Blue Carbon: Bringing Field Research and Mapping to the High School Classroom

This unit of study provides students with background information on the importance of salt marshes as ecosystems by studying blue carbon, the carbon that is stored largely in sediment linked to coastal waters. Students design an experiment to probe for depth at a local saltmarsh or tidal freshwater marsh and use software to map local wetlands, compare and contrast wetland loss over time, and calculate carbon storage of the local wetland.

This unit of study has five lessons including a capstone project:

• Introduction to Wetlands and Blue Carbon
• NASA Carbon Monitoring System
• Urban Heat Island Effect
• Land Surface Temperature
• How Much Carbon Is There?

A pre- and post-unit assessment is included.

Blue Carbon: Bringing Field Research and Mapping to the High School Classroom

More Applied Research STEM Curriculum Unit Plans:

• Earth’s Energy Budget Educator Guide/Unit of Study
• Future Temperature Projections Curriculum Unit
• Urban Surface Temperatures and the Urban Heat Island Effects
• Wetlands Curriculum Unit