Fall 2024:
As a group, you will research a topic in Marine Science that you find interesting. You will be writing a 4-6 page paper (not including bibliography) in APA format that includes a minimum of 7 references (1 of which must be from a scientific journal) and presenting the research in class as well.
Possible Marine Science Research Topics
Elwha dam removal and its effects on organisms
Columbia or Snake River dam and its effects on organisms
Effect of jetties/ sea walls on organisms
The effects of oil spills, plastic pollution, sewage, fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, chemical pollution, etc. (choose only one)
Overfishing - choose one species and elaborate
Invasive species; choose one and elaborate
Puget Sound Orca whale population
Capturing dolphins/whales for aquariums/ riding (pros and cons)
Global warming effects on: rising sea levels/ disappearing islands, currents and associated weather changes, hurricanes, coral reef bleaching, organisms (Choose only one)
Dead zones in ocean (the blob)
Ocean acidification effects on organisms (foraminiferans, oysters, pteropods, coral reefs)
Sea star wasting disease
Red tide and other algal blooms
Cruise ship pollution
Reasons sea turtle’s population is declining (or any other organism)
Effect of navy sonar on whales and dolphins
Menu choices; what to eat for sustainability
Ecology of any ocean animal or plant
Effect of building on our coastlines
Why jellyfish populations are exploding
Using tides/waves to create energy
The practice of shark finning for soup
Effect of Hood Canal floating bridge
Collecting horseshoe crabs for their blood and its effect on their population
Venomous sea creatures
Bioluminescence
The importance of guano/whale poop in the marine environment.
Any topic on the ocean that interests you.
Look for established sources— find websites from government offices, universities, or well-respected organizations with a trustworthy history of accuracy.
Look for expertise— find authors or organizations that specialize in your topic. If you can't tell who is responsible for the information then don't trust it. If they aren't working in their area of expertise, be very careful.
Beware of bias— find sites that are focused on informing rather than persuading. An obvious bias is too often paired with shoddy fact-checking or incomplete information.
Check the date— find sites that offer recent information on your topic. If you can't find a publication date or "last updated" date then don't trust it.
Context matters— avoid sites with tons of ads, bad design, no "Contact Us" or "About Us" section, or sites with long and complicated URLs.
Check links— hover over links before clicking them. Verify they seem legit and that they connect to info or websites that are credible, on topic, timely, and bias-free. Credible sources cite credible sources.
Adapted from
8 Ways to Determine Website Reliability
T. Rogers on ThoughtCo, 2024
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