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Presentation Notes for Lessons 1 – 5 (fully editable, add your own notes!) Lesson 1 – Introduction to Seabirds Slide 4. Birds, like the Black-footed Albatross in this picture, that spend most of their lives at sea are known as seabirds. Discuss with students what it must be like for these animals, which spend the large majority of their lives at sea. Slide 5. Seabirds live in all the oceans – Sophie Webb, an artist and a marine scientist, painted a congregation of seabirds, tuna and dolphins targeting a school of flying fish in the Tropical Pacific. Have the students try to count the different bird species and consider the organisms not drawn (turtles, sharks, organisms that live on the bottom of the ocean, etc.) Slide 6. Seabirds live in all the oceans – Here, the same artist painted a congregation of shearwaters (larger birds with long pointed wings), diving alcid seabirds (smaller seabirds, some sitting on the water), and humpback whales feeding in Bering Sea waters where prey fish are often found in great densities. Slide 7. Brown Booby incubating eggs. All seabirds return to land to breed, except the Emperor Penguins that only need frozen ocean. But even when raising young, seabirds spend most of their time at sea. Discuss with students why seabirds do not spend much time on land, and the activities in which they engage while out at sea, e.g., feeding, flying, swimming, etc. Slide 8. Some of these species are very familiar—others are not. They come in many “shapes and sizes,” but all seabirds rely on the ocean for food. Brown Pelican – photo by David Gardner on Año Nuevo Island, CA Emperor and Adelie Penguin – photo by Noah Stryker at Cape Crozier, Antarctica Atlantic Puffin – photo by Henrick Thorburn in Iceland Western Gull – photo by David Gardner on Año Nuevo Island, CA Slide 9. This lesson will focus on these two species, which spend their time traversing the Pacific Ocean (common English and Hawaiian names). Slide 10. Watching an albatross gliding over the ocean inspired American Museum of Natural History curator of birds, Robert Cushman Murphy (April 29, 1887-March 20, 1973) to write this beautiful quote: “I now belong to a higher cult of mortals, for I have seen the albatross”. Image: A Wandering Albatross, one of the largest seabirds in the world (wingspan ~3 meters), catches an updraft from the MV Ushuaia research vessel in the Drake Passage. Photo by Kenin Turner. Slide 11. Now, scientists are able to track the movements of these ocean wanderers. This is a map of the North Pacific Ocean. Explain to students that these black dots represent the locations of 47 Black-footed Albatross tracked by satellites during summers. The dot color refers to the ocean depth (bathymetry) at each location. In Lesson 2, students will learn more about satellite tracking and mapping the routes of real albatross. Slide 12. In this map, you can see the different paths that each albatross traveled. The different color “spaghetti tracks” show the paths of 13 individual albatross. These birds started from three locations: Kure Atoll, Tern Island, and Cordell Bank. Each was only tracked for ~ 3 months of their lives in the summer time. Information on where the birds go stop being collected when satellite transmitters fall off when birds molt (change their feathers). Imagine if scientists could follow them for an entire year! Slide 13. Now, we can look at where a single Black-footed Albatross, named after a bright star used for navigation called Zubenelgenubi, flew all the way across the Pacific Ocean in less than 2 months – from California to Japan. Each of these little black dots indicates noon of a given day. By looking at the space between each black dot, you can see how far Zubenelgenubi flew in a single day! Slide 15. The wingspan of a bird is described as the distance from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other when outstretched. Slide 16. Art at the Royal Albatross Visitors Center in Dunedin, New Zealand. North Pacific Albatrosses are relatively small compared to albatrosses in the southern hemisphere around New Zealand. For example the Wandering and Royal albatross have wingspans over 11 feet (red) while the wingspan of mōlī and kaʻupu almost 7 feet! What is your wingspan? Are you as big as a North Pacific albatross? Slide 18. This is a map of the Hawaiian Islands. The green islands are the Main Hawaiian Islands. The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are a series of atolls, sandy islands formed around coral reefs. The black line is the border of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument established to protect the ecosystems and cultural heritage. Learn how to pronounce here: http://www.papahanaumokuakea.gov/about/pronounce.mp3 Slide 19. This slide describes the albatross reproductive cycle. Encourage students to creatively represent this cycle. Slide 20. Midway Atoll, an island in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, is a World War II battle site (point out the large white anchors). Many thousands of Laysan Albatross raises their young here among the runways and military buildings. Slide 21. Before they breed, albatross show off to each other and bond by dancing together. Here are two Laysan Albatross adults doing a courtship or mating dance – the many poses include “sky pointing” as seen here. Slide 22. The Black-footed Albatross perform a different dance sequence specific to their species. Video “Nesting Hawaiian Albatross” shows dancing albatross and can be viewed or downloaded at http://www.DownloadWingedAmbassadors.org. Slide 23. Video “Nesting Hawaiian Albatross” shows dancing albatross and can be viewed or downloaded at http://www.DownloadWingedAmbassadors.org. Slide 24. Female albatross breeding in the Pacific lay a single large egg in November or December. Imagine how much energy it takes to create such a large egg! Sometimes, two eggs are found in a nest, which suggests the pair bond is between two females. Pair bonds can last a lifetime, but new pairs can be formed if one of the pair does not return to the colony or dies. Slide 25. This drawing is of a Laysan Albatross, showing the parent incubating an egg. Both parents take turns incubating the egg for about 2-3 months. Slide 26. For the first few weeks after the chick hatches, when it is very little, it requires constant protection to survive the heat, wind and rain. If the island has predators, such as rats, they especially need protection until they are big enough to fend for themselves in the nest. Note the purple plastic band on the parent’s leg with a unique number engraved on it. Biologists band albatross to follow individuals and learn about their lives, including how many chicks they have raised, when they return to the island, and how long they have been with their partner Slide 27. As the chick grows, their fluffy down is slowly replaced by adult feathers. Slide 28. The parents feed chicks by regurgitating food and nutritious oil into their throats. Look at how large this chick has become, and notice that it has very little fluff and mostly feathers. Both parents must work very hard to feed such a large chick and themselves! Slide 29. Video “Nesting Hawaiian Albatross” shows albatross parents feeding their chicks and can be viewed or downloaded at