1. Water and San Diego Ecosystems projectswell@sdcoastkeeper.org;
I work for San Diego Coastkeeper, our job is to keep the ocean clean. Since the ocean is such a big place, it’s a really big job. We do lots of different things to keep the ocean clean and Project SWELL is one of the most important! Project SWELL are the lessons we teach students like you about what makes the ocean dirty and how we can all help.
Today we’ll talk about what pollution is, how it gets into the ocean, what can happen when it gets there, and we’re going to do an activity.
Contact:
Sandra J. Lebrón
#125
Education Manager
San Diego Coastkeeper®

2. Marine Pollution What are some examples of pollution?
Water in San Diego
Marine Pollution
What are some examples of pollution?
How would you define pollution?
What are some causes of pollution?
Marine Pollution. Marine = Ocean.
Pollution: Something that makes the land, air, or water dirty because it doesn’t belong.
There are lots of “dirty” things outside…mud, soil, dirt…but those are all natural. They belong outside. Pollution makes the land, air, or water dirty in a different way because they don’t belong there. They can change the environment and affect plants/animals
Humans cause pollution. But we can also help stop it.

3. Pollution
Who can show/tell me where they see pollution in one of these pictures?
And where is that pollution coming from? What is the source?
In the photos on the left, we see “point source pollution” where you can see the pollution and you can see exactly where the pollution is coming from or what is causing the pollution.
Marine Debris can come from a lot of different places and is an example of “non-point source pollution” which can make it more challenging to solve/prevent.
How might some of this trash gotten onto the beach?
Wind, people, the water, etc.

4. Marine Debris
We do know that some pollution we find on beaches or in ocean comes from the water from things like ships or other countries. Only about 20% though.

5. Lesson 4. Pollution You Can See
MOST pollution that we find on our beaches or in the ocean start on land and make their way to the water. And it gets there in those ways that we talked about. People throwing trash on the ground, people forgetting trash when they leave the beach, the wind blowing trash, etc.

6. Pollution and Storm Drains
This photo shows the number one way pollution gets to the ocean here in San Diego.
There’s a lot of different things going on in this picture so I want you to take a minute and really look at it. Read what you can, look at all parts, make some observations. Then I want to hear something you observed. Whether it’s something you think is interesting or important or just something you see.
What do you notice?
Let students volunteer observations and comment/expand on each to highlight important things
So when it rains, it’s not safe to swim for three days after the rain…but it is safer after three days have passed. What do you think happens to the pollution?
Most important take-aways:
Storm Drains are intended for rain ONLY. Because of this, water that goes through storm drains does not (and in theory shouldn’t need to be) get cleaned. When things that don’t belong (pollution like trash, oil/gas, and pet waste) get in and move through storm drains, it brings that pollution to the ocean.
Sewer System is totally different. Sewer System is water we use inside. This water does get cleaned before it goes to the ocean.
When it rains in SD, pollutants move through storm drains (and urban runoff), and they end up in the ocean. To the extent that it is unsafe to swim for 72hours after we get rain.

7. Where in the ocean is the plastic?
After three days the pollution does not disappear or get cleaned up….because of the ocean currents, it just moves further out into the ocean.
There is a lot of pollution in the ocean from countries all over the world and because of the way the ocean currents move, a lot of that trash has gotten kind of caught up in the same part of the ocean…people refer to them as “garbage Patches”.

8. Plastic Food Chain
If a bunch of trash is just swirling around in these gyres, why can’t we just go scoop it up?
Well the trash isn’t all just on the surface of the water, it can go very deep below the surface, making it harder to collect.
The jar on the left contains some water from one of the “garbage patches”. As you can see, the garbage is broken into really tiny pieces. It would be difficult to scoop out that trash.
Plus, do you recognize anything from the picture on the right? The blue circles are jellyfish. Jellyfish and other animals are actually swimming around in the garbage, adding another challenge to removing the garbage.

