The Living Breakwaters is a series of physical breakwaters that will be built in Raritan Bay, off the south shore of Staten Island. It is designed to break waves and enhance habitat. In this curriculum, students investigate the ecosystems supported by the different habitats in Raritan Bay, with and without the Living Breakwaters.
This curriculum is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and implemented by the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery.
*Header image provided by SCAPE
Chapters
Living Breakwaters:
Introduction
Chapter One introduces the Living Breakwaters and asks what we can learn about coastal resilience from the demise of Raritan Bay’s once-thriving oyster industry.
Living Breakwaters:
Life Cycles
The Living Breakwaters are designed to provide habitat for organisms at many stages of their development. Chapter Two spotlights the life cycles of several organisms that spend part or all of their lives in places like Raritan Bay.
Living Breakwaters:
Habitats
Chapter Three zooms in on organisms’ micro-habitats, from their position in the water column to the sizes of the crevices in the Living Breakwaters.
Living Breakwaters:
Energy Webs
In Chapter Four, students consider who eats what in these habitats, and use that information to predict which organisms they think they can find when they visit the breakwaters (or other parts of NY Harbor’s shorelines and shallows).