http://www.DownloadWingedAmbassadors.org. Slide 30. When their wing feathers are fully grown, they often exercise and practice flying by flapping and hopping, especially in the wind and rain. Slide 31. Video “Nesting Hawaiian Albatross” shows chicks exercising their wings and practicing flying and can be viewed or downloaded at http://www.DownloadWingedAmbassadors.org. Students will also enjoy a video clip with music from Chris Jordan’s Midway Journey film – Enter the Heroes: http://vimeo.com/groups/120490/videos/36745838. Slide 32. These albatrosses are just a few of the tubenose species in the taxonomic order Procellariiformes – Albatrosses, Petrels, Shearwaters, and Storm-petrels. They come in all sizes, from the large white-headed Short-tailed Albatross-which is the biggest of the North Pacific Albatrosses, to the small storm-petrel which is about the size of a sparrow! They also share a long life-span - from 30 to 60 years old depending on body size. Slide 33. The name 'tubenose' referrers to the 'tube like' structure on top of their bills. They also have a gland above the eyes that allows seabirds to drink seawater and release the excess salt down their tubes. Slide 34. This is a personal view of a Laysan Albatross chick (you can just see little tufts of feathers behind the eyes). In this close up you can see the nostril openings and the grooves where water and salt flow out. Albatross chicks can be very curious and often approach people and cameras. However, like most wild animals, albatross chicks do not like to be touched or handled. Slide 35. Another adaptation of albatrosses is their wide 'gape' or how wide the opening to their throat is. Albatross feed almost exclusively from the ocean surface because they can only dive underwater a few feet. They eat primarily fish, fish eggs, and squid. Their wide gape allows them to eat larger items than you might think possible. This can be important if you don't often come across food, so they can eat whatever they find, and it is an advantage when competing with other animals. Slide 36. They also have webbed feet, which are well-suited for a life at sea. They help them land (pictured), paddle on the surface (or some smaller tubenose seabirds actually swim underwater!), and take off from the water. Slide 37. Another special adaptation is their ability to travel long distances without flapping their wings. Albatross take advantage of wind generated just above the waves that allows them to rise quickly to 10 meters above the ocean. Then they glide downwind and enter another wave to rise again. This technique is known as dynamic soaring, making albatross 'Sailors of the Air'. Illustration from WHOI Graphic Services, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Slide 39. The surface of the sea covers an incredibly large area; it stretches farther than the eye can see. In fact, the ocean is Earth’s dominant feature. Slide 40. This Google Earth image centered in the Pacific Ocean demonstrates the large area of water compared to land. Slide 41. There are five major ocean basins: Ask the students to help Identify three of the five major ocean basins: Left to Right: Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Ocean Basins Slide 42. The final two ocean basins: Identify the other two major ocean basins: Left to Right: Arctic and Southern Oceans Slide 43. For a unique perspective of the world, here is an atypical view of the planet viewed from the south. Identify the continents and then the ocean regions. Maybe ask students how many oceans they have seen, if they know people who have visited other oceans (if you study seabirds, you COULD see all of them!) Animated map exhibiting the world's five oceanic divisions (Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, and Southern) that are connected and make up one global ocean. Public Domain (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:World_ocean_map.gifture) Slide 44. In the same ocean ecosystems as seabirds there are also sea turtles (Honu) in Hawaiian waters. Slide 45. Or this beautiful Shark, which is a Mako shark. Slide 46. Seabirds also share their ecosystem with other familiar animals, like these Pacific White-sided Dolphins in waters off California. Slide 47. There are also important organisms that you don't often see like phytoplankton, including these diatoms and cyanobacteria. They convert the sun’s energy into sugars through the process of photosynthesis. This energy is transferred through the food chain. Slide 48. This is an example of a food chain (a simplified food “web”) for albatross. Slide 49. Scientists (oceanographers, biologists, ecologists) collect plankton samples using nets like these (a bongo net and a hoop net). They are specially designed to collect these small organisms. By studying plankton, we can learn about the 'base' of the food web / ecosystem. Slide 50. A close up of a single krill, a small pelagic crustacean related to lobsters and crabs. This group of zooplankton makes up a critical link in the food chain of many ecosystems. Isn't it amazing that such a small organism plays such an important role in the ecosystem? Lesson 2 – Introduction to Seabirds Slide 4. A crucial skill for ocean exploration is to map your location, often with no landmarks. Slide 5. Skilled sailors are able to navigate using the stars, sun, ocean conditions (wind, waves), and other natural cues (such as seabirds and clouds). Discuss with students the challenges and specialized skills needed to traverse the Oceans without electronic navigational equipment, e.g., GPS and radar. This painting shows a traditional double-hulled voyaging canoe used historically and today in Hawai‘i. Slide 6. Oceanographers navigate the ocean using a variety of technological tools such as radar, sonar, and satellite communication. Discuss with students the features and capabilities of modern research vessels (e.g., navigation: notice antennas; propulsion, notice chimneys; research equipment, notice a-frame and winches to deploy / retrieve nets and instruments; and safety equipment, notice safety-rings, fire extinguishers in red boxes, and safety inflatable boat). Slide 7. Technologies used in science vary widely. Satellites, such as the one shown here, have become incredibly important tools for remote sensing of the Earth, communication and data transmission to / from vessels (including satellite tracking of animals). Slide 8. Seabirds, especially albatross, spend most of their lives at sea. This makes them very hard to study. Scientists have long wondered where albatross travel. Slide 9. We can visit islands where they raise chicks to learn about their life on land, but they travel too fast and too far to follow by boat or plane in the ocean – where albatross spend the majority of their life. Slide 10. Scientists collect various data from research vessels such as the number of whales and seabirds seen, the temperature of the ocean at different depths, and the amount of fish in a trawl sample. From many boat surveys, scientists knew Hawaiian albatross visited the west coast of North America. They began to hypothesize about where these albatross might be coming from. Slide 11. The first albatross ever tracked from Hawai‘i– in 1998 by Dave Anderson from Wake Forest University (http://www.wfu.edu/biology/albatross/) confirmed this migration route. Birds travelled over 9,000 