Teachers’ Guide

Background Material

The Shore Thing Acknowledgements

4 – BACKGROUND MATERIAL

4.1 Research Rocky Shore Ecology Although not essential for undertaking a survey, having a basic understanding of rocky shore ecology will help students to appreciate the possible impacts of climate change on species. There are also several links to the A level/Higher exam specifications e.g. habitats, biodiversity and terminology. Learning Outcome • Have an understanding of rocky shore ecology i.e. terms, zonation, classification, factors

affecting distribution etc. Resources • Teachers’ Notes

o Rocky Shore Ecology • http://www.theseashore.org.uk • http://www.marlin.ac.uk/learningzone • Hawkins, S.J. and Jones, H.D. (1992). Rocky Shores. Marine Field Course Guide 1.

Marine Conservation Society. Immel Publishing, London • Naylor, P. (2005) Great British Marine Animals, 2nd edition, Sound Diving Publications Students Activity By searching the internet, using the library, or as part of a classroom session students should look at the terminology used to describe a rocky shore and zonation: what lives on different areas of the shore and why? They should then answer the questions on worksheets B1 and B2. Answers Activity B1 – Terminology Explain the following terms: Biodiversity: The variety of plant and animal life in a particular habitat or even the world. Ecosystem: A unit of plants and animals within a given area functioning together with the

physical environment. Niche: Describes the relational position of a species or habitat within an ecosystem. Community: The plants and animals living together in a given area. Competition: When one individual or species interacts with another individual or species and has an adverse effect. Exposure: The degree of wave action on the shore. Spring tides: Largest tide, greatest distance between high and low water. Neap tides: Smallest tide, least difference between high and low water. Turbidity: Cloudiness of the water that restricts the amount of light penetrating the water column. Desiccation: Occurs due to emersion at low tide: influences the upper and middle shore. Aerobic: With air. Anaerobic: Without air.

The Shore Thing Acknowledgements

Explain the difference between Abiotic and Biotic and how these factors affect the distribution of species on the rocky shore. Abiotic factors are non-living or physical conditions. These include: wave action, desiccation, light, temperature and substrate. Species ability to adapt to these physical conditions will determine where they will be found on the shore. Biotic are biological factors that will influence the community. For example, limpets graze on algae: their presence will prevent the establishment of a dense covering on the rocks. However, if they are removed say by oil pollution, a dense canopy of fucoids will become established. Activity B2 - Rocky shore profile

The Shore Thing Acknowledgements

Marine Conservation Involvement in the Shore Thing project provides an excellent opportunity to introduce students to the subject of marine conservation. The 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act led to the creation of our first Marine Nature Reserve at Skomer Island, Pembrokeshire. Since that time organizations have struggled to provide the marine environment with equivalent terrestrial protection. It is hoped that the introduction of the Marine Bill will improve the present situation. Learning Outcome • Appreciate the present level of protection in British waters and the need to protect our

marine environment. Resources • Teachers’ Notes

o Marine Life Topic Note 1 – Marine Conservation • http://www.mcsuk.org • http://www.ipcc.ch • http://www.ukmpas.org.uk Student Activity Worksheet C asks students to choose one Marine Protected Area (MPA) and answer a number of questions. Below is the information required for a number of MPA’s. Lundy (South Wales) • Designated on the 21st November 1986 under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 • Managed by English Nature who provide funding for Warden employed by the Landmark

Trust (who lease the island) in association with Devon Sea Fisheries • Zoning scheme

o No-take zone on east of island = no fishing or collection of sealife of any kind o Refuge zone around the east to north-west of the island = no fishing except potting

or angling o 2 legally protected wrecks = no diving or fishing allowed o the rest of the reserve = general use zone where all recreational activities are

allowed except spearfishing • Home to a huge variety of marine life, including many rare and unusual species:

o Pink sea fan, grey seals, sunset cup coral http://www.lundy.org.uk/inf/mnr.html Skomer (Pembrokeshire) • Designated in 1990 around Skomer Island and the Marloes Peninsula under the Wildlife

and Countryside Act 1981 • Managed by the Countryside Council for Wales • The island is at the junction in the ranges of many northern and southern species making it

a particularly important site • Two permanent marine conservation officers manage the site St Abbs & Eyemouth (Scottish Borders)

The Shore Thing Acknowledgements

• Opened on 18th August 1984 • Covers 8 km of coastline • Home to an unusual range of species including the wolf-fish which is generally found in

Arctic waters and the Atlantic Devonshire cup coral species • Lies within the Berwickshire and north Northumberland European Marine Site (EMS) • Management Committee consists of representatives from local and national organizations

with an interest in the marine environment. The reserve is a registered charity • Run on voluntary basis, no legal powers but does have a code of practice • A Marine ranger is employed under the management of the National Trust for Scotland • Aims to ‘conserve biodiversity of the coastal waters, to raise awareness of the marine

environment through education and to promote responsible recreational use alongside a sustainable fishery to the mutual benefit of all.’

