Students will discuss how future changes in land use and climate may affect dead zones and exploring the trade-offs associated with human activities and their consequences.  Students will then summarize what they have learned about the dead zones and create a public service announcement about what people can do to help decrease the size and duration of dead zones.

Objective

Students will put the science associated with dead zones into a social context. Students will demonstrate what they know about hypoxia.

Materials

• Camcorder (optional)
• Public Service Announcement Rubric (download below)

Procedure

Lead a class discussion to encourage critical thinking about direct connection between humans and the aquatic environments we influence. Consider asking the following questions:

• Do we expect the number of dead zones across the world to increase as the global human population grows to 9 billion in 2050? Why?
• What will be the affect of a warmer planet on the intensity of dead zones? Why?
• What can humans do to reduce the size and number of dead zones?
• Humans eat food produced by agriculture and also fish harvested from the sea. If increasing agricultural production to feed a growing population requires more fertilizer, but more fertilizer may lead to more dead zones and reduce fish populations, how can we balance the two?
• Can you think of any ways that human population can grow without increasing the number of dead zones and the size of current dead zones?

In small groups, have students outline and create a short public service announcement to inform the public about what dead zones are and how people can help prevent/control dead zones. Students can use the grading rubric (download in Lesson Resources) as a guide. Record the announcements and play back for the class, other classes, the school, etc.

Lesson Resources

Public Service Announcement Rubric

National Science Education Standards

K-12 Unifying Concepts and Processes

• Evidence, models, and explanation

9-12 F: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

• Natural resources
• Environmental quality
• Natural and human-induced hazards