferentshorelinesrighthereatthefacility.AttheMOBwewillseehowshorelinesstanduptowaveactionanddiscussobservationsaboutthedifferentshorelines.Lastly,youwillbegivenachancetoconstructyourownshorelineandseehowitstandsuptoerosion.Slide3:ThecoastofNorthCarolinahas325milesofoceanshoreline.ThesearethebeachesthatmaketheOuterBanksfamous,buttheynottheonlyshorelineonthecoast.Thisisnearly40xmoreestuarineshorelinethanocean,coveringanareaof12,000miles.ScientistsfromUNCCSIpartneredwithastateagencytomaptheintricateshorelineofourestuaries.Youwillseeavideoaboutthisprocessinafewminutes.

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Slide4:ItisimportanttonotethattherearethreetypesofestuariesinNorthCarolinaandthateachtypeisuniqueinthehabitatstheyprovideandtheecologicaldiversityoftheirmakeup.Someoftheorganismsfoundintheseestuariesbeginlifeinonetypeasajuvenileandmovetoanotherastheymature,andsomeeventuallymoveoutintotheopenocean.Fishlikeshadandsturgeonareanadromousfish,whichreproduceinriversbutlivetheirlivesintheocean.Mosteelsspendtheirlivesinfreshorbrackishwatersbutgotoseatospawn.Thatmakesthemcatadromous.ThethreetypesofestuariesfoundinNorthCarolinaarethetributary,trunk,andbackbarriersound.Ifwelookrightoutsidethisbuilding,whattypeofestuarycanwesee?Slide5:TheestuariesinNorthCarolinaprovideimportantecologicalservicesthatareimportanttous.Whatisanecologicalservice?WhatfisheriesdowerelyonhereinNorthCarolina?Slide6:ThenitrogencycleandtheroleofSAVandmarsheshaveinremovingnitrogenwhileproducingoxygen.TheNitrogenCycleInnaturalenvironments,nitrogenisfrequentlystoredasdecayingorganicmaterials.Italsoisconstantlybeingremovedandaddedtoboththebioticandabioticenvironmentinacomplexbiogeochemicalcycle."Fixed"nitrogenentersthebioticenvironmentthroughthedecayoforganicmaterials(releasingaminoacids,etc.),weathering,orfromfixationbyspecializedbacteria.Generally,nitrogenisintheformofammonium(NH4+)atthispointandmustundergofurthermodificationtobemorereadilyusablebyplants.Theprocessbywhichammoniaisconvertedtonitritesandnitratesiscallednitrification.Twogroupsofmicroorganisms,NitrosomasandNitrobacter,drivethispartofthenitrogencycle.First,Nitrosomasbacteriautilizetheammoniaavailableinsoilsasasourceofenergy.Theymetabolizetheammoniaandpromoteitsoxidationtonitriteionsandwater.Thenitrite-richmetabolicwasteofthesebacteriaisthenavailableasafoodsourceforNitrobacterbacteria,whichoxidizethenitriteionstonitrate.Plantsthenutilizenitratesforgrowthandrespiration.Nitrogentakenupbyplantsisreleasedasaminoacidswhentheplant'stissueiseatenortheplantdiesandbeginstodecay.Slide7:De-nitrificationNitrogenisalsolostfromthebioticportionofthecycleintwoways—de-nitrificationandmineralizationoforganicmaterials.Mineralizationofdecayingorganicmatterbindsthenitrogenintheabioticenvironmentuntilweatheringreleasesit.De-nitrification,orthereductionofnitratetoatmosphericnitrogen,iscatalyzedunderspecial,anaerobicconditionsbydenitrifyingbacteria,suchasPseudomonas.