http://www.marine-reserve.co.uk/index.htm Wembury (Devon) • Created in 1981 • Four miles of coast from Gara Point to Fort Bovisand near Plymouth • Warden employed by the Devon Wildlife Trust • Cared for by the Wembury Advisory Group of representatives of local people and

organizations with an interest in the marine environment • Also designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), Special Site of Scientific Interest

(SSSI) and Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) • Huge diversity of life, particularly in the rocky reefs, home to the protected fish, Allis Shad • Subject to a lot of pressure from visitors, therefore the Voluntary Marine Conservation Area

(VMCR) aims to raise awareness of marine issues http://www.wemburymarinecentre.org/index.html Helford (Cornwall) • Designated in 1987 • Aims to ‘encourage people to become more involved in the marine environment and work

together to conserve it.’ • Home to many different habitats in the tidal estuarine waters and some important and rare

species o Maerl, Eelgrass, Fan mussel, Couch’s goby

• Within the Fal and Helford SAC • Advisory Group maintain the voluntary approach to conservation http://www.helfordmarineconservation.co.uk/index.htm Berwickshire and North Northumberland Coast • Proposed to the European Commission in 1996 as part of the Natura 2000 series • Consists of a candidate SAC, Special Protected Area (SPA) and the Voluntary Marine

Nature Reserve (VMNR) • The SAC component safeguards four features = rocky reefs, sea caves, intertidal sand and

mud flats, plus grey seals • Run by a Management Group http://www.xbordercurrents.com/

The Shore Thing Acknowledgements

Plymouth Sound and Estuaries • Adopted as a cSAC in 1996 • Tamar Estuaries Consultative Forum (TECF) in partnership with the Port of Plymouth

Marine Liaison Committee (PPMLC) and Wembury Voluntary Marine Conservation Area Advisory Group (WAG) which manages the site.

• Legal requirement for the management organizations to develop a management scheme • Designated for following habitats and species:

o Large shallow inlets and bays, estuaries, sandbanks, Atlantic salt meadows, reefs, Shore dock, Allis shad

http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/homepage/environmentandplanning/conservation/tecf.htm Cardigan Bay • Put forward as an SAC in 1996 • Mainly due to the high numbers of bottlenose dolphin. Other species of European

importance include: o River lamprey, Sea lamprey, Atlantic grey seal

• Has a code of conduct and byelaws. http://www.cardiganbaysac.org.uk/english/engmain.shtml

The Shore Thing Acknowledgements

Climate Change The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was created in 1988 to provide an objective source of information on climate change for policymakers. In their latest report (November 2007) the IPCC concluded that the Earth is warming and that human activity is very likely responsible for most of that warming. Although there appears to be overwhelming evidence that this is true there are people who feel that climate change is a natural process and not a consequence of human activities. Below are a few sceptical views of climate change, posted on the BBC website, ‘Have Your Say’: This global warming's just come at the right time for me, since I can no longer afford to travel abroad it means I can holiday in the sunny UK, that is until Gordon brings in his green taxes. __________________________________________________________________________________ All the climate changes in my lifetime could easily be explained by a multitude of causes, of which Global Warming is just the popular current thread. The fact is that it's obvious people have an effect on the environment, but nature makes bigger changes than we do when it wants to. I used to be able to count on snow from November through the end of February into some of March. Now, if I see a couple weeks of snow, that's normal. It still could be a mix of both human and natural causes though. ___________________________________________________________________________________ The aim of this activity is to encourage students to look at the scientific evidence for climate change and the socio economic impacts. Learning Outcome • Understand the concept of climate change and the potential impacts on the marine

environment. Resources • Teachers’ Notes

o Marine Life Topic Note 2 – Climate Change • http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/climateexperiment/ • http://www.nerc.ac.uk/publications/other/documents/climate-change-high.pdf • http://www.ipcc.ch/index.htm • Climate Change role play cards (see pack) Student Activity Activity D asks students to research the effects of climate change and how it impinges on different people’s lives. The research can be carried out as a homework exercise. Students can do this activity in pairs or individually. Give each student/s a card (see Pack) which states who they are and their opinion of climate change. This can be done prior to conducting their research. They should spend no more than five minutes putting their point of view across, to small groups or the whole class. Once all the students have acted out their role the class can have a general debate about climate change. Suggested questions to help generate a debate are:

• Do you agree with the opinion of your character? • What do you feel about climate change, are we responsible? • If we act, will we make a difference in our lifetimes or is it too late? • There is scientific evidence for a rise in sea temperatures. What impact do you think this

will have on the marine environment?

The Shore Thing Acknowledgements

4.2 Planning Fieldwork

There are various factors to consider when planning a biological survey. During this activity students will learn about the techniques used, what to consider when planning a survey, and the health and safety issues. Learning Outcomes • Gain an understanding of the practical techniques and procedures required for fieldwork • Identify the environmental factors to consider when conducting a survey on the rocky shore • Appreciate health and safety issues Resources • Teachers’ Notes

o Survey techniques • Hawkins, S.J. and Jones, H.D. (1992). Rocky Shores. Marine Field Course Guide 1.

Marine Conservation Society. Immel Publishing, London • Raffaelli, D. and Hawkins, S. (1999). Intertidal Ecology. Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Chapter 8 Student Activity There are a number of techniques that can be used on the rocky shore. The most appropriate method is dependent on the site and the species to be surveyed. For example in an area with a high species diversity, if you used a large 1 m2 quadrat it would take you far longer to record the species present than one half that size. Students should be introduced to different techniques either in a classroom session or for homework so they can answer the questions in worksheets E. Answers: Activity E1 The four factors to consider when planning a survey are: Time of low water, suitability of the shore i.e. if it has good examples of zonation, reasonably level and access. Activity E2 The three components of a survey are: Transect, quadrats, and abundance scales. Activity E3 See Table 1 for completed risk assessment.

The Shore Thing Acknowledgements

Table 1 - Shore Thing Risk Assessment

Prev

enta

tive

Mea

sure

s an

d Pr

ecau

tions

Be

awar

e of

car

mov

emen

ts, d

on’t

run

acro

ss ro

ads

or p

lay

in c

ar p

arks

.

Hea

th a

nd S

afet

y ta

lk p

rior t

o ac

tivity

. A

dvis

ing

peop

le to

wea

r sen

sibl

e fo

otw

ear.

Che

ck ti

de ti

mes

bef

ore

you

leav

e an

d be

aw

are

that

the

tide

can

star

t to

com

e in

ver

y su

dden

ly. S

tay

away

from

the

wat

ers

edge

if

sea

is n

ot c

alm

. D

o no

t wal

k of

f alo

ne, h

ave

a m

eans

of p

hone

/radi

o co

mm

unic

atio

n w

ith y

ou

and

mak

e su

re s

omeb

ody

know

s w

here

you

ar

e an

d w

hat t

ime

you

are

expe

cted

bac

k if

bein

g cu

t-off

is li

kely

.

Ens

ure

that

all

are

awar

e of

this

haz

ard

prio

r to

activ

ity.

Kno

w th

e pe

ople

you

are

with

, che

ck

for a

llerg

ies

and

othe

r med

ical

con

ditio

ns.

Car

ry fi

rst a

id k

it. E

mph

asis

e th

e ne

ed to

trea

t an

imal

s w

ith c

are

and

resp

ect.

Ens

ure

that

app

ropr

iate

clo

thin

g is

wor

n by

all.

Th

is s

houl

d be

war

m /

wat

erpr

oof o

r pro

vide

pr

otec

tion

from

sun

. Wea

r hat

and

sun

bloc

k.

Do

not w

ork

with

larg

e ar

eas

of s

kin

expo

sed.

K

eep

a ch

eck

on th

e he

alth

of t

hose

aro

und

you.

Tak

e en

ough

drin

king

wat

er.

Eval

uatio

n of

risk

Unl

ikel

y if

care

take

n

Dea

th u

nlik

ely

to o

ccur

ho

wev

er s

crap

es a

nd

brui

ses

are

poss

ible

.

Unl

ikel

y as

sur

vey

is ti

med

ar

ound

low

tide

. Pos

sibi

lity

exis

ts to

lose

trac

k of

tim

e an

d be

com

e ‘c

ut o

ff’ b

y th

e tid

e.

Mos

t stin

gs, b

ites,

cra

b pi

nche

s ar

e un

likel

y to

oc

cur i

f car

e ta

ken

and

resp

ect f

or th

e an

imal

sh

own.

Hyp

othe

rmia

is u

nlik

ely

to

occu

r if a

ppro

pria

te

clot

hing

is w

orn

and

time

spen

t in

the

cold

is k

ept t

o a

min

imum

. Ris

k of

su

nbur

n pa

rticu

larly

dur

ing

the

sum

mer

mon

ths.

Gro

up a

t ris

k

All

thos

e w

alki

ng

thro

ugh

car p

ark

or

cros

sing

road

.

All

thos

e on

the

seas

hore

. A

ll th

ose

on th

e se

asho

re, e

spec

ially

w

eak

swim

mer

s,

youn

g ch

ildre

n an

d th

e el

derly

.

All

who

vis

it th

e se

asho

re, e

spec

ially

th

ose

with

alle

rgie

s

Loca

tion

Act

ivity

Gro

up

Nat

ure

of

Haz

ard

Veh

icle

mov

emen

t

Slip

pery

rock

s an

d se

awee

d Ti

des

Stin

gs/b

ites

from

m

arin

e an

imal

s (a

nem

ones

, jel

lyfis

h,

wea

ver f

ish)

Exp

osur

e (c

old

wat

er/w

eath

er,

sunb

urn

/ de

hydr

atio

n)

Spe

cific

ally

the

old

and

very

you

ng

alth

ough

all

can

suffe

r fro

m

hypo

ther

mia

or h

eat

exha

ustio

n.

W

orst

ou

tcom

e

Dea

th

Dea

th

Dea

th

(dro

wni

ng)

Ana

phyl

actic

sh

ock

due

to

alle

rgic

re

actio

n.

Hyp

othe

rmia

or

hea

t ex

haus

tion

The Shore Thing Acknowledgements

Table 1 - Shore Thing Risk Assessment (Contd)

Prev

enta

tive

Mea

sure

s an

d Pr

ecau

tions

War

n of

haz

ard

befo

re a

ctiv

ity.

Kee

p aw

ay

from

obj

ects

/can

iste

rs y

ou d

o no

t rec

ogni

se.

Car

ry fi

rst a

id k

it.

Eval

uatio

n of

risk

Ser

ious

inju

ry is

unl

ikel

y.

Alth

ough

not

com

mon

, cut

s fro

m b

roke

n gl

ass/

old

cans

m

ay o

ccur

.

Gro

up a

t ris

k

All

who

vis

it th

e se

asho

re.

Wor

st

outc

ome

Ser

ious

inju

ry

due

to c

uts

and

punc

ture

wou

nds

Nat

ure

of

Haz

ard

Litte

r and

be

ach

debr

is

Emer

genc

y In

form

atio

n

Ensu

re g

roup

has

Firs

t Aid

er –

Nam

e:

Take

Firs

t Aid

Kit

Car

ry M

obile

pho

ne

Loca

tion

of n

eare

st te

leph

one

The Shore Thing Acknowledgements

4.3 Data Handling

The Shore Thing needs long term data sets to demonstrate any impacts that climate change may be having on the marine environment. No conclusions can be drawn after one or several surveys. However, until we have a few years of data the records can be used to carry out other tests and analysis. You may need to collect additional data to carry out these tests. Suggestions for further research are outlined in appendix 2. When the survey data is uploaded on to the project website it is stored in a MySQL database. It is important that students have an understanding of how databases work and how important they are when carrying out scientific studies. Students may have covered these topics whilst studying Information Technology. These activities give students the opportunity to put what they have learnt into a practical context. Learning Outcomes • Explain the difference between data, information and knowledge • Understand the importance of verification and validation • Understand the importance of using databases for scientific research Resources • Teachers’ Notes

o Databases • http://www.mysql.com, • http://www.Teach-ICT.com Student Activities Students should have a basic understanding of the terminology used when handling data and the processes required ensuring that the data is correct and meaningful. The latter is extremely important. This is why all the Shore Thing data undergoes a rigorous verification and validation process. Activity F1 – Terminology Answers Data Is raw information that can exist in any form usable or not. It is a product of research and discovery. Information Is data that has been given a meaning. Knowledge Is what can be discovered from data and information. Can answer question

‘why’? Verification Is used to check that data is entered correctly and that there are no transcription errors. Validation Is making sure that the data entered is sensible and possible within reasonable bounds.

The Shore Thing Acknowledgements

Activity F2 – Databases Answers 1. Structured Query Language 2. Rational Database Management System 3. i Reduced redundancy ii Improved data consistency iii Improved data integrity iv Better security Activity F3 – Data Analysis The Shore Thing requires long term data in order to assess the impact of climate change on the marine environment. Surveys are being conducted by schools and voluntary groups all around the country to monitor change. Students can use this data to analyse the distribution and abundance of species in different areas of the country compared to their own. In this activity students can download data from the project website to answer the questions on worksheet F3. Answers will depend on what data they have used and what analysis they have chosen to undertake.

The Shore Thing Acknowledgements

4.4 Presentation

Encouraging students to do a presentation of their work at the end of the project is an excellent way of assessing their understanding of the project, why they are carrying out the research, and their ability to communicate their findings to a wider audience. By doing this final activity students gain an understanding of what it is like to be a ‘real’ scientists by going through the whole research process; researching the subject, collecting the data in the field, analysing their records and presenting their results. Learning Outcomes • Demonstrate an understanding of the Shore Thing Project and the principles behind it. • Demonstrate an ability to present research data using scientific techniques • Demonstrate good communication skills Resources • Shore Thing data • Student worksheets • Microsoft PowerPoint Student Activity Students should follow the guidelines on worksheet G. Presentations can be conducted by individuals or in pairs.