Where The River Meets the Sea:
Exploring Life in the Chesapeake Bay with Smithsonian Scientists
Premiered Live April 30, 2002
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Grades 3-7

Explore where the salt water from the oceans and the fresh water from the rivers meet and mix. This unique occurrence produces a semi-enclosed body of brackish water known as an estuary, and the Chesapeake Bay is the nation's largest and most productive. Join Smithsonian scientists and educators as they investigate the physical and biological environment of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem, focusing specifically on the Rhode River, a sub-estuary of the bay south of Annapolis, MD.

The bay is home to a host of interesting organisms, and changing water and weather conditions affect these organisms as they live, feed, and reproduce in the bay. Follow SERC staff as they use various nets to catch fish and crabs and sift through an oyster bar community, introducing students to some of the residents of the Rhode River. Then, to better understand aspects of water quality, demonstrations explaining salinity, pH, and turbidity will be performed. Our discussion of the physical environment will conclude with
observations about the weather and tides.

Throughout the electronic field trip, students will have access to the research staff, and facilities of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC). Located seven miles south of Annapolis, Maryland and encompassing 2900 acres, the center comprises laboratories, a greenhouse, an education center, two research towers, and a dock on the Rhode River where the center's research vessels and wet lab are located. During this electronic field trip, join SERC staff to explore where the river meets the sea and research meets the bay.

Pre-conference and post-conference materials including websites, student workbooks, and digital images will be available to registered classes.
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