The concept
Aquatic Explorers, from Creeks to Coast: Algae-Climate-Community Connection proposes hands-on field and lab research, real-time climate monitoring, and creative visualization that aims to connect K-12 youth and the community to emerging issues related to local aquatic ecosystems, their algal components, climate science, and the environment. Through authentic learning achieved through interdisciplinary STEM + Art field and lab activities delivered by mentors, the project seeks to strengthen interest in STEM while fostering a deeper understanding of aquatic science and the impact of human activities and climate change on aquatic ecosystems. The project’s combinatory methods will promote authentic learning and interest in environmental science and a broadened understanding of the relationship between human activity, algal growth, and aquatic ecosystem health.
Unhealthy lakes
The recent increases in the intensity and duration of harmful algal blooms in our lakes and in the ocean triggered our interest in involving the community in this environmental project. Community members will participate in field observations, monitor water quality, and perform experiments, seeking to better understand anthropogenic and climate impacts on aquatic systems. The project’s field research will be based at local streams, lakes, lagoons, and ocean coast, with site locations along the watershed that include Escondido Creek, San Marcos Lake, San Diego County streams, and the Tijuana Estuary on the border between the U.S. and Mexico. These water bodies have variable water quality and experience different levels and types of anthropogenic impact. Project research sites for the aquatic fieldwork and out-of-school experiences involve the collaboration of the City of San Marcos Watershed Management, Escondido Creek Conservancy, Volcan Mountain Foundation, and the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve.
Lab experiments
Participants will experiment with algae and explore how human activities affect algal growth and impact diverse bodies of water. Preliminary experiments in the laboratory will be performed to determine how best to demonstrate these impacts in real time using the Aquatic Biome Box. To accomplish this, algal cultures from each of the different field sites will be established in the lab. Thereafter, the effects of different commonly used fertilizers and herbicides on algal growth will be tested across a wide range of environmentally relevant concentrations (high, medium, and low) and increasing temperature gradients. Salinity will also be tested in the same manner, with 5, 10, and 25% increases of filtered sea water to freshwater growth medium. Changes in color to the naked eye of cultured algae, due to different cell growth and density, will provide a visual on how human activity and/or climate change can impact algal growth and aquatic ecosystems using the Aqua Biome Box described below.
Aquatic biome box prototype
The project introduces the study of water quality at different scales and makes aquatic science accessible by implementing informal STEM learning around water quality at local water habitats with technological monitoring and artistic visualizations of freshwater and ocean climate conditions. We are in a process of developing the first prototype of the Aquatic Biome Box, which will demonstrate various anthropogenic impacts on the growth of algal strains isolated from local water bodies. With this mobile laboratory students will view algal specimens through portable microscopes. A screen on the Aquatic Biome Box reveals real-time climate readings, with participants gaining access to the data of climate science while at the same time peering up-close and manipulating specimens from local aquatic environments. Student groups will also create a visual model of a local aquatic system within the Aquatic Biome Box—their artmaking reflecting their observations in the field. In this way, the box will visually represent the aquatic ecosystem where the samples in the box were collected.