Marine Science Program at OCS
Welcome to the OCS Marine Science page!
The Georgia coast is home to a dynamic estuary that is used as a research lab by scientists from all over. It is also used as a lab for OCS scientists. Students in the marine science program study oceanography and marine biology associated with our local estuary. Students maintain over 30 saltwater aquariums in the marine science lab that house local estuarine animals. Students also study in the field with trips to the marsh, through maritime forests, aboard research vessels, and on our barrier islands. Students at OCS are also the beneficiaries of expert knowledge from The Ossabaw Island Foundation, The Pin Point Heritage Museum, Bull River Cruises, and researchers from Savannah State University, the University of Georgia, and Georgia Tech. An emphasis on conservation, current issues, and research is maintained throughout the program.
OCS Marine Science at Glance
160 Students per year
6th grade: 9 week class
7th/8th: 18 week class
Thirty 10 gallon tanks filled with brackish water collected from the local estuary.
Two 150 Gallon estuarine tanks.
One 450 gallon reef tank.
There are on average 6 different species of crabs and 9 different species of fish in the estuarine tanks
Students monitor water quality and perform maintenance in the estuarine tanks..
All animals have been collected from the local estuary with a scientific collection permit from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Curriculum
6th/ 7th/ 8th: Oceanography: Salinity, tides, dissolved oxygen, ocean acidification
7th: Sampling, sea level rise, marsh ecology, sea turtle populations and trends, bottlenose dolphin behavior and population estimation procedures, finfish anatomy/ aging using otoliths
8th: Barrier island geology, ecology, and history, using GIS to monitor water quality, grass shrimp parasite study, pollution and conservation
In the Field
Boat trips with Bull River Cruises (6th), UGA (7th), and SSU (8th).
Skidaway Island: Priest Landing/ maritime forest study
Skidaway Narrows: Salt Marsh Ecology and Vegetation Sampling
Pin Point Heritage Museum: African American History on the Georgia Coast
Ossabaw Island: African American History on the Georgia Coast/ Native American History on the Georgia Coast
27 Total Trips in the 2018-2019 school year.
Miscellaneous:
8th Grade volunteers for UGA Marine Science Day
UGA Youth Ocean Conservation Summit participation
Mr. Isaac Martin: Presentation and workshop on Pin Point and net making.
The Ossabaw Oracle Newsletter
The Ossabaw Oracle Newsletter featured our Marine Science program in their July, 2019 Edition. Click on the link below to view the entire newsletter.