Rowland Hall’s Upper School is located approximately 800 miles from the nearest ocean. Why, then, have jellyfish taken up residence in one of the classrooms?

They are a living lab and the unofