Name: ___________________________________

A Plastic Ocean

"Imported plastic destroyed our paradise!"

PART TWO

Jennifer Lavers is a seabird biologist who has dedicated her adult life to the study of marine birds like the shearwater, sea gull and albatross. Each morning, she combs the beaches of the Midway Island atoll in search of clues that might explain why birds are dying in dramatic numbers. An autopsy on a recently deceased shearwater revealed over 234 pieces of plastic, oil and nurdles in its stomach. The implications of this discovery were tragically obvious.

Students are asked to watch this YouTube video (at the 40 min mark) and to take notes on what they discover. Listed below are key terms you will encounter during the video. Feel free to use your notes in answering the questions below.

Key Terms

shearwatertoxicologistocean food chainbiopsy

metabolismplanktonphthalatesnurdle

vetiver grassbioremediationphytoremediationdetoxify

burrow pitsTuvaluplasma

Assessment Questions

1) Fisherman in Indonesia claim that supermarkets refuse to buy pacific ocean fish. Why?

2) Mussels are a type of shellfish popular in Europe. What did scientists find inside harvested mussels?

3) The ocean is the largest source of protein on the planet. True/False?

4) What did Jennifer Lavers find in the stomach of the baby shearwater?

5) Prof. Cristina Fossi is an ecotoxicologist from the University of Siena. Why was Prof. Fossi shooting bottlenose dolphin with a crossbow?

6) What percentage of seabirds have swallowed plastic? Circle one.

a.70%

b.50%

c.65%

d.90%

7) What do the southeast Asian kids do instead of going to school?

8) Sea turtles often mistake plastic bags for what oceanic organism?

9) We use _______________ plastic bags worldwide each year.

10) Phthalates are a toxic chemical found in plastics. How does the presence of this chemical in plankton threaten the health of humans?

11) Vetiver grass was planted in a number of canals located in Manila. Why?

12) What is bioremediation?

13) How is phytoremediation different from bioremediation? Explain.

14) Tuvalu is an island in the South Pacific with a terrible pollution problem. How did plastic find its way onto this once tropical paradise?

15) Native homes were built on top of burrow pits. What are burrow pits?

16) The Navy's plasma torch could be the best answer to combat plastic pollution. List four reasons why this is true.

1.

2.

3.

4.

Ocean Food Chain

( Apex predator -Quaternary consumer)

( Large predatory fish -Tertiary consumer)

( Small predatory fish -Secondary consumer)

( Zooplankton -Primary consumer)

( Phytoplankton -Primary producer)

Post Assessment Reflection

Students may wish to select a particular question and prepare their own abstract on their topic.

1) Design a device for removing plastic from the ocean. Draw a diagram and describe how it works in a carefully worded essay.

What are the benefits or advantages of your device?

What are some of the disadvantages of your device such as size, cost etc.?

Where would be the best location for your device? Be specific and explain why you choose this location.

2) What are things that you can do personally to prevent plastic litter from polluting the ocean? Using a digital video app create a public service announcement designed to educate the public on the perils of plastic pollution. Your teacher will provide you with the guidelines for this project. Students may use PowerPoint/keynote/iMovie etc.

3) There are numerous bioremediation projects underway in Palm Beach County, Florida for example. Select one and describe how bioremediation is being used to solve a particular problem with regard to pollution, erosion, water contamination or habitat destruction.

4) Explain how the oil industry can benefit from bioremediation and provide examples of how it was used to fight pollution from oil spills.

5) Using the Ocean Food Chain diagram describe how toxins originating from plastic products move primary producer to quaternary consumer. At what stage in the food chain would the battle against plastic pollution be most effective? Explain your response.

END OF PART TWO

Name: _______________________________

A Plastic Ocean Crossword Puzzle

A Plastic Ocean Crossword Puzzle Key

Across

3. marine creature that eats plankton

5. commonly used for drinking water

9. 90 percent of these creatures have eaten plastic

12. 80 percent of all ocean plastic comes from here

14. a common type of fuel made by plastic

16. favorite food is jellyfish

17. name of Chinese company that makes nurdles

20. covers much of the Earth

23. caused by wind and changes in water density

24. the Plastic _______ makes recycling profitable

25. a powerful form of energy

26. commonly used in the supermarket and cannot be recycled

27. a substance that cannot be broken down

29. a common gas from decomposing trash

30. raw material for plastic

32. nurdles are often mistaken for this by marine birds and fish

33. plastic that has been recycled

34. environmental protection agency

Down

1. describes your physical condition

2. this land feature moves plastic to the ocean

4. a poisonous substance

6. a toxic chemical found in plastic and harmful to humans

7. plastic that has not been recycled

8. a material used to make disposable bottles

10. can be thrown away

11. used to make plastic

13. circular ocean current that traps plastic

15. helps metabolism and brain development

17. many restaurants have banned this plastic object

18. children in poor countries do this to make money

19. a tiny marine creature

21. Plastic bank converts recycled plastic into this

22. does not produce its own food

25. at the bottom of the food chain

26. most common form of plastic bottle

28. eats Styrofoam

31. to reuse

32. this African country has banned plastic bags

Name: ___________________________________

A Plastic Ocean Part Two

"Imported plastic destroyed our paradise!"

