Print off and read through the worksheet and make sure that you have the questions you want to ask your kayak guide filled.
You will need:
Answer the post-activity questions
Have you ever spent some time thinking about the ocean and wondered how all beaches look incredibly different?
If you’ve already been down to the beach you will have noticed that Galveston is pretty unique. It has brown sand and brown murky water. What’s interesting is that every now and then the water will turn clear, just like the beaches in Florida.
Let’s take a look at these 4 different characteristics of water and see what makes these things possible.
| Word | Definition |
|---|---|
| Sediment | material (as stones and sand) carried onto land or into water by water, wind, or a glacier. |
| Ocean Currents | the continuous, predictable, directional movement of seawater driven by gravity, wind (Coriolis Effect), and water density |
| Algae | Algae are organisms, or living things, that are found all over the world. Algae are very important because they make much of Earth's oxygen, which humans and other animals need to breathe. Some algae, such as seaweed, look like plants. |
| Wind Patterns | Are ways that the wind blows across the earth's surface. These wind patterns change the ocean waves and currents. |
All of these things affect the ocean. Especially when they are all rolled into one. When hurricane Alberto blew into the Gulf of Mexico in 2018, it caused the sediment that usually comes out of the mouth of the San Jacinto River turning Galveston’s water brown to shift up the coast. When the sediment shifted up the coast it made the water turn clear.
Sediment isn't the only thing that can change the color of the water. Sometimes when algae is in bloom (when it is growing at a rate that is out of control), it causes the ocean water to change color. It can be a very drastic difference and sometimes even dangerous. There are types of algae that are toxic to humans and sea animals.
For example, microscopic algae can “bloom” usually because of unusually high temperature and cause the ocean water to look red which is why experts call it the Red Tide. This can cause skin irritation to humans, it can also kill marine organisms and make the air nearby have a bad smell.
Before you go on your kayak adventure, write down three different questions that you might want to ask them after learning about the different characteristics of water.
Algal Bloom question: answers may vary but should fall along the lines of the dying of seaweed and vegetations in the ocean because of the lack of sunlight getting to them. This then causes food supply for fish and ocean floor dwelling creatures to be depleted.
All other answers will vary based on student preference of answer.