kilometers or 5,600 miles, from their colony to California and back, to feed for their chicks. The 'spaghetti-tracks' in green and orange, are the paths of two different Black-footed Albatross parents. Imagine going that far to the grocery store? Slide 12. In 2008, scientists tracked more Black-footed Albatross from Kure Atoll, the oldest and westernmost coral atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian chain. They wondered if albatross from other Hawaiian Atolls traveled to the same place. Each different colored line indicates the path of an individual Black-footed Albatross. Notice that the two original tracks from Tern Island are also shown (green and orange). Do the birds from the two colonies visit the same places? Slide 13: Albatross clearly do not all go to the same place! The information from these albatross reminds us of a few critical aspects about science: Scientific knowledge is subject to change (there is always new information) Technology and human creativity aid science (what may be the next technological break-through that aides our understanding of albatross?) Hypotheses not supported by data are just as important as hypotheses that are...they both advance our understanding. As a scientist, your hypothesis doesn't have to be supported, but it does have to be well tested and studied. Slide 14: Let's review what we know: Scientists used satellite tracking to follow the birds' movements A small satellite tag was attached to a few feathers with tape (see tag and antenna sticking up from the Black-footed Albatross' back) Scientists can determine the animal’s locations after they are released. We will get to learn more details about the tagging technology later in this lesson. Slide 15. Technology has enabled us to follow them. Notice the small transmitter taped to this bird’s back feathers and the tiny antenna sticking out. This transmitter sends information to a satellite in space. Because the tag is light weight, where it is tapped, and how it is shaped, it has very little impact on the bird's ability to fly, feed, and travel. Slide 17. This is a map of one of the birds breeding on Tern Island that flew all the way to Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, off California. Use coordinates to track positions of individual albatross on a map of the Pacific Ocean. Each black dot represents noon of a given day, so the space between two dots indicates the distance traveled by the albatross in a single day. Now YOU will have the opportunity to plot the tracks of albatross in the Pacific Ocean. Slide 18. This is the tracking map that students will be using. Point out the three sites where albatross were tagged and other recognizable places to help them orient themselves. Students will be given the latitude and longitude of a series of points, which represent the actual locations of satellite-tracked albatross. Slide 19. Students will learn about birds tracked from the Kure Atoll breeding colony, the most western Hawaiian atoll above sea level. It is a Seabird Sanctuary managed by the State of Hawai‘i in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument established to protect the ecosystems and cultural heritage. Learn how to pronounce here: http://www.papahanaumokuakea.gov/about/pronounce.mp3 Slide 20. You will also learn about birds tracked from Tern Island breeding colony, part of French Frigate Shoals, a U.S. National Wildlife Refuge managed by US Fish and Wildlife Service, also in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. Slide 21. Albatross were also tracked from a migration “hotspot” off central California, Cordell Bank. Albatross do not nest off California but many Black-footed Albatross travel there to feed throughout the year, particularly in the late summer after their chicks have grown. It takes an experienced team to capture and tag these amazing birds from a boat in rough seas. Left Photo: Photo of Oikonos biologists on a NOAA vessel over Cordell Bank with Black-footed Albatross in the background. The birds were attracted to the boat with squid and fish oil. Right Photo: Oikonos biologist gently holds a Black-footed Albatross on the deck of the research vessel after attaching the tag with sticky tape and glue on a few back feathers between the wings. The tag falls off when the tape wears out or when the bird replaces its feathers in a few months. Slide 22: Let’s quickly review latitude: Measure in degrees north or south of the equator (line of 0 degrees latitude). Lines run paralleled to the equator. Slide 23: Let’s quickly review longitude: Measured in degrees east or west of the Prime Meridian (line of 0 degrees longitude). Liens of longitude meet at the north and the south poles. Slide 25. Let's look again at this Black-footed Albatross that was tagged in Tern island (Hawai‘i), which crossed the entire North Pacific Ocean to visit California, and returned to its colony. This bird was breeding and returned home to feed its chick. Remember: each day’s noon position is labeled with a black dot. When consecutive dots are closer together, the bird is travelling more slowly. When consecutive dots are farther apart, the bird is travelling faster. Slide 26. This is an example of three Black-footed Albatross (indicated by different color lines) that were tagged in Kure Atoll (Hawai‘i). They traveled to the northwest and then returned to their colony. The black dots were not included on these tracks. These birds were breeding and returned home to feed their chicks. Ask the class to consider: why did none of these birds go to California? Slide 27. Now look at this Black-footed Albatross that was tagged in Kure Atoll (Hawai‘i). It crossed the North Pacific Ocean and flew almost straight to the coast of Japan. This bird bred in Kure and then migrated to Japan, where it spent the summer foraging. Remember: each day’s noon position is labeled with a black dot. When consecutive dots are closer together, the bird is travelling more slowly. When consecutive dots are farther apart, the bird is travelling faster. Look at how far apart the dots are before it gets to Japan and how many, close-together dots there are near Japan. Slide 28. Another example of a Black-footed Albatross that was tagged in Kure Atoll (Hawai‘i), crossed the North Pacific Ocean and ended up in the Gulf of Alaska. This bird bred in Kure and then migrated to Alaska, where it spent the summer foraging. Remember: each day’s noon position is labeled with a black dot. Slide 29. Another example of a Black-footed Albatross that was tagged in Kure Atoll (Hawai‘i), crossed the North Pacific Ocean and ended up in the Gulf of Alaska. This bird bred in Kure and migrated to Alaska, and moved around a great deal, even coming down to Canada and Washington State. Remember: each day’s noon position is labeled with a black dot. Slide 30. Example of a Black-footed Albatross that was tagged in Cordell Bank (California) crossed the entire North Pacific Ocean and went to islands north of Japan. This bird was tagged at a feeding area during summer and was free to travel across the entire ocean because it did not have a chick waiting to be fed at the colony. Slide 31. This is an example of movements of the same Black-footed Albatross tagged in Kure Atoll (Hawai‘i). This bird went to the northwest to forage and returned to the colony to feed the chick one last time. Then, the bird started its post-breeding migration and was free to travel far away, without having to return to the colony. The black dots are not show on this map. Ask the class to consider: why did this bird not go to California? Slide 32. This is a map of all 12 albatross tracks in the Lesson 2 Handout. Each Tag ID is listed in the legend and individually colored. Slide 34. For many years biologist have used tags that send out a radio signal. This required a person, stationed on a mountain top or a plane, to be patiently listening with headphones for a “ping”. Here a biologist in Antarctica is listening with a radio antenna for penguins tagged with a radio transmitter to return home. Slide 35. Newer technologies harness the power and larger spatial range of satellites: Satellites can “hear” or receive the signal from satellite tags (if the batteries are still working) and send the data to a processing center, where they are decoded and sent to your computer by email. This technology is better than radio tracking for learning about far ranging animals because it can cover the entire world, but it is much more expensive. Slide 37: Another seabird species that interests scientist is the Pink-footed Shearwater. They breed and raise chicks on islands off Chile. But where do these birds go after they breed? Slide 38. One Pink-footed Shearwater colony is on the famous Robinson Crusoe Island. To practice more mapping skills, satellite locations of this shearwater are provided, that was captured and tagged at sea off southern California. Will this bird return to its breeding colony in Chile? Lesson 3 –Protecting Ocean Hotspots Slide 4: The ocean looks similar everywhere because we can't see through the water. However, the 'smooth surface' of the ocean hides what is underneath it. Slide 5. The sea floor is actually full of features. Different shades of blue indicate the depth of features. Explain to students that these images are of the seafloor, with the water removed. What features can they observe? Are they surprised? Compare the different types of features that students can identify in the two oceans shown (islands, large raised areas in the Pacific, the 'mid-Atlantic Ridge' in the Atlantic ocean that looks like a north-south 'seam' in the middle of the ocean). Slide 7. Several tools and methods have been used to measure the depth and topography of the bottom of the ocean (such as ship-board sonar and orbiting satellites carrying specialized sensors). These tools help us to 'see' features that we can't see with our own eyes. By mapping these features, we can more safely navigate in the ocean and we can study what makes certain areas and features unique. Slide 8. Let's talk a closer look at the Pacific Ocean. This is the same image of the sea floor we saw earlier, with the water removed (dark blue indicates deeper areas). Ask the students if they know the names of some of the areas. Name some of the different areas that are labeled. Ask students if they are familiar names or new to them, then move to the next slide, where some features are highlighted. Slide 9. Let's look at some different types of features, starting with trenches: - Trenches are very deep areas of the ocean. The Mariana trench is the deepest known trench, with a depth of 10,910 m. Other Pacific trenches include the Japan Trench and Aleutian trench. Slide 10. The sea floor can also be explored with ROVs (remotely operated vehicles). ROVs have video cameras, which the person 'driving' the vehicle, who is usually on a boat or on land, can watch to navigate the vehicle. They give a much more close up view of the sea floor than the sonar or satellites mentioned earlier. Additionally, some ROVs include 'arms' which can be used to collect samples of organisms that the scientist can then study. Slide 11. Another important feature in the ocean is the continental shelf. Continental shelves are shallow (0 – 200 m deep) areas on the edges of continents and islands. This is the part of the ocean that most people are familiar with. Slide 12. As the seafloor gets deeper, the continental shelves transition into continental slopes that are the steep “drop offs”. The water depth ranges from 200 and 2,000 m. Slide 13. This is a slightly exaggerated profile (side view) of the continental shelf and slope. Example of the steep continental slope off San Francisco Bay (you can see the mouth of the bay in the black/grey). The color gradient indicates shallow, (orange) to very deep (blue) depths. Note that the start of the blue marks the end of the continental shelf (0-200 m) and the steep 'drop off' is the continental slope. The continental slope is a very special area of the ocean which marks a distinct transition from the 'near shore' environment into the offshore environment. (If students ask about the tall features near the continental slope, they are the Farallon Islands, slightly north (left when looking at the slide) is a small feature called Rittenburg Bank, and the larger, northern (left-most) submarine feature that is orange is Cordell Bank. Neither Rittenburg nor Cordell reach the surface of the ocean but are ecologically important submarine features---Banks will be discussed in slide 15). Slide 14. After the continental slope, comes the abyssal plain, which is the deep (2,000 m and deeper) and relatively flat seafloor making up most of the world’s oceans. Slide 15. Unique features from the sea floor include Banks, which are undersea hills, sitting on the continental shelf. They often reach very close to the surface. Slide 16. Cordell Bank off San Francisco where researchers tagged Black-footed Albatross that were attracted to waters above this productive ocean feature. The colors represent deep (blue) to shallow (orange) depths. The smaller feature between Cordell Bank and the Farallon Islands (which are important seabird breeding habitat) is Rittenburg Bank. Slide 17. Seamounts are volcanic mountains rising over 1,000 m above the seafloor, but always remaining under the waves. Sometimes they reach to 100 m from the surface. Slide 18. For a closer look at a seamount, look at this image (red=shallow, blue-purple = deep). This is a colorized sonar image of Ely Seamount, in the Gulf of Alaska. Slide 19. This is a shaded contour map the students will be interpreting. The darker the shading, the deeper the water. Certain depths are shown with different shades of grey to identify four bathymetric habitats: continental shelves, continental slopes, seamounts, and the abyssal plain. The stars and labels mark the three study sites where albatross were tagged with transmitters. Slide 20. Scientists went to two colonies where albatross nest to attach satellite tags to adults and study where they forage – Kure Atoll and Tern Island, both in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, which was established to protect the ecosystems and cultural heritage. Learn how to pronounce here: http://www.papahanaumokuakea.gov/about/pronounce.mp3 This is a picture of a nesting colony of Laysan Albatross on Midway Atoll. Midway is located between Kure and Tern also in the Monument. Slide 21. Students will learn about birds tracked from the Kure Atoll breeding colony, the most northwesterly Hawaiian atoll above sea level. It is a Seabird Sanctuary managed by the State of Hawai‘i