5:15 PM - 7:15 PM
[MIS10-P01] Potential for Marine Science Education Utilizing the Geological Features of the Kammaiso Coast, Yamagata Prefecture
Keywords:Marine Education, Geopark, Kamaiso Coast, STEM / STEAM, SDGs, Earth System
Based on the “United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development,” there is growing interest in the world's oceans. In particular, there is a need to promote marine science education as a way of developing human resources to promote understanding and conservation of the marine environment. For example, in recent years, marine microplastics have become widely known as a marine environmental issue. There have been reports that they have even been found in the Mariana Trench, which is the deepest part of the ocean. There is a growing international interest in sustainable marine environments. In Japan, the development of human resources and marine literacy is considered important, and marine education is being actively promoted. For example, in Japan, the Cabinet Office, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan Coast Guard, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, and national universities are all taking various approaches to marine education. These approaches are being developed against the Japanese government's declaration that they aim to implement marine education in all municipalities nationwide by 2025.
In this study, we focused on the “Kamaiso Coast” geosite in the “Chokai-san/Tobishima Geopark”, which is famous for its spring water that bubbles up on the beach and can be directly observed. We conducted geological surveys to develop teaching materials and trial proposals for the development of teaching materials in schools. At Kamaiso Coast, we conducted a field survey in 2024 and confirmed that spring water gushes out from Mt. Chokai, ripple marks formed when the spring water flows into the sea, minerals that make up the sand and boulders, and marine plastics that have washed up on the beach. Plastic waste, ranging from a few centimeters to tens of millimeters in size, was scattered across the beach, and the boulders in the surrounding area were confirmed to be andesite. Microscopic observations and elemental analysis using EDX were carried out to identify the sand and minerals, and it was found that the sand contained quartz, amphibole, biotite, pyroxene, olivine, plagioclase, K-feldspar, titanite, and magnetite. Building on the results of these surveys, we determined that the content can be used as a local resource for fieldwork in the first year of junior high school, covering topics from “the formation and change of the earth” to “volcanic activity and igneous rocks”. In addition, as part of the STEAM teaching material development currently being promoted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, we have constructed a learning model that explains natural phenomena, based on the “Eight-practices” of the NGSS, which form the basis of STEM education. As a specific example, in the natural phenomenon of spring water, by comparing the water quality of spring water with seawater and analyzing the water temperature and salinity using chemical and engineering knowledge and skills, it is possible to understand that the hinterland of spring water is the groundwater of Chokai Mountain.
Furthermore, the ripple marks allow students to visually confirm the flow of groundwater into the sea and experience the global water cycle. By focusing on the difference in flowability between the colored mineral magnetite and colorless mineral, it is possible to clarify the physical processes behind natural phenomena. By comparing sand and rocks, students can notice the differences between the hinterlands of sand and rocks through the core concepts learned and microscopic observations. This leads to the development of the ability to focus on similarities and differences in the way science is viewed and thought about.
In addition, by utilizing cross-disciplinary knowledge and relating the observations of sand to ocean currents, it is possible to identify the hinterland. Considering the fact that siliceous sand was found, by comparing it with the map of ocean currents provided by the Japan Coast Guard, and by considering the fact that there is a titanium-series granite body in the southern part of this region, it is possible to help children understand the extent and connections of natural phenomena. Through these activities, by having the children learn about the rich nature of the Kamaiso coast and then think about marine plastic waste, it is possible to get them to face a social issue that is attracting international attention as something that concerns them personally, and to consider specific countermeasures. The Kamaiso Coast is an extremely effective environment for understanding sustainable marine education.
In this study, we focused on the “Kamaiso Coast” geosite in the “Chokai-san/Tobishima Geopark”, which is famous for its spring water that bubbles up on the beach and can be directly observed. We conducted geological surveys to develop teaching materials and trial proposals for the development of teaching materials in schools. At Kamaiso Coast, we conducted a field survey in 2024 and confirmed that spring water gushes out from Mt. Chokai, ripple marks formed when the spring water flows into the sea, minerals that make up the sand and boulders, and marine plastics that have washed up on the beach. Plastic waste, ranging from a few centimeters to tens of millimeters in size, was scattered across the beach, and the boulders in the surrounding area were confirmed to be andesite. Microscopic observations and elemental analysis using EDX were carried out to identify the sand and minerals, and it was found that the sand contained quartz, amphibole, biotite, pyroxene, olivine, plagioclase, K-feldspar, titanite, and magnetite. Building on the results of these surveys, we determined that the content can be used as a local resource for fieldwork in the first year of junior high school, covering topics from “the formation and change of the earth” to “volcanic activity and igneous rocks”. In addition, as part of the STEAM teaching material development currently being promoted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, we have constructed a learning model that explains natural phenomena, based on the “Eight-practices” of the NGSS, which form the basis of STEM education. As a specific example, in the natural phenomenon of spring water, by comparing the water quality of spring water with seawater and analyzing the water temperature and salinity using chemical and engineering knowledge and skills, it is possible to understand that the hinterland of spring water is the groundwater of Chokai Mountain.
Furthermore, the ripple marks allow students to visually confirm the flow of groundwater into the sea and experience the global water cycle. By focusing on the difference in flowability between the colored mineral magnetite and colorless mineral, it is possible to clarify the physical processes behind natural phenomena. By comparing sand and rocks, students can notice the differences between the hinterlands of sand and rocks through the core concepts learned and microscopic observations. This leads to the development of the ability to focus on similarities and differences in the way science is viewed and thought about.
In addition, by utilizing cross-disciplinary knowledge and relating the observations of sand to ocean currents, it is possible to identify the hinterland. Considering the fact that siliceous sand was found, by comparing it with the map of ocean currents provided by the Japan Coast Guard, and by considering the fact that there is a titanium-series granite body in the southern part of this region, it is possible to help children understand the extent and connections of natural phenomena. Through these activities, by having the children learn about the rich nature of the Kamaiso coast and then think about marine plastic waste, it is possible to get them to face a social issue that is attracting international attention as something that concerns them personally, and to consider specific countermeasures. The Kamaiso Coast is an extremely effective environment for understanding sustainable marine education.