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Slide8:CoastalProcessesThebarrierislandswereformedandpersistattheinterfacebetweentheland,sea,andairinresponsetofourphysicalfactors:

1) ThepresenceofthegentlyslopingCoastalPlane–ContinentalShelf2) Theavailabilityofadequatesediment3) Arisingsea-level4) Theoccurrenceofhigh-energyoceanicstorms

Theyactasabufferordambetweenestuariesandocean.Coastalprocessessuchaswind,wave,andcurrentareconstantlyreshapingthesebarrierislands.Wind–produceswavesandcurrentswithinthesoundsWaves–battershorelinesandkickupsedimentCurrents–carrysuspendedsedimentSlide9:NaturalEstuaryShorelinesDiscussanddescribeeachandtheadvantages/disadvantagesSlide10:ModifiedShorelinesDiscussanddescribeeachandtheadvantages/disadvantagesSlide11:ErosioninOurEstuariesWhatdoeserosionlooklike?Whatdoesitmean?Whatcausesit?Whatcanbedone?Slide12:VideoonshorelinemappingACTIVITY:

1. Dependingonclasssizeandavailabilityofmaterials,splitstudentsupintogroupsof2or3.

2. ProvideeachgroupwithanEstuaryErosionDataSheetandapencil.Havethemguesswhichsampleswillholduptowaveactionthebestandrecordtheirhypothesisontheirdatasheet.

3. Theinstructor,priortoclass,prepares4demonstrationpainttrays.Painttray#1hasonlysand,#2hasonlysoil,#3hassandandsoilbufferedbygravel,#4hasasandandsoilbankbufferedbymarshgrass.Theinstructordeterminesthebeginninglengthoftheshorelinethatwillbethesameforeachshoreline.Forexamplealloftheshorelinesmeasure12cm.Alloftheshorelinesneedtobetouniversalsostudentscancomparehoweachshorelinefairstowaveaction.

4. Startingwithsample#1theteacherusesawave-creatingdevice,i.e.,aflatplasticTupperwaretopandproduceswavesfor30seconds.Itisuptotheinstructortoincludestudentsintheprocessasmuchasthey’dlike.Studentscanrunthestopwatchorproducethewaves,etc.Havevolunteersmeasurethelengthofshorelineremainingaftertheerosionprocessandhavethem

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recordthedataontheirworksheets.Thenhavethestudentsfillthe‘actual’resultsontheirdatasheet.

5. Supplyeachgroupwithapainttray,onecontainereachofsand,soil,andstone,a10”x1”stripofAstroTurf(simulatedmarshgrass),andameasuringcup.

6. Instructthestudentstocreateashorelineusingthematerialsprovidedwiththestipulationbeingthatcertainmaterialswithgivethemmorepoints.Thepointsystemisprovidedontheirworksheet.

7. Haveeachgroupexplaintotheclasstheirshorelinecompositionstrategyandthereasonsbehindit.Thentesttheshorelinetowaveaction.Recommendation:havetheinstructorbethesolewaveproducer,otherwisestudentswillcallfoulofexcessivewaveaction.

8. Havethestudentsmeasuretheshorelineafter30secondsofwaveaction.DISCUSSION:

• Encouragestudentstoshareobservationstheymadewhileconstructingtheirshorelineandwhatobservationstheymadeaboutothers.

• Discusswhysomeshorelinesheldupbetterthanothers.• Talkabouttheecologicalbenefitsthatthingslikenaturalshorelines,

saltmarshesandSAVprovidetobothhumansandanimalsalikeandwhyhardshorelinesmaynotbethebestalternative.

• Thiscouldbeanopportunitytoleadintobeachnourishmentprojects,groins,jetties,andotherhumanmodifiederosiondeterrents.

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EstuaryErosionDataSheet

Todaywe’vetalkedalittleaboutthedifferentshorelinesyoucanencounterintheestuariesofNorthCarolina.Whatisyourgroup’sopiniononwhichshorelinesholdupthebesttowaveaction?Beforewegetstarted,numbertheshorelinesintheorderyouthinkwillholdupthebestagainsterosionusingthenumber1forthebestandthenumber4astheleastresilient.DemonstrationErosionMeasurements:Guess: Actual SAND: cm(longest)

cm(shortest) SOIL: cm(longest)

cm(shortest GRAVEL: cm(longest) cm(shortest) MARSH: cm(longest) cm(shortest)Wereyourassumptionscorrect? EstuaryErosionCompetitionYoumayuseanyofthesamplestocreateyourshoreline,butthereisapointsystembasedonunitsofcupmeasurements. Soil:+1 Sand+2 Gravel-3 Marsh+3Yourshorelinemustbe12cm.Takethisnumberandaddorsubtractaccordingtowhatmaterialsyouuseandthemeasurementsyoutake.12+ =