in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. Slide 22. Students will also learn about birds tracked from Tern Island breeding colony, part of French Frigate Shoals, a U.S. National Wildlife Refuge managed by US Fish and Wildlife Service in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. Slide 23. Scientists wanted to learn about albatross migrations from one of their known “hotspots” off California, Cordell Bank (which we looked at earlier in the seafloor features section). Though they do not breed nearby, albatross come to this area because it offers a predictable food. Scientists traveled offshore on fishing and research vessels to search for Black-footed Albatross at sea. While albatross spend much of their life in flight, they land on the water to rest, socialize, feed, and wait for the wind to increase for more efficient traveling. Slide 24. The slide shows scientists tagging albatross over Cordell Bank, a feeding hotspot for Black-footed Albatross. Many albatross travel to this area to feed throughout the year, particularly in the late summer after their chicks have grown. It takes many scientists to carefully tag these beautiful birds. You can see the small tag taped to the back of the feathers of the albatross that the scientist is holding (black tag, small wire sticking out of the tag). The tag will fall off when the bird molts (loses the old feathers to grow new ones). Slide 25. Handout example: This map shows the California coast and the track of a Blackfooted Albatross superimposed on the bathymetric map, to illustrate the birds’ use of the different bathymetric features. The inset view is a close-up of Cordell Bank. The black dots show the location of the bird around noon each day the tag was transmitting. So the black dots are approximately equal distance apart in time: the more dots in an area, the more time the albatross spent there. How important would you say Cordell Bank is as an albatross hotspot? Slide 26. Not only is it important to protect albatross nesting sites, but it's equally important to protect their feeding sites, or ʻhotspots.ʻ Let's find out what causes a place to be a feeding hotspot. Slide 27. Phytoplankton, including these diatoms and cyanobacteria, convert the sun’s energy into sugars through the process of photosynthesis. This energy is transferred through the food chain. Despite their small size, they play a very large role in the marine ecosystem. Slide 28. Microbes are the most abundant organism in the ocean (by number) and form the base of the marine food webs. These diatoms and other phytoplankton are tiny plant-like organisms. They produce sugar by photosynthesis using sunlight, carbon dioxide, and nutrients. This picture is of the diatom Odontella aurita. They come in all shapes and sizes. Image: Richard A. Ingebrigtsen, Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, University of Tromsø Slide 29. Upwelling is an incredibly important process supporting ocean productivity by bringing nutrient-rich deep water up to the ocean’s surface. In this slide, note that when wind moves water offshore. Deeper water is pulled up to replace it Slide 30. Upwelling influences water temperature far from the coast, as the cold and nutrientrich upwelled water is transported offshore. Coastal upwelling actually fertilizes the ocean. This is a top-down view from a satellite which shows the sea surface temperature off central California. "Plumes" of cold water are upwelled along the coast and mix with warmer water offshore. Slide 31. Areas of the ocean with abundant phytoplankton are colored green, where areas with few are colored dark blue in this satellite image. This is not a 'true' photograph. From space, a sensor on a satellite measured the actual frequencies of light in the ocean to calculate productivity. Scientists create colored maps to represent the data and to help understand the patterns of productivity in the ocean. Slide 32. This is a sample food chain (a simplified food “web”) for albatross. Think about how microscopic organisms like phytoplankton impact organisms as large as an albatross. Slide 33. Areas of the ocean with abundant phytoplankton also support many other organisms that feed on those tiny plants, like zooplankton, as well as those organisms that feed on them and so on… all the way to the top predators, like the marine mammals and birds. This is a painting by Sophie Webb, who is an artist and scientist, of the abundant wildlife in a hotspot in the Bering Sea. Slide 34: Some special areas and wildlife hotspots receive special protection. Slide 35. This map shows existing U.S. National Marine Sanctuaries and Marine National Monuments – two different types of Marine Protected Areas (MPA). There are other MPAs throughout the world. Look for protected areas closest to you. Which of these sanctuaries/monuments are nesting areas for albatrosses and which are feeding hotspots? Slide 36. Designing marine sanctuaries: several marine sanctuaries protect sea floor features and the productive waters surrounding them, where many marine animals aggregate and thrive. This is an image from Cordell Bank, a shallow seafloor feature on the central California shelf. It is home to diverse fish and invertebrate communities and visited by many migratory seabirds and marine mammals and is a National Marine Sanctuary Slide 37. Sanctuaries can protect seafloor features from activities such as drilling and pollution, depending on their regulations. This map shows existing sanctuaries off central CA and the locations of seamounts and banks (pink shading). However, many other seafloor features are not currently included in existing marine sanctuaries boundaries. Slide 38. Now, you (Students) get to use real Black-footed Albatross tracking data to propose a Marine Protected Area to protect the birds you investigated. Slide 39. Consider discussing the following 4 slides with students after their own explorations in Lesson 3. Slide 40. This albatross, tagged at Kure Atoll, travelled to Kummu Guyot, a distant seamount evident as a light-color shallower (200 – 2000 m) areas surrounded by dark-color deeper (> 4000 m) ocean, and returned to the colony to feed its chick. Dots are daily noon locations, so the distance between dots indicates the distance traveled in a single day. Arrows indicate the direction of travel. Can you calculate the distance from the colony to the seamount using the scale? Places where albatross spent most of their time during foraging trips are considered “hotspots”. How many hotspots are there? Can you calculate the size (width and length) of these albatross hotspots using the scale? Slide 41. This albatross, tagged within the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary (zoomed in view of Cordell Bank area), spent most of its time within the central California shelf and slope (shallower than 2000 m depth), despite going out into the deeper ocean. Along its path, this albatross visited two seamounts, evident as two light-color shallower (2000 – 4000 m) areas surrounded by dark-color deeper (> 4000 m) ocean. Can you find them on the map? This albatross did not have a chick waiting at Cordell Bank, but returned to the place where it was tagged. Why? Places that albatross revisit are considered foraging “hotspots”. Can you calculate the size (width and length) of this albatross hotspot using the scale? Slide 