NOSB 2013 Research Project:
Estuarine Systems and the Importance of Freshwater in Marine Science

The Research Project

This project will count as 50 percent of the 2013 Alaska Region NOSB competition. The written document and the oral presentation each count as 25 percent toward that 50-percent total.

Final papers are due 30 November 2012. Email electronic submissions to the Tsunami Bowl coordinator, Phyllis Shoemaker.

The research project is optional. Teams can compete in the quiz bowl portion of the Tsunami Bowl without doing a project, but since the project is responsible for half of a team’s total score, a team not doing the project has no chance of being the overall winner and progressing to the national competition in April 2013.

See the document preparation guidelines for deadlines and instructions on how to prepare the research paper.

The Topic

The theme for the 2013 national NOSB finals competition is “A Window into Freshwater Science.” Within this context, this year’s project will focus upon estuarine systems. Estuaries are unique places where freshwater from rivers mix with saline waters from the sea and therefore, are dynamic transition zones. This interface between terrestrial watersheds and the world ocean systems promote species richness and biodiversity. Organisms within these systems are typically tolerant of extremes in environmental factors. Yet human activities can and have led to declines in the health of these systems. Historically, these complex ecosystems serve as important centers of trade, food, commerce and habitation and thus are prime sites for human activity.

For this project you are asked to choose a valuable resource or product of an Alaskan estuarine system and develop a plan for implementing the management of that resource, keeping the estuary’s health a top priority. The value you place on the resource is for you to define (this may be financial, cultural, energy-related, environmental—you define it!). Incorporate how your presence within this estuary will impact other local marine resources as brought about by pollution, habitat loss, reductions of freshwater flow, agricultural discharge, mining discharge, overfishing or any other parameters including climate change. In addition, you are to choose a second estuary that is outside of Alaska from which you will be able to compare and to contrast with the Alaskan counterpart.

Like many NOSB themes this is a very broad topic, and you will need to focus on a particular resource, your two estuarine choices and management schemes. This topic is intentionally broad to enhance creativity. It is expected that different teams will develop different focal points and different sites. There is no cookie-cutter answer. Continue to be creative! It is important that you communicate your ideas clearly and completely.

This means you need to pick an Alaskan estuary and related resource. You must demonstrate a firm understanding of that resource’s development, evolution, economics and specific problems.

  1. Describe your estuary(ies), and define the resource your group has chosen to discuss. (Note: this should be fairly restricted and yet an Alaskan issue). Remember that an ecosystem is a geographically defined system of organisms, environmental processes and any other processes controlling its dynamics.
  2. Briefly describe the historical development of this resource (e.g., timber production) and include the economic/cultural importance of your defined region.
  3. Develop a management plan with defined goals.
  4. Prioritize what research and what monitoring is needed for successful management of this estuary and who should bear the costs of such programs.
  5. Your estuary outside of Alaska is for you to draw divergences and comparisons. What has succeeded and what has failed in a similar system with different human activities? Although your management scheme may work in a sparsely populated Alaskan system, what happens with increased population (think to the future)?

Reviewers will be looking to see how well you describe your understanding of your given system, your study area and potential problems. Also of importance are the following:

Note carefully: The reviewers are looking for novelty, insightfulness and clarity. Be sure to clearly define your scenario. What is the system? What is the problem? Why is it a problem? Who or what can realistically help the situation? What future research should be done and is needed to be done in order to guide us to improve the management of this resource? Use facts to build your arguments but don’t be afraid to think about the facts in new ways. What are the broader impacts of your ideas? Who or what is affected? Why is this important to them or to you? Present more than facts. Synthesize the information to present the situation from beginning (facts) to end (ways to improve, cope, ameliorate or eliminate the impacts of your particular situation).

Scoring

Note: As in the past, a minimum of three judges will evaluate each paper and the cumulative scores will be averaged.

Below are links to PDFs of the scoring rubrics for both the written paper and oral presentation.

Resources

General writing, research, and presentation resources

Submitting Your Paper

Your paper must be submitted to the Tsunami Bowl coordinator, Phyllis Shoemaker.

See the document preparation guidelines for deadlines and instructions on how to prepare the research paper.

The paper submitted at the end of November should be considered the final product.