Flooding in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed: Teach About It!

October 10th, 2011 by Sarah

Chesapeake Research Consortium Staffers take a break from bird watching on a flooded pier to pose for a photo during an outing to Jug Bay Wetland Sanctuary.

Last week, Margaret Enloe, the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Communications Director, contributed an excellent guest blog about the impacts September’s flooding event had on the Bay.   Now that you understand some of the Bay dynamics that may have been influenced by the recent influx of water, sediment, nutrients, and contaminants, let’s examine how you can convey this information to your students.

Lesson Plans

Don’t worry; you are not up a flooded creek without a paddle. There is a wealth of lesson plans available to help you teach about flooding, many of which are aligned with national content standards!  Here are a few samples to help you get started:

  • Flood! – In this Discovery Education lesson plan, students in grades 6-8 will discover that different types of soil have different capacities for retaining rainwater. At the end of the lesson, they should also understand that if the soil in an area is already saturated with rainwater, flooding problems can ensue.
  • Floods: Rising Waters and You – 9-12 graders will investigate the relationships between human-made structures and flood waters in these PBS American Field Guide Lessons.
  • Flood! Classroom Activity – Students will construct a model of a river system and explore the use of manmade levees in this NOVA Teachers lesson plan.
  • Floods – Young students can learn about and play games related to floods on FEMA’s For Kids website.  Children can read “The River Rises; The Disaster Twins’ Flood Story,” take a flood math quiz, or play the “Water, Wind, and Earth Game.”
  • What is a Flood Plain? – Its not all science when if comes to flooding.  PBS has developed this lesson for 7-12 grade classrooms that wish to address content related to economics and/or geography.
  • Ancient Flood Stories – National Geographic has provided this lesson to help educators discuss the evidence that ancient floods may have helped to create the Black Sea. Students will practice their creative writing by composing stories about what it might have been like immediately before and during the flood.

On September 21, 2011 Chesapeake Research Consortium staffers hiked along the flooded Railroad Bed Trail in Jug Bay Wetland Sanctuary.

Ask a Scientist

Remember to end your flooding lesson by “bringing it local!” Discussing the impacts that September’s flooding had on the Chesapeake Bay, and on areas within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, will provide your students with a real-world example that they have experienced.  Ask your students if their families took any steps to prepare for the flooding (see FEMA’s Flood website for helpful safety tips), or discuss what happened on school grounds.  This can help bring your flooding lesson to life, and ensure that it is relevant to your students.

Another great way to get your students interested in learning about floods and our local watershed is to have them interact with professionals who work in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) related fields.  The Chesapeake Bay Program Partnership has many experts across the watershed who can answer your class’s emailed questions about the response of the streams, rivers and the Bay to the extreme rainfalls and flood conditions.  You can have your class assemble a list of their questions, and email them to us using this online form.  The Chesapeake Bay Program has experts on the following flooding-related topics:

  • River flow, flood conditions, loads of pollutants, comparison of other major flood events
  • Impacts of flood event on MD’s Bay waters and living resources
  • River monitoring in MD
  • Impacts of flood event on VA’s Bay waters and living resources
  • River monitoring in VA
  • River monitoring in PA
  • Monitoring in PA and New York
  • Overall watershed-wide effects and how CBP partners are monitoring the impacts
  • Data and info from NOAA Bay monitoring buoys, research vessels, and satellite imagery
  • Impacts on the Bay/other contacts in the watershed for more information
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Sarah Brzezinski works for the Chesapeake Research Consortium as the Chesapeake Bay Program's Fostering Stewardship and Education Workgroup Team Staffer. She also serves as the content manager of Bay Backpack.

Flooding in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed: Impacts on the Bay

October 3rd, 2011 by Margaret Enloe

During the flooding event on September 9, 2011, nutrients, sediment, garbage, and debris were washed downstream from the Susquehanna River into Chesapeake Bay at a near-record rate. Image courtesy of NASA Earth Observatory.