9. And what animal loves to eat jellyfish? (Sea Turtles)
This is Travis dressed up like the plastic bag monster. They say the average person uses over 400 plastic bags in one year!
When plastic bags end up in the ocean, they look a lot like a certain animal that lives there.
What animal do you think a plastic bag might look like if it’s floating in the water? (jellyfish)
What might happen if an animal thinks a plastic bag looks like a jellyfish? (an animal might mistake it for food)
And what animal loves to eat jellyfish? (Sea Turtles)
average person using between 350 and 500 (
The average person uses 425 plastic grocery bags or 0.93 lbs. per year (
• Californians use approximately 16 billion plastic bags per year – more than 400 annually per person. (

10. When an animal mistakes pollution for food and eats it, that’s called INGESTION.
Why might it be bad for a jellyfish to eat pollution? What might happen?

11. This is a photo of a bird who is partially decomposed.
What items do you recognize in this bird’s stomach?
Plastic can move through the foodchain because animals’ digestive system cannot break down plastic.
What do you think the second biggest problem is that can happen with animals and pollution all floating around in the same place? (animals can get stuck in it)

12. When an animal gets caught or tangled in pollution, it is called ENTANGLEMENT.

13. Why might it be bad for an animal to be entangled in pollution?

14. Lesson Pollution You Can See
3rd-4th Grade
Lesson Pollution You Can See
Entanglement activity
I will spread out fabric on the floor, it will represent the ocean. I will spread out beans on the fabric, they will represent fish in the ocean. The students will be dolphins catching those fish.
For 15 seconds, “dolphins” will catch “fish” using their thumb and index finger, catching fish one at a time. We will do two rounds of 15 seconds.
It is NOT a competition to see who can catch the most fish, it is a scientific comparison of round 1 vs. round 2.
After round 1: students count number of fish caught and put them back into the ocean.
Before round 2 starts: something terrible has happened. A fishing boat sank and a lot of nets and rope went to the ocean. This time when you’re catching fish, you will be entangled with a rubber band around your two fingers.
Who caught fewer fish the second time? What did it feel like to catch fish with the rubber band on?
Debrief
We do this activity to show you that it can be challenging for animals to do the things they need to survive if they are tangled in plastic. We want to stop this from happening.

15. We’ve talked about what pollution is, how it can get to the ocean, and what can happen when it gets there.
I want to see if you can guess some of the top most common items we find when we do beach clean ups

16. This information is from something called Coastal Clean Up day where people in countries all over the world clean their beaches on the same day. And on that one day this is the amount of stuff they found.
Cigarettes are number one! Show them cigarette bottle of water. Not only are cigarettes an object that animals can then eat, it also lets out chemicals into the water itself.
Aside from cigarettes, most of us use or have used these other items! How can we keep these things out of the water?

17. Solutions to Pollution
Some solutions!
Pick up trash when you see it.
Throw your trash away when you have it.
Recycle, but first, reduce and reuse!
Recycled materials art projects!
Posting signs to remind people not to litter (and telling your friends).
Creating less waste by using reusable bags and water bottles.

18. Types of Items removed in San Diego Beaches 2016
I don’t usually even show this slide.

19. Usually don’t get to this one either.
Example of 3rd grade stewardship activities.
Stewardship Opportunities:
San Diego Coastkeeper provide materials for your own cleanups through the Beach Cleanup in a Box program or you can attend a monthly cleanup.
International Coastal Cleanup Day.
Help us to keep the ocean clean, volunteer to clean up your beaches, or just pick up your own trash!

20. 4th Grade Life Science: Water and San Diego’s Ecosystems Post-Survey
1. After it rains, why is the ocean in San Diego unsafe for swimming? Choose the best answer.
a) The rain is dangerous acid rain.
b) The water becomes dirty with pollution.
c) The water becomes too cold.
d) The water becomes too hot.
2. Why is plastic pollution a problem in the marine (ocean) environment? Choose the best answer.
a) Animals can mistake the plastic for food.
b) Plastic floats and blocks light from kelp.
c) Plastic blocks up storm drain outlets.
d) Plastic sinks to the bottom and rots.
3. Which of the following things can pollute the marine (ocean) environment? Choose the best answer.
a) Litter
b) Oil leaking from a car
c) Pet waste that is not cleaned up
d) All of the above
4. What can you do to prevent marine debris? .

21. Thanks! Partners/ Supporters
Many business leaders support Project SWELL. Here are a few of our current program funders. Special thanks to The Stiefel Behner Foundation for making SDUSD classroom visits possible!