42. This albatross, tagged at Kure Atoll, travelled to the Aleutian Islands, where it spent time foraging over the shelf and slope (shallower than 2000 m depth), evident by the light-color shading (see insert). Can you calculate the size (width and length) of this albatross foraging area using the scale? Places like this, where albatross spent most of their time after breeding are considered “hotspots”. How long did it take to fly from Kure to the Aleutian Islands? How many hotspots did this albatross use? Slide 43. This albatross, tagged at Kure Atoll, travelled almost straight to Japan, where it spent time foraging over the shelf and slope (shallower than 2000 m depth), evident by the light-color shading (see insert). Can you calculate the size (width and length) of this albatross foraging area using the scale? Places like this, where albatross spent most of their time after breeding are considered “hotspots”. How long did it take to fly from Kure to Japan (count the black dots)? How many hotspots did this albatross use? Lesson 4 – Bolus Analysis Slide 4. Albatross are long lived seabirds that return to breeding colonies after foraging for months in the ocean. The first part of the breeding cycle is finding a mate. Adult albatross meet at the colony and engage in elaborate mating dances. It is thought that the mating dance helps the albatross identify other birds of the same species at the colony, and determine who will be a good mate. Albatross pairs attempt to mate for life and have to find each other at the colony year after year. Video clip of Black-footed Albatross dancing and mating provided for download or online viewing in Lesson 1 – Introduction to Seabirds: http://www.DownloadWingedAmbassadors.org Left photo – Laysan Albatross Right photo – Black-footed Albatross Slide 5. The species-specific calls and dances help albatross recognize birds of the same species and to pick a good mate. However, infrequently a Laysan and a Black-footed Albatross will mate and create a hybrid. Notice the picture of the hybrid – can you tell what parts come from the Black-footed Albatross parent and what parts come from the Laysan Albatross parent? Dancing series by Cheryl Baduini on Tern Island, French Frigate Shoals. Slide 6. Albatross females lay a single egg between November and December. Both parents incubate for about 66 days, and take turns finding food at sea. Sometimes nests contains two eggs which usually means that the mates are both female. Both parents incubate for about 66 days, and take turns finding food at sea. Slide 7. After about 2 months, the chick hatches in January of February. The chick develops through three stages: Brooding: attended continuously by one parent (while the other finds food at sea) for 20 days Guarding: guarded for another 10 days (when the chick isn't necessarily covered but a parent is usually nearby) Rearing: fed by visiting parents until late June (where the parents return to the colony only to feed the chick, then return to sea almost immediately to search for more food) Slide 8. Albatross parents fly thousands of miles to gather food for their chicks (expanded activities in Lesson 2 – Migration Connections). The albatross parents feed the chick for 6 months. They 'go to work' as far away as California and Alaska. Slide 9. Albatross bring back food to their chicks in their stomach. The chick’s calls and pecking on the adult’s bill causes the regurgitation of the food. Video clip of a Black-footed Albatross parent feeding its chick provided for download or online viewing in Lesson 1 – Nesting Hawaiian Albatross: http://www.DownloadWingedAmbassadors.org Slide 10. Albatross exercise their breast muscles by flapping their wings. Learning to fly is critical for fledging (when the young adult bird leaves the colony to begin feeding itself at sea). Video clips of a chicks exercising wings and practicing to fly provided for download or online viewing in Lesson 1 – Nesting Hawaiian Albatross: http://www.DownloadWingedAmbassadors.org Slide 11. Before fledging, the chicks regurgitate a bolus, a mass or pile of the indigestible material they have eaten in the last six months. A bolus is a record of the chick’s diet. It contains hard parts from squids, seeds, wood, feathers, rocks, and human trash. Slide 12. Video clip of a chick regurgitating a bolus provided for download or online viewing: http://www.DownloadWingedAmbassadors.org Slide 13. Unfortunately, some birds are either unable to regurgitate the indigestible materials or suffer internal damage from these hard items. Share the video clip of an albatross chick that contained 306 pieces of plastic in its stomach, provided for download or online viewing: http://www.DownloadWingedAmbassadors.org Slide 15. By looking at these boluses, we can study what albatross chicks are fed. Researchers collect, rinse, and dry these boluses in the field. Dissecting the boluses provides a record of what the albatross ingested. Slide 16. Albatross chicks regurgitate boluses of different shapes and sizes depending on the amount and type of material in their stomachs. This bolus is from a Black-footed Albatross on Kure Atoll. Notice how large it is compared to a cloths pin. Slide 17. This is another bolus from a Black-footed Albatross on Kure Atoll. Slide 18. Whole boluses are measured in the lab – weight, volume, size. Biologists sort the contents into categories for more measurements. This entails classifying each item (no matter how small) into several categories: squid beaks, other natural food items (squid lenses, fish bones), other natural items (pumice, sticks, and feathers) and plastic. Slide 19. Students will sort their own virtual boluses and compare their data. All these items were inside the stomachs of two individual albatross: eaten by one parent and then fed to their chick. To ease counting the numerous squid beaks, section the image into quadrats or suggest that students draw a grid over the image with a ruler. Slide 20. Category descriptions: Non-Prey Plastic Fragment – Rigid and hard complete or broken pieces in any shape (caps, broken bottles, toys) Plastic Foam – Compressible and aerated plastic in any shape (packing foam, rubber) Plastic Sheet – Flexible, flat and thin sheet of plastic (pieces of plastic bags or tarps) Plastic Line - Round single or multi-filament line or rope (unraveled fishing nets) Prey Albatross boluses contain indigestible hard remains of food items, including squid beaks and squid eye lenses. Some food completely digests and is rarely found in boluses (such as fish eggs, fish tissue and even bones). Squid Beaks – Hard upper and lower beaks of squid Lenses – Hard eye lenses from fish and squid Slide 21. Many fragments can be identified but many are unrecognizable broken pieces of once larger items. . Here we have separated plastics into the four categories mentioned earlier. Slide 22. Every fragment can also be measured and scored for color. Sometimes, the source of the item can even be identified. Slide 23. This is a picture of a squid beak. The large image is what you see in the bolus and the image in the upper right is how it looks when still in a squid. Slide 24. This is another natural indigestible item albatross regurgitate – the eye lens of a squid. Slide 26. Even though the two albatross species raise young on the same islands – their boluses are