T. Webb
Oceans 11
HHS
Oceans 11 Rocky Shore Field Trip
(Black Rock Beach, N.S.)
Mrs. T. Webb (modified from G. Turner/K.Fleiger)
Date: _____________________________
Identify your group (3 students/group - may include anyone that I teach in other cycles).
Full Names:
Your mark
1. __________________________________________ Index Cards_____/10 _________
2. __________________________________________ Index Cards_____/10 _________
3. __________________________________________ Index Cards_____/10 _________
EVALUATION OF ACTIVITIES: Record your name in your section (4 + 6 + 6 value = 16) 
Activity:
Student Leader
Value:
Mark
A)
4
Ocean Water Data
Tide pool studies LOW
B)
6
Tide pool studies MID
C)
4
Tide pool studies UPPER
B)
4
A)
6
Rockweed Study
Barnacle Study
B)
6
Tide Pool Observations
C)
6
Seaweed Samples (min. 6)
A)
6
Diagram of the three zones
C)
6
Quadrant Study
Group collaboration
5
Treasure Hunt Specimens
Group collaboration
10
To do before lunch - 9:40 – 12:00
Do the low tide studies first (low tide is at 10:00 - see p. 3 of this lab)
1. Tide pool studies (~1 hour)
2. Treasure hunt (this is a continuous activity throughout the day)
3. Rockweed study
Lunch (12:00 – 12:30 pm) - One moderate camp fire per class. Do not burn anything other
than wood! NO plastics or other recyclables.
To do after lunch (12:30 – 2:15 PM)
1. Barnacle study
2. Sketch of beach illustrating the three zones
3. Sit down with your group to make sure that all parts are completed.
4. Clean up your area.
5. Pass in any borrowed equipment especially thermometers, pH paper.
6. Pass in your completed lab in your next class.
7. Departure time: 2:30 PM.
Reminders: No smoking is permitted. No swimming or rock climbing; No alcoholic
beverages or drugs (duh); Stay in “the area” (no wandering off for any reason)
**If you need to go to the bathroom, let a teacher know and go up into the woods…
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T. Webb
Oceans 11
HHS
The Tide Pool Studies
In the 3 tide pool studies you will be determining some of the abiotic factors that affect the life in
these pools and you will be identifying the various species of plants and animals associated with
the pools. Record the ocean temperature, salinity (saltiness), and pH to do comparisons.
Ocean Water Data Leader Name: __________________________________________ (A)
9:50 am – Go directly to the ocean and observe the living organisms you can see in the water.
This is called the _______________________ zone. Collect your abiotic data about the ocean.
Get a thermometer to record its temperature and record its pH with the indicator paper. All
students should do a taste test for salinity or collect a small amount of water directly from
the ocean to do salt-taste comparisons with the tide pools.
ABIOTIC DATA from Step 1:
Time of day: __________ Ocean temp.__________ pH______________
BIOTIC DATA for observations in the ocean water:
How many different species of plants are living in the observable ocean zone? ___________
LIST the identifiable ones:
______________________________________________________________________________
How many different species of animals are living in this area? ____________
LIST the identifiable ones:
______________________________________________________________________________
                       
Leader Name: _________________________________________ (B)
10:15 am. 10:40 am –Low Tide Zone Pool Study: Walk along the beach and choose a tide pool
below the rockweed area, in the lower tide zone. Collect your data and record below.
ABIOTIC DATA for lower tide pool:
Time of day___________________ Air temp.________________
Approximate wind speed _____________km/h
Tide pool temps. Top_________ Bottom__________
Pool dimensions: Depth_____________ Length________________ Width________________
pH__________
Salinity of pool (Less salty, more salty or the same as the ocean)________________________
BIOTIC DATA for lower tide pool:
How many different species of plants are living in the upper tide pool? ___________
LIST the identifiable ones:
______________________________________________________________________________
How many different species of animals are living in this upper tide pool? ____________
LIST the identifiable ones:
______________________________________________________________________________
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T. Webb
Oceans 11
HHS
Leader Name: _________________________________________ (C)
10:40 am -11:05 am Middle Shore Tide Pool Study and Treasure Hunt (see page 3): Walk
down the beach and choose a tide pool somewhere near the rocks draped with rockweed. Try not
to disturb the organisms in the pool.
ABIOTIC DATA from middle tide pool:
Time of day___________________ Air temp.________________
Approximate wind speed ___________________km/h
Tide pool temps. Top_________ Bottom__________
Pool dimensions: Depth_____________ Length________________ Width________________
pH__________
Salinity of pool (Less salty, more salty or the same as the ocean) _______________________
BIOTIC DATA from middle tide pool:
How many different species of plants are living in the upper tide pool? ___________
LIST the identifiable ones:
______________________________________________________________________________
How many different species of animals are living in this upper tide pool? ____________
LIST the identifiable ones:
______________________________________________________________________________
                       
Leader Name: _________________________________________ (B)
11:05 – 11:30 am. Upper Shore Tide Pool Study: Walk back up the beach and choose a tide
pool somewhere in the upper shore area. Try not to disturb it too much while you conduct your
studies. Collect the data on the abiotic factors first and then determine how many species of
plants and animals inhabit that pool.
ABIOTIC DATA from upper tide pool:
Time of day_______________ Air temp.____________
pH___________
Tide pool temps. Top_________ Bottom__________
Pool dimensions: Depth____________ Length___________ Width____________
Salinity of pool (Less salty, more salty or the same as the ocean)________________________
BIOTIC DATA from upper tide pool:
How many different species of plants are living in the upper tide pool? ___________
LIST the identifiable ones:
______________________________________________________________________________
How many different species of animals are living in this upper tide pool? ____________
LIST the identifiable ones:
______________________________________________________________________________
11:30 – 12:00 am. Complete Rockweed study page 6; Collect Seaweeds (Min 6)
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T. Webb
Oceans 11
HHS
     
L U N C H!!!
     
12:30 pm- 2:15 pm - Complete the following activities. Don’t forget the Treasure Hunt! 
Diagram of the Intertidal Zone (below)
Comparing Tide Pools Observations (See page 5)
Complete Barnacle study (See page 7)
Quadrant Study
DIAGRAM OF THE INTERTIDAL ZONE
Draw a diagram of the 3 zones of the intertidal zone at low tide so that all 3 beach areas are
shown. Label each area and provide a list of 4 representative species for each zone.
Leader Name: _________________________________________(C)
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T. Webb
Oceans 11
HHS
Leader Name: _________________________________________(C)
COMPARING THE TIDE POOLS: How the pools are similar, and how they are different?
A. Consider the abiotic factors that are different between the 3 tide pools. Explain why these
differences exist from pool to pool in detail:
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
B. Compare the varieties and numbers of plants and animals that exist in the 3 different pools.
Explain with detail why variations would occur from pool to pool:
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
C. Describe the abiotic and biotic similarities between the 3 tide pools.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
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T. Webb
Oceans 11
HHS
Leader Name: _________________________________________(A)
ROCKWEED STUDY
The two main types of rockweed at the rocky shore are Fucus vesiculosis (commonly called
rockweed) and Ascophyllum nodosum (commonly called knotted wrack). These two species
often grow together on the rocks in the intertidal zone. In our Atlantic area these seaweeds are
taken off the rocks and sold to companies to extract powders containing algin which can be used
as a gelling agent in many foods and substances.
1. Use your index cards to help you find these 2 common types of seaweed. Describe each
in detail. (colour, average length, special structures, symmetry, texture, weight, etc.)
Rockweed - ___________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Knotted wrack -_________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. Look through and under the piles of seaweed to find organisms that may be hiding. Try to
identify any observed critters using your index cards, and list below.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3. Fucus vesiculosus (rockweed) contain reproductive structures at their tips. The male
plants release sperm while the female plants release eggs. Cut open the tips to see if you
can see the difference between the males (orange-colored) and the females (olive-green
color). Report your observations below.
4. Draw a sketch of each of these seaweeds. Label major parts (holdfast, stipe, blade etc).
Rockweed
Knotted wrack
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T. Webb
Oceans 11
HHS
Leader Name: _________________________________________(B)
BARNACLE STUDY
Barnacles are sessile animals that are related to common crustaceans such as lobster, crab and
shrimp. When water covers barnacles they open their shells and begin to feed by sweeping the
water with jointed appendages. When the tide goes out the barnacle closes up except for a small
hole called a pneumatophore.
1. Find a small rock that has a few barnacles on it and place the rock in a shallow tide pool to
watch the barnacles feed. You can also try to cut a larger barnacle from a rock and place it in
a small container with ocean water. The barnacle should soon begin to feed.
2. Describe the moving structures and activity you see as the barnacle feeds. Use a magnifying
glass if you have one.
___________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
3. What is in the water that the barnacle is trying to catch? ______________________________
4. When the tide goes out how do barnacles protect themselves from various factors that would
kill them? Identify the various factors and explain how the barnacle is protected.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
5. Below draw a sketch of a barnacle feeding. Label the parts of the barnacle.
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T. Webb
Oceans 11
HHS
Quadrant Study: Using your string to measure out a 1 m2 area. Identify and
count the specimens in the quadrant. This must be in the MID TIDE ZONE.
Organism
Count #
Trophic level
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T. Webb
Oceans 11
HHS
TREASURE HUNT: Use the pictures below as a guide to find and identify as
many plants and animals as possible. Circle the ones you actually find! 
INSERT PICTURES
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