7. Do ONE of the following:
a. Make a plankton net. Tow the net by a dock, wade with
it, hold it in a current, or tow it from a rowboat.* Do
this for about 20 minutes. Save the sample. Examine it
under a microscope or high-power glass. Identify the
three most common types of plankton in the sample.
b. Make a series of models (clay or plaster and wood)
of a volcanic island. Show the growth of an atoll from
a fringing reef through a barrier reef. Describe the
Darwinian theory of coral reef formation.
c. Measure the water temperature at the surface, midwater,
and bottom of a body of water four times daily for five
consecutive days.* You may measure depth with a rock
tied to a line. Make a Secchi disk to measure turbidity
(how much suspended sedimentation is in the water).
Measure the air temperature. Note the cloud cover and
roughness of the water. Show your findings (air and
water temperature, turbidity) on a graph. Tell how the
water temperature changes with air temperature.
d. Make a model showing the inshore sediment movement
by littoral currents, tidal movement, and wave action.
Include such formations as high and low waterlines,
low-tide terrace, berm, and coastal cliffs. Show how
offshore bars are built up and torn down.
e. Make a wave generator. Show reflection and refraction
of waves. Show how groins, jetties, and breakwaters
affect these patterns.
f. Track and monitor satellite images available on
the Internet for a specific location for three weeks.
Describe what you have learned to your counselor.