made up of different materials. They also ingest fragments of different sizes. Slide 27. Scientists have been studying boluses from Kure Atoll and Tern Island, to investigate whether birds from different colonies are ingesting different amounts and types of marine debris. These are just two of the many islands where albatross nest in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, (outlined on the map) which was established to protect the ecosystems and cultural heritage. Learn how to pronounce here: http://www.papahanaumokuakea.gov/about/pronounce.mp3 Slide 28. Students will learn about diets of chicks born at the Kure Atoll breeding colony, the most northwesterly Hawaiian atoll above sea level. It is a Seabird Sanctuary managed by the State of Hawai‘i in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. Slide 29. Students will also learn about diets of chicks born at Tern Island breeding colony, part of French Frigate Shoals, a U.S. National Wildlife Refuge managed by US Fish and Wildlife Service in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. Slide 30. This slide contains Example data from Natural Bridges High School, Santa Cruz, CA Items found in five boluses analyzed using Excel tools. Teacher: Tamara Meyers Slide 31. These are real data from Hawaii Pacific University researchers. The bottom (x) axis labels the species and island that corresponds to the data. Kure Atoll & Tern Island; LA=Laysan Albatross=white boxes, BF=Black-footed Albatross=grey boxes. The left (y) axis labels the mass (weight) of the bolus in grams. These researchers identified that boluses from Kure are heavier than boluses from Tern Island. Even though the students cannot weigh the boluses, they can compare their data to these results. These are box plots, showing the mean (horizontal line), 25% and 75% of the distribution (top and bottom of the box), 5% and 95% of the distribution (error bars), the maximum and the minimum values (dots). Slide 32. These are real data from researchers contrasting the proportion of bolus weight that was made up of plastics (all four types combined). The data are displayed in a similar format as the previous data, except that the left (y) axis is measuring the plastic relative to bolus mass (the percent of the mass of the entire bolus that is plastic). Here, it was found that Blackfooted Albatross boluses are 75% plastic by weight on Kure and only 25% on Tern. This means that Black-footed Albatross chicks on Kure Atoll are fed more / heavier plastic than those on Tern. Even though the students cannot weigh the boluses, they can compare their data to these results. Slide 33. These are real data contrasts the proportion of bolus weight that was made up of squid beaks. They found that Black-footed Albatross boluses are 15% beaks on Kure, and 40% beaks on Tern. Even though the students cannot weigh the boluses, they can compare their count data to these results. Slide 35. This is a map of the direction of major Surface Ocean Currents, depicting the main ocean gyres. Look at the area close to your school. Courtesy of Office of Naval Research; http://www.onr.navy.mil/focus/ocean/ Slide 36. This map shows the average wind speed (strong winds = red, weaker winds = blue) and direction (shown by the arrows) during June, as measured by satellites. These wind fields, called SCOW (Scatterometry of Ocean Windfields) are based on 122 months (September 1999 - October 2009) of QuikSCAT scatterometer data. http://cioss.coas.oregonstate.edu/scow/index.html Slide 37. The wind pushes the ocean water and everything else floating on it or drifting in it, including macro (large) and micro (small) marine debris, and many organisms (pictured on the slide). Photos all from NOAA or author David Hyrenbach Slide 38. This is a simple graphic of large-scale convergence of floating material created by persistent winds. This dynamic process also influences how surface water sinks and mixes. To understand large ocean currents and wind, scientists use satellites and advanced sensors attached to floats. In 1992, an entire shipping container of floating toys, including rubber ducks, fell into the ocean during bad weather and as these ‘duckies’ eventually wash up on beaches all over the Pacific, oceanographers are also using these sightings to improve predictions. Slide 39. In the North Pacific, two major forces influencing the movement of prey and trash where many albatross forage include the gyres driven by the clockwise North Equatorial current and the gyre driven by the counter-clockwise Alaska subarctic current. Especially high concentrations of floating debris have been noted in areas between Hawai‘i and California as well as off the coast of Japan. This graphic shows the areas often referred to as Garbage Patches. Marine debris also concentrates along convergence zones and in smaller features such as eddies (ocean whirlpools). Slide 40. Pacific albatrosses search vast areas of the ocean for food and we assume consume plastic in areas where the ocean forces (wind and currents) concentrates prey and trash near the surface as can be seen with oceanographic models (OSCURS, see last extension slide). Black dots on this map are locations where 47 Black-footed Albatross that were tracked with satellites from 2004 – 2008 from two sites: Kure Atoll and Cordell Bank (off of central California, slightly north of San Francisco bay that is just visible in the map). Let students know the difference between the dots: red dots = waters to 200 m deep, yellow between 200 m and 2000 m (slope region / seamount) and black= deeper than 2000 m. In Lesson 2, students can learn more about satellite tracking and mapping the routes of real albatross This painting by scientist and artist Sophie Webb shows three North Pacific Albatross species Left to right: Laysan Albatross, Black-footed Albatross, and Short-tailed Albatross (the largest). Slide 41. For an albatross searching for food at sea, distinguishing food from trash can be difficult. Albatross might also ingest plastic because food is attached to the trash. Look at this plastic bottle that is covered with sea life. In particular, flying fish lay nutritious eggs on floating material in the open ocean which today includes plastic materials. Flying fish eggs are a common part of an albatrosses diet, so it is easy to understand how an albatross may ingest plastic. Slide 42. Want to simulate the movement of marine debris in the ocean? Visit this NOAA website to run the Ocean Surface Current Simulator (OSCURS) model: http://las.pfeg.noaa.gov/oscurs/ Lesson 5 – Campus Debris Survey Slide 4. Trash and other floating items (seeds, wood, and coconuts) are found in all oceans – on the surface, the bottom, and washed up on beaches. NOAA’s Marine Debris definition: any persistent solid material that is manufactured or processed and directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally, disposed of or abandoned into the marine environment or the Great Lakes. Slide 5. Let's use this definition to identify which of these items are marine debris: Sandwich: man-made but not persistent (not marine debris) Coconut: not man-made and persistent (not marine debris) Cup and soccer ball are manmade and persistent, and are therefore marine debris if they are abandoned into the marine or Great Lakes environment Slide 6. Albatrosses spend the majority