Near record flow of the Susquehanna River was measured by the USGS on the morning of Friday, September 9th. River flow at Conowingo Dam, where the river enters the Chesapeake Bay, was 775,000 cubic feet per second (CFS)!  2011 will most likely be one of the highest annual flow years on record for the Susquehanna River, primarily as a result of both the September tropical storms and a wet spring across the watershed.  In addition to the Susquehanna, high river flows were measured throughout other parts of the six-state Chesapeake Bay watershed. Your class can investigate real-time streamflow data at a site near your school by using the USGS WaterWatch website.

Likely Impacts on the Bay

Last month’s blog reported that the Chesapeake Bay received a short term water quality boost from Hurricane Irene due to the physical mixing of the Bay’s waters by extreme winds and waves that sent oxygen-rich surface waters into the deeper channels that are normally lacking oxygen at this time of year.  It is true that the physical mixing that resulted from Hurricane Irene did increase the amount of dissolved oxygen near the bottom of the Bay; however the shear magnitude of the more recent flood waters, combined with the loads of nutrients and sediments, will likely have a negative effect on the Bay’s health.  We will only understand the true impacts with the passage of time and through the combined monitoring and assessments by the Chesapeake Bay Program’s many partners.

Things to Watch:

  • Of potential concern to the next year’s crop of underwater bay grasses is the physical scouring of the Bay bottom (particularly in the Susquehanna Flats and the upper tidal Potomac River) resulting in the removal of vegetation living below the sediment surface—the ‘seeds’ for next spring’s plants.
  • The Bay’s oyster bars and other important hard bottom habitats will likely get a new layer of silt covering them in the coming days and weeks ahead, which will directly impact oyster and other bottom dwelling organisms.
  • Much of this sediment will stay around and, with the help of winds and tidal currents, find itself back up in the water column as early as this coming fall and well into the next year.
  • The flood of freshwater into a salty Bay can have impacts on the Bay’s critters like oysters which can’t just get up and move if the much lower salinity conditions last for an extended period of time.

Up on the Susquehanna River, the volume of flood waters will scour the bottom, causing sediment and nutrients previously ‘trapped’ behind the Conowingo Dam to be freed and sent down to the Bay.  These released sediments will likely bring not only more nutrients to the Bay, but also long-buried chemical contaminants.

USGS will be taking samples for analysis of bacteria, pesticides and trace metals over the course of the flood event to help understand the chemical contaminant loads entering the Bay from such a major flood event.  Several months from now we will be able to quantify these loads and the potential impact to a much higher degree.

Timing of the Floods Lessens the Opportunity for Further Impacts

When it comes to flood events and their impact on the health of local waterways and the Bay overall, it is timing that makes the big difference in terms of whether there is a short term (weeks to a month) or a long lasting (months to years) impact on the Bay ecosystem.  Based on historical data, we expect and will be monitoring the following:

  • Bay grasses: We are at the end of the underwater Bay grasses peak growing season, so impacts will be fewer than if the flooding occurred in June or July.
  • Living organisms in the Bay: As this is not a major spawning period for Bay living resources, the long term impact on their populations will be minimal.
  • Nutrients & sediment to the Bay: Given that this flood event is happening as the summer season comes to a close, there is less opportunity for long lasting water quality impacts in terms of nutrient and sediment pollution. By the spring, a majority of the nutrients should have worked their way through the Bay system.  Additionally, cooler temperatures, shorter days, reduced biological activity, and cloudy waters should prevent large algal blooms from growing in the excess nutrients.

Be sure to check in with Bay Backpack next week to learn how to teach about flooding in your classroom!

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Margaret Enloe is the Communications Director for the Chesapeake Bay Program / Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay.

Hurricane Irene and Water Quality Monitoring

September 19th, 2011 by Rich Batiuk

This graphic shows how the size of Hurricane Irene changed, and the areas that were potentially affected by sustained winds of tropical storm force (in orange) and hurricane force (in red). Image courtesy of the National Hurricane Center.

When it became clear that Hurricane Irene would move through the Bay region, the Chesapeake Bay Program’s (CBP) monitoring program coordinators, like Bruce Michael at Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources, adjusted the Bay water quality monitoring cruise schedules to get data just following the hurricane.