ANSWER KEY

Teachers, it is recommended that students research the Key Terms prior to watching the video. The video should begin at the 00:40:00 mark and end at the 1:14:00 mark. You may find it useful to review the Ocean Food Chain diagram with your students in advance of the video as well.

Key Terms

shearwatertoxicologistocean food chainbiopsy

metabolismplanktonphthalatesnurdle

vetiver grassbioremediationphytoremediationdetoxify

burrow pitsTuvaluplasma

Assessment Questions

1) Fisherman in Indonesia claim that supermarkets refuse to buy pacific ocean fish. Why? samples of fresh caught fish had ingested nurdles

2) Mussels are a type of shellfish popular in Europe. What did scientists find inside harvested mussels? micro plastics- mussels are filter feeders

3) The ocean is the largest source of protein on the planet. True/False?

2.6 billion people rely on ocean derived protein for food

4) What did Jennifer Lavers find in the stomach of the baby shearwater?

over 234 pieces of multi colored plastic, oil and nurdles

5) Prof. Cristina Fossi is an ecotoxicologist from the University of Siena. Why was Prof. Fossi shooting bottlenose dolphin with a crossbow? Prof Fossi was harvesting skin tissue samples to biopsy for the presence of toxic chemicals. The cross bow did not injure the whales and dolphins.

6) What percentage of seabirds have swallowed plastic? Circle one.

a.70%

b.50%

c.65%

d.90% This is a frightening statistic

7) What do the southeast Asian kids do instead of going to school?

scavenge for plastic amongst the garbage and landfill

8) Sea turtles often mistake plastic bags for what oceanic organism?

Jellyfish

9) We use _1 trillion___ plastic bags worldwide each year.

10) Phthalates are a toxic chemical found in plastics. How does the presence of this chemical in plankton threaten the health of humans? Plankton are primary producers. Organisms eat plankton which are in turn consumed by other organisms. Toxins migrate into fat tissue and surrounding organs and passed on.

11) Vetiver grass was planted in a number of canals located in Manila. Why? the grass absorbs toxic chemicals, detoxifies the soil and returns nutrients to the soil, improves soil quality (see Creature Feature activity)

12) What is bioremediation? "the use of either naturally occurring or deliberately introduced microorganisms or other forms of life to consume and break down environmental pollutants, in order to clean up a polluted site"

13) How is phytoremediation different from bioremediation? Explain.

plants and/or grasses are used

14) Tuvalu is an island in the South Pacific with a terrible pollution problem. How did plastic find its way onto this once tropical paradise?

from imported food and goods packed in plastic containers

15) Native homes were built on top of burrow pits. What are burrow pits? burrow pits were carved out of rock during WWII to build airfields and then eventually filled with garbage/landfill.

16) The Navy's plasma torch could be the best answer to combat plastic pollution. List four reasons why this is true.

1.changes molecular structure of ANY substance

2.runs off its own energy

3.produces a harmless, non toxic byproduct

4.its affordable

Post Assessment Reflection

Students may wish to select a particular question and prepare their own abstract on their topic.

1) Design a device for removing plastic from the ocean. Draw a diagram and describe how it works in a carefully worded essay. Answers will vary and can be expanded into a STEM project all its own

What are the benefits or advantages of your device? Have students identify the pros and cons of their design: Is it cost effective? Is it practical? Is it portable? How is it powered? What kind of byproduct does it produce? How much plastic can it treat?

What are some of the disadvantages of your device such as size, cost etc.?

Where would be the best location for your device? Be specific and explain why you choose this location. Sample: Southeast Asia, and along coastal estuaries and currents. Students should be reminded that 80% of the plastic pollution is coming from inland and is then captured by oceanic gyres and prevailing winds and taken out to sea.

2) What are things that you can do personally to prevent plastic litter from polluting the ocean? Using a digital video app create a public service announcement designed to educate the public on the perils of plastic pollution. Your teacher will provide you with the guidelines for this project. Students may use PowerPoint/keynote/iMovie etc. This assignment can be treated as an separate activity taking several days to complete. Students may be limited by the technology that is available to them. iMovie for example has public service announcement templates loaded on the application and is easy for students to learn and limits presentation to two or three minutes.

3) There are numerous bioremediation projects underway in Palm Beach County, Florida for example. Select one and describe how bioremediation is being used to solve a particular problem with regard to pollution, erosion, water contamination or habitat destruction. Oysters, mangroves, aquatic grasslands and turtle grass beds to name but a few are often used to improve water quality, water movement, prevent beach erosion and to provide essential habitat for marine organisms.

4) Explain how the oil industry can benefit from bioremediation and provide examples of how it was used to fight pollution from oil spills. Oil eating bacteria is now being used to clean up oil spills. Research some of the more recent oil spills for technological advancements in remediation and bioremediation.

5) Using the Ocean Food Chain diagram describe how toxins originating from plastic products move from primary producer to quaternary consumer. At what stage in the food chain would the battle against plastic pollution be most effective? Explain your response. This provides students with a formative assessment which will assess their mastery of key concepts highlighted in the video. Teachers may ask students to describe the chain of events that take place from the moment a plastic cup enters an inland waterway until the point that its remnants enters the human body. Teachers can expand on human physiology, the endocrine and digestive systems, food webs vs. food chains, and the plastic manufacturing process for example.

END OF PART TWO

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