IAN eNewsletter

Barrier Islands and Sea-level Rise education module
Barrier islands are made of sand or sediment and lay parallel to the coastline. As the continuing effects of climate change alter these unique environments, communicating these impacts becomes increasingly important to the management of national parks and the visitors that come to enjoy them. This education module focuses on Assateague Island National Seashore and how this mid-Atlantic barrier island and its plants and animals might change under the influence of sea-level rise. Funded by the National Park Service and in collaboration with park staff, MD DNR climate scientists, and many science teachers across the US, IAN has created a variety of interactive online teaching tools and resources for middle school classrooms as well as the general public.

Assateague Island National Seashore educator-scientist collaboration
Sponsored by a grant from the National Park Service's Assateague Island National Seashore, an educator-scientist team was assembled this summer for six weeks to help produce a web-based education module for middle school classrooms. The effects of sea-level rise on barrier islands, and Assateague Island in particular, was the subject of this module. Two science teachers from California and Utah were selected, along with two climate change scientists from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Supervised by and in collaboration with IAN, the group explored the park and worked closely this summer with the national park staff to develop the content and graphics. The web module is still a work in progress with an estimated release in the spring of 2012.