In the days following the hurricane, recent data from Maryland’s Eyes on the Bay program showed that the Bay received a short term water quality boost from the hurricane.  This is a result of the physical mixing of the Bay’s waters by extreme winds and waves that sent oxygen-rich surface waters into the deeper channels that are normally lacking oxygen at this time of year. Given the timing of this storm, the Bay likely dodged a potentially serious bullet thanks to Irene’s timing, rapid movement through the region, and track

However, we will still have to wait for weeks (mixing up of the water column with good oxygen levels; short term algal blooms), and really months (impact on the next spring’s algal blooms, early summer’s re-growth of underwater Bay grasses, and mid-summer’s dissolved oxygen conditions years), to fully answer the question, “What was the impact of Hurricane Irene (and even the fall 2011 hurricane season) on the Bay?”

Fortunately, the CBP partnership has an extensive monitoring program in place which continues to measure various indicators of the Bay’s health — in this case, prior to the hurricane and in the weeks and months following the storm.

For additional information on Hurricane Irene’s impact on the Chesapeake Bay, please refer to Rich’s complete article, “Impacts of Hurricane Irene on the Health of Chesapeake Bay? Only Time (and Monitoring) Will Tell!” featured on the Bay Blog.

In Your Classroom:

Your students may not be able to monitor the impacts of Hurricane Irene on the Chesapeake Bay, but they can conduct a smaller-scale research project by monitoring the water quality of a stream near your school!  Engaging your students in water quality monitoring can help them learn about pollution, local ecosystems, and stream health.  Have your science class or club monitor water temperature, air temperature, salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen, and Secchi Depth, and compare the results from different times of the year or before and after a storm to help them learn about factors that influence water quality.  National Geographic’s FieldScope, a web-based mapping, analysis, and collaboration tool that support geographic investigations, can help your students understand the data they collect.

For additional information on how to start a water quality monitoring program at your school and how to use the data you generate in your classroom, please refer to:

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Rich Batiuk is the Associate Director for Science with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at the Chesapeake Bay Program.

Why Teach About Earthquakes?

August 29th, 2011 by Sarah

Did you feel the earthquake on August 23rd? Take a look at the USGS's Community Internet Intensity Map! Image courtesy of the USGS.

As we were recently reminded, even places in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed can experience earthquakes.  On Tuesday, August 23rd at 1:51 PM, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake originated 3.7 miles below the earth’s surface 5 miles southwest of Mineral, Virginia. The geological survey has reported several aftershocks.  The previously mentioned August 23rd earthquake occurred as reverse faulting on a north or northeast-striking plane within a previously recognized seismic zone, the “Central Virginia Seismic Zone.” The Central Virginia Seismic Zone has produced small and moderate earthquakes since at least the 18th century.

Why Should YOU Teach About Earthquakes?

When you talk about geology, natural disasters, or earth science in your classroom, you can feature earthquakes in your conversation.  Comparing earthquakes on the East and West Coasts can also help you teach about plate tectonics, seismic waves, why some places experience more earthquakes then others, and about factors that can impact the strength and distance over which an earthquake can be felt.

Earthquakes in the central and eastern United States occur less frequent than they do in the west; however they are typically felt over a much broader region. California, which we frequently associate with earthquakes in the Unites States, sits on the San Andreas Fault at the edges of the Pacific and North American tectonic plates.  Virginia and the East Coast are located near the center of the North American plate and, thus, experience a much lower rate of seismicity than California. Additionally, the earth’s crust on the East Coast is older, colder, and harder.  This allows seismic waves to be carried farther and faster then they are along the West Coast shell, which is also broken up by more active faults. East of the Rockies, an earthquake can be felt over an area as much as ten times larger than a similar magnitude earthquake on the west coast.

How Can YOU Teach About Earthquakes?