of their lives in the open ocean searching for food. Where do they find floating food and trash? Slide 7. Scientists tracked albatross from Kure Atoll and Tern Island in the Northwestern Hawaiian chain and Cordell Bank, California. The different colors of these 'spaghetti-tracks’ are a single migration path of an individual Black-footed Albatross adult. Slide 8. Albatross do not eat plastic washed up on beaches. However, they ingest plastic trash floating in the open ocean where their natural prey is found. Sometimes the prey is even attached to the trash. The parents then return to the colony to deliver meals to their chicks, which can include the plastic they picked up along the way. Slide 9. In every nesting colony in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, where relatively few people live, you can find skeletons of chicks with stomachs full of our plastic trash (like the bird pictured here). Over the years, the interior of these islands have become littered with plastic that was transported in the stomach of two albatross – the parent and then their chick. Discuss why this is wrong from moral, ecological, or other perspectives. Slide 10. Stimulate discussion using this image. Humans are the source of all plastic marine debris. What if it were people that ended up eating the marine debris? Can the plastic (and the associated chemical pollution) that enters marine food webs end up affecting people? Slide11. On average, albatross chicks are fed 25 grams of plastic in the 4 months before they fledge (Kure Atoll, Oikonos-HPU data). If scaled to the size of a 140 lb high school senior, that is the equivalent weight of 150 bottle caps inside your stomach. Slide 13. What kind of litter do we have on our campus? What does this have to do with marine debris? How could this litter enter the ocean? Slide 14. Develop hypotheses about the most common types of debris on campus. How will you define 'common' (weight, size, number of pieces, etc)? Slide 16. Example data from a school campus. Students can create graphs representing their data on paper, computer programs, or by other creative means. Slide 18. Each September, an international volunteer beach cleanup effort takes place worldwide. You can organize a cleanup of your community anytime. Ideas and recommendations from the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup website: http://www.oceanconservancy.org/ Slide 19. Ask students to make some comparisons with these percentages from the International Coastal Cleanup. Which are most common? How do these Ocean Conservancy data compare to the data they collected? Why? Source: http://www.oceanconservancy.org/our-work/marine-debris/2012-data-release.html Slide 20. Discuss some of the factors that may make a piece of trash more or less threatening in the marine environment and animals. Slide 21. Pieces from larger items make up the majority of marine debris. For example, most of the monofilament line in albatross boluses is actually unraveled pieces of netting or rope. Likewise, most of the hard plastic fragments are broken pieces of larger consumer items that are degrading in the ocean, such as this bucket. Slide 22. Many different animals ingest marine debris. Plastics can block or even puncture the digestive tracts of many species (See video ‘306 Punches’ in Lesson 4 Downloads). In the case of albatross, they naturally ingest hard items (squid beaks, floating pumice and seeds) and evolved the ability to throw up things they cannot digest in the form of a bolus. A large proportion of albatross chicks survive by emptying their stomachs before fledging by regurgitating boluses (a mass of indigestible material). Scientists do not know how many albatross chicks die from ingesting plastic. It likely puts them at risk of dehydration, nutrient deficiency, and absorbing chemicals. It is often very difficult to prove how an animal died, but it is difficult to imagine how having a belly-full of plastic would not have a negative impact on an animal's health. There are other seabirds, fish, and mammals that do not naturally regurgitate hard parts. How will these animals cope with eating our trash? Slide 23. Even if they do not ingest plastic, common trash, fishing gear and other debris can entangle many marine and aquatic animals, including fish, seabirds, ducks, seals and whales. Over 260 marine species have been known to ingest or become entangled in marine debris; including 86% of all sea turtle species, 44% of all seabird species, and 43% of all marine mammal species (source Laist 1997, not including fish or invertebrates). These numbers are certainly much higher now. In the North Pacific, a review study of seabird ingestion showed 76% of all species studied ingest some degree of plastic (61 out of 88 seabird species sampled; Oikonos and partners data). Slide 24. Marine animals that humans like to eat can ingest plastic as well. Scientists are studying the stomachs of popular commercial fish and finding more plastic. This Mahi Mahi, or Dolphin Fish, had a broken piece of green plastic crate (shown below its mouth) inside its stomach. Photo by David Hyrenbach on a Sea Education Association cruise from Hawaii to California. Slide 25. Discuss the life cycle of some items you use of at home, school, or on vacation and how they might end up in the ocean. Slide 26. No matter where you live, you are connected to a large water body or the ocean and can impact its health. Nearly all rivers and streams eventually lead to the ocean, lakes, or estuaries. Small creeks and streams join larger rivers, which flow to bays and sounds, and eventually the ocean. When it rains, materials on land, including soil, chemicals, and litter, are carried through runoff to bodies of water. The land area that drains into a body of water is known as its watershed Slide 27. Help students to think about your local watersheds. Slide 28. The traditional system of land division for Hawaiians, ahupua‘a, includes areas from the mountain to the sea. Discuss with students why this system makes sense in terms of a watershed-based approach. What happens upstream affects downstream. Slide 29. Ask students to be on the lookout for storm drains in their neighborhoods. In most areas, these drain directly into bodies of water. What are the implications of this fact? Have them pay attention after rain or windy weather to notice changes. Slide 30. Discuss with students the types of items that are used just one time versus those that are reusable. How can they move towards more reusable items in their lives? Slide 32. The Hawaiian term Kuleana describes a person’s responsibility to themselves and his/her community. Responsibility means taking accountability for your own actions and your contribution to the problem and the solution. Slide 33. There are many different ways to communicate or create outreach examples that share student’s new knowledge with their peers and communities. Susan Scott is a biologist, sailor and artist in Hawaii. She inspires interest in beach trash by creating turtles and murals that travel around to schools and art shows. Slide 34. . Artist and scientist Sophie Webb created this watercolor for a project by Oikonos and the California Coastal Commission. Slide 35. Everyone can do something. Even if it is small this can make a difference and inspire others to help as well.