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Sustainability of Ocean Resources Research Project: Law of the Sea

This page authored by William H. Hoyt, University of Northern Colorado.
University of Northern Colorado, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
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Summary

In this set of activities, students explore the already-ratified International Law of the Sea Treaty (LOS) and the sustainability of ocean resources for human use. After students review a 4-page Introduction and History of the Law of the Sea, they develop a question they would like to ask about the treaty and a class discussion ensues. Next, students choose a country other than that of their citizenship and consider whether or not the LOS Treaty is economically advantageous to their country (based on economic imports and exports). Then they act as an ambassador from their country and vote on ratifying or rejecting the treaty, with an explanation of their reasoning. (Often, two students may choose the same country, but vote oppositely on ratifying the treaty because they used different imports and exports to emphasize.) Students are instructed on ocean resources such as biological, geological, chemical, or physical movements of the water, then they choose a single ocean resource to research. The final part of the activity is for the student to choose one ocean resource humans use; from published sources they write a 250-word executive summary that discusses resource availability and whether or not the resource is sustainable.

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Learning Goals

As increasing numbers of ocean resources are extracted for human use in the global economy, it is helpful for students to know the economic and legal context by which resources may be extracted. The goal of this activity is to enable students to understand and explain the many considerations of ocean resource extraction, and to focus on a single resource and its sustainability. Many geoscience careers will interact extensively with this issue in one way or another. The ecosystems of oceans and health of humans are both dependent on actions we take from here on.


Context for Use

This activity is designed for an upper division science course focused on chemical and physical oceanography. It can be used as a lab, or as a series of lab, and class activities. It was tested in an oceanography course with 23 students. All students were juniors, seniors, or graduate students majoring in Biology, Communication Studies, Elementary Education-Earth Sciences Concentration, Environmental Science, Geography, Geology, Meteorology, Secondary Education-Earth Sciences, or Environmental Geosciences-Professional Science Master's. All students had taken an introductory science course with a lab (Introductory Geology or Meteorology). The course meets 3 days a week for 50 minutes at a time, and the lab or field work meets each week for two or more hours (for field work on the lake). This activity took most of 4 class sessions. The activity was situated at the beginning of the course, and the final assessment was done on the first exam of the semester.

Description and Teaching Materials

This activity can be considered best as four pedagogical steps.

Step 1 (two 50 minute class periods): Students learn the history of ocean law and the Law of the Sea Treaty, with a focus on ocean natural resource extraction & sustainability. Law of the Sea Introduction and History (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 21kB Nov29 16) provides background and context; PROMI$E OF THE OCEAN$ power point (PowerPoint 3.8MB Nov29 16) considers biological, geological, chemical, and physical oceanographic resources and their sustainability. Students write and turn in a question they need to have answered in order to go on to step 2.


Step 2 (one take-home assignment requiring one-two hours): Students choose a country other than that of their citizenship and learn major economic imports and exports of that country. With that information, students decide whether or not their country should vote for or against ratifying the Law of the Sea Treaty.

Step 3 (50 minute class period): In the third part, students act as ambassadors from their country and vote yes or no on ratifying the Law of the Sea Treaty, presenting to the class their vote and the economic reasons they voted that way. Group discussions and whole-class engagement on these votes can further extend what students gleaned from the work.

Step 4 (one take-home assignment requiring about an hour): Students choose a single ocean natural resource for human use to research from published sources. Then students write a 250-word executive summary on the resource and its sustainability for their future. Sustainability of Ocean Resources Research Project (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 14kB Nov29 16)

Teaching Notes and Tips

There are a few things that will help this activity run a bit more smoothly:
  1. Faculty typically have little experience in ocean resources, especially the economic and legal aspects of resource extraction. Some time and energy reviewing the resources provided and general background of the Law of the Sea would be advisable. A good place to start is the United Nations Law of the Sea Treaty Information Center.
  2. It may take some persuasion by the instructor to elevate economics and law to consideration in a science class; nevertheless, if students can realize that economics and law control most of the geoscience careers available, that is a firm foundation from which students can engage.

Assessment

PRE-ASSESSMENT: After Steps 1 and 2, but prior to Step 3, a pre-assessment quiz of five items was taken by all 23 students in the class. Questions included having students identify what additional things they needed to know in order to present a vote of their country on the Law of the Sea Treaty, and identification of natural resources from biological, geological, chemical, and physical oceanographic commodities. Students were asked whether or not the resources they identified on the pre-assessment quiz were sustainable. (Since students had received considerable information and instruction on the Law of the Sea, and had researched economics of their country's imports and exports, this is not really a pre-assessment.) Scores on the pre-assessment averaged 92%. Pretest: Law of the Sea and Sustainability of Ocean Resources (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 13kB Nov29 16)

FINAL ASSESSMENT: Students were given an exam question:

Choose one natural resource that exists in the ocean from among the many that are found there (for example, choose one biological resource, or one geological resource, or one chemical resource, or one physical resource). Write the name of the resource in the space provided, then discuss whether or not the resource extracted for human use is a sustainable resource. Explain why you think that!
Natural Resource_______________________________________________
Sustainable?
Why do you think that? (using at least two sentences; use top of next page too!)

The post-assessment scores averaged 100%, an improvement of 8%. But these were different assessments; one was a quiz and one was on a test.

References and Resources

  1. Law of the Sea Introduction and History (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 21kB Nov29 16) is a four-page outline and summary of the background and history of the treaty, assembled from a variety of sources and personal communication with Elliott Richardson.
  2. Students read, review, and study PROMI$E OF THE OCEAN$ power point (PowerPoint 3.8MB Nov29 16).
  3. Sustainability of Ocean Resources Research Project (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 14kB Nov29 16) contains complete instructions on how to produce the one-page executive summary covering the single ocean resource the student is to investigate. It includes analysis of sustainability of that resource into the future.
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