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides up-to-date information on recent earthquakes in the United States and around the world on their earthquakes website.  You can also download the USGS Poster of the Virginia Earthquake of 23 August 2011 – Magnitude 5.8 to help teach students about this summer’s incident.  Additional information on the 5.8 magnitude earthquake that occurred on August 23rd can be found HERE.  There are also many lesson plans, activities, and online resources that can help you teach about earthquakes.  Here are some resources to help you teach about earthquakes in your classroom:

  • Virginia Has Its Faults, Too: A Lesson on Earthquakes in Virginia – In this lesson plan from the Virginia Geographic Alliance, students will learn to define an “earthquake,” describe the effects of an earthquake, read and analyze a map citing earthquake activity in the state of Virginia, and will create a project that reflects understanding of the terms associated with the study of earthquakes
  • Earthquakes for Kids – USGS has developed this interactive website to help children learn abut earthquakes.  This website includes the following features: latest quakes, today in earthquake history, become an earthquake scientist, ask a geologist, learning links and earthquake activities, science fair project ideas, cool earthquake facts, the science of earthquakes, puzzles & games, animations, earthquake pictures, and earthquake ABC’s.
  • Earthquakes and Volcanoes Lesson Plan - As students learn to read maps, it is important that they learn how to compare maps that show different types of information. This lesson from National Geographic asks students to compare maps of plate tectonics with population density maps and to analyze what these maps imply about the relationship between population and seismic hazards.
  • The Power of Fire Activity – In this National Geographic activity, your students will become natural-hazard mappers! They will learn about plate tectonics as they figure out where people face danger from earthquakes and volcanoes, and create a map showing where these natural hazards may occur.
  • Constructing Earthquake-Proof Buildings Lesson PlanConstructing-Earthquake-Proof-Buildings – In this lesson, students will explore different materials, shapes, and design options that affect the durability of a building and will understand how to use models to perform controlled scientific experiments.
  • The Three Little Pigs in Earthquake Land Lesson Plan – This lesson from National Geographic teaches students some of the basics of earthquakes and volcanoes. It also asks them to think about how people living in cities and suburbs must plan ahead by constructing sturdy buildings and preparing their homes and themselves for the possibility of a natural disaster. Students will therefore be introduced to some basic concepts of physical geography, as well as some of the ways in which the physical environment affects people’s lives.

Additional Resources:

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Sarah Brzezinski works for the Chesapeake Research Consortium as the Chesapeake Bay Program's Fostering Stewardship and Education Workgroup Team Staffer. She also serves as the content manager of Bay Backpack.

“Save The Beach” In Your Own Classroom

September 27th, 2010 by Lindsay

Hurricane Earl threatened the Chesapeake in early September this year. Photo source: NASA

The devastation hurricanes can cause in the lives of humans is obvious – the Chesapeake Bay region saw it particularly bad with Hurricane Isabel in 2003. The effects on the environment may be less obvious, but these storms can stir up a lot of sediment that can harm shorelines and wildlife. But aquatic grasses can help lessen those effects by creating a barrier during damaging storms.

A few storms have threatened this year, but so far we’ve escaped unscathed. That doesn’t mean you can’t take the opportunity to teach your students about the effects of hurricanes and the importance of underwater grasses.

In this lesson plan from the Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE), your high school students can participate in a hands-on activity where they get to “Save the Beach” during a hurricane.

Setup for the "Save the Beach" activity, including fan, sand, barrier, and tape sticky side up. Photo source: COSEE

Using many common household items, students must build a barrier representing underwater bay or sea grasses to keep “sediment” (sand) from making its way to the “beach” when a large fan is turned on to simulate a hurricane.

The lesson asks students to make a connection between the way we protect our houses from hurricanes and the way we should protect our shorelines from them. By having students work in small groups to see who can create the best barrier, the lesson plan allows for some friendly competition as well as learning what methods did and did not work.

Once the activity has been completed, students will understand that underwater grasses perform a very important ecological service by stabilize sediments that could otherwise make water murky and difficult for aquatic life to survive.

Additional Resources
COSEE’s Observing the Ocean
Sediment, soil and rocks teaching resources – Bay Backpack
Aquatic grass SAV teaching resources – Bay Backpack

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Lindsay Eney is the Communications Staffer at the Chesapeake Bay Program.