Tracking Eelgrass: The Sea Grass Snapshot
Provided by: Friends of Casco Bay|Published on: February 26, 2025
Grades: 6, 7, 8
Type: Articles/Websites
Subjects: Biology
Authors: Friends of Casco Bay
Region: Maine - Coastal
Languages: English
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This blog post from Friends of Casco Bay describes a research project where volunteers went out during low tide to document sightings of eelgrass, water conditions, and other factors to better understand the declining eelgrass population in the bay in Maine.
- The resource also includes an interactive map of the data collected and photographs taken by volunteers.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The article is fairly brief and easy to follow and includes text features to help students stay engaged and focused.
- Students will enjoy seeing the images of eelgrass that were taken by the study's Water Reporters.
Prerequisites
- Students should know what eelgrass is and how it is identified. Teachers may want to show some images of eelgrass before students read the article.
- It may also benefit students to have a general idea of why eelgrass is important and why scientists would care about its population.
- Students should be familiar with map skills like using a key.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Students can discuss some of the implications of climate change and speculate which of these may be at play in the reduced eelgrass population. Students can discuss invasive species, rising temperatures, and ocean acidification.
- Students can use the map, data, or photographs as inspiration for climate change data art. Students can look to Jill Pelto for examples of this kind of artwork.
- After reading about this data collection process, teachers can get their students involved in a citizen science project. Teachers can find Maine-specific projects in the Maine Classroom Citizen Science Projects collection.
- Students can highlight the importance of eelgrass by researching and brainstorming a list of ecosystem services it provides.
This blog post describes a collaboration between scientists and public volunteers and their effort to document eelgrass locations and learn why it is disappearing. Students may need a little background information describing what Eelgrass is and why it is important. The blog post compliments discussions of climate and environmental changes. The information presented is accurate, and this resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
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