|
Where the
River Meets the Sea:
Exploring Life in the Chesapeake Bay
with Smithsonian Scientists
Join Pinewood Teachers and
Students for this Exciting Nationwide Educational
Event
 
Explore
where the salt water from the ocean and the fresh
water from the rivers meet and mix. This
unique occurrence produces a semi-enclosed body of
brackish water known as an estuary, and the
Chesapeake Bay is the nation's largest and most
productive. Join Smithsonian scientists and
educators at the Smithsonian Research Center (SERC)
as they investigate the physical and biological
environment of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystems,
focusing specifically on the Rhode River, a
subestuary of the Bay south of Annapolis, MD.
The
Bay is home to a host of interesting organisms, and
changing water and weather conditions affect these
oganisms as they live, feed and reproduce in the
estuary. Follow SERC staff as they use various
nets to catch fish and crabs and sift through an
oyster bar community, introducing students to some
of the residents of the Rhode River. Then,
to better understand aspects of water quality,
demonstrations explaining salinity, pH and turbidity
will be performed. Our discussion of the
physical environment will conclude with observations
about the weather and tides.
Throughout
the electronic field trip, students will have access
to the research, staff and facilities of the
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.
Located seven miles south of Annapolis, Maryland,
and encompassing 2,900 acres, the center comprises
laboratories, a greenhouse, an education center, two
research towers, and a dock on the Rhode River where
the center's research vessel and wet lab are
located. During this electronic field trip,
join SERC staff, Pinewood teachers and students and
explore where the river meets sea and research meets
the Bay.
|
