Introduction
Welcome to the Wadden Sea

The Wadden Sea provides a large network of breeding and feeding sites, like saltmarshes, dunes, wetlands, and mudflats for many migratory birds and other animals. Populations are tied to factors such as predation risk, flooding, and starvation in the Wadden Sea. Many of these factors are linked to climate change. Climate change challenges are the main threat to the Wadden Sea.

Give each student a digital or hardcopy of the Welcome to the Wadden Sea reading. The reading tells the story of a field trip to the Nationalpark Schleswig-Holsteinisches Wattenmeer.
 

Present the main problem and guiding question. As a class, view the video STEM Unit 4: Wadden Sea Ecosystems available on YouTube by The Transatlantic Outreach Program.
Students can use the Introductory Activity worksheet below to answer the guiding question and gather information.

Guiding Question
What threats does climate change pose to the Wadden Sea and its unique ecosystem?

As a scientist, what information do you need to know to answer this question?

1. List information you would need to know.
2. Share your list with a partner.
3. Create a class list.

Use the Explorations to gather more information.
   

• Use mixed-ability pairs.
• Read-aloud strategies can be used for the information sections.
• Chunk tasks and set a time schedule for completion.
• Provide sentence starters for writing activities.
• Allow students to check answers with peers.

• Explore the German Wadden Sea.
• Understand effects of climate change at the Wadden Sea.

Hötker, H., Schrader, S., Schwemmer, P., Oberdiek, N., & Blew, J. (2010). Status, threats and conservation of birds in the German Wadden Sea [pdf]. Berlin: NABU-Bundesverband. Retrieved from https://www.nabu.de/imperia/md/content/nabude/meeresschutz/nabu_2010-status_report_birds_waddensea.pdf

Tourismus und Stadtmarketing Husum. (2014, April 24). National Park Wadden Sea Schleswig-Holstein | English. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/zVUO-Z7sWQc

Transatlantic Outreach Program. (2022). STEM Unit 4: Wadden Sea Ecosystems. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3j-M9I-9_uk

Wadden Sea World Heritage. (2017). Wadden Sea quality status report. Retrieved from http://qsr.waddensea-worldheritage.org/

Wadden Sea World Heritage. (2017). Wadden Sea quality status report: Migratory birds. Retrieved from http://qsr.waddensea-worldheritage.org/reports/migratory-birds