Environmental Explorations
Resources for Developing Environmental Knowledge
Environmental Explorations
Environmental explorations includes unique and carefully curated resources to help communities and educators increase their knowledge of locally relevant watershed issues utilizing real-world data and local case studies. This collection is designed to grow and adapt. We will be adding new topics and resources as they become available. Please explore. Share. Get to know your watershed!
Not sure what a watershed is? Click here to find out.
Do you have a resource that you think we should include to our collection? Do you see something that needs to be updated or changed? Email us at education@scienceforourcoast.org.
Climate Change and Migration: Isle de Jean Charles - An Inconceivable Choice*
As coastal communities are faced with the reality of the effects of climate change they must grapple with tough decisions. In this collection, you can explore the real-world consequences of sea-level rise on the coastal community of Isle de Jean Charles.
*This resource has been reviewed by Chantel Comardelle, Tribal Secretary of the Isle de Jean Charles band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw Tribe.
Coastal Land Loss: Phoenix's Vital Effort to Hold Back the Water*
Choices are often made with the best of intentions, but the future is never certain. In this collection, you can explore the causes of coastal land loss, the proposed solutions, and test out their own ideas on how to protect the city of Phoenix and nearby communities.
*This resource has been reviewed by Darilyn Turner, Executive Director of the Zion Travelers Cooperative Center.
Development and the Wetlands: The Northshore's Dilemma
As communities grow and prosper they require additional space, but what does this mean for the wetlands that border these urban areas? In this collection, you can explore stakeholder perspectives, the consequences of the loss of wetlands, and possible alternatives to the destruction of these valuable resources.
Marine Debris: Everyone's Problem
When land-based litter and debris makes its way to local waterways, the impacts can include decreased water quality, entanglement of marine life, ingestion by marine life, and leaching of dangerous checmicals into the water. In this collection, you can explore marine debris pathways, garbage patches, and mitigation projects.
Marsh Restoration: Rebuilding Bayou St. John's Urban Marsh
Urban landscapes often sacrifice wild spaces. New Orleans was built on what was once cypress swamp and marsh. In this collection, you can explore the project to restore the urban marsh at the mouth of Bayou St. John, track the evolution of the marsh, and design their own urban mini-marsh restoration project.
Microplastics and Waterways: A Micro-Investigation of a Global Hazard
Plastic seems to be an unavoidable part of our daily lives, and recycling attempts to address some of the issues this creates. However, it is often what we cannot see that can cause unexpected damage. In this collection, you can explore the origin of microplastics, where we find them, and alternatives to plastic that could help curb this tide of microscopic fragments.
Water Pollution: A Northshore Drainage Mystery - Tracking Pollution to Its Source
When we test water and find contaminants, can we always know the source of the pollution? Point versus non-point source pollution, what does that mean? In this collection, you can explore water pollution, identify sources of pollution, and solve a mystery by tracking pollution to its most likely source.
Water Quality: Can We Swim in Lake Pontchartrain? An EPA Mystery
Is the water safe? What do we mean by safe? What are we looking for and how do we find it? In this collection, you can explore a variety of water quality parameters, uncover what they mean for the health of our estuary, and use guidelines to solve the mystery of whether or not we can swim in Lake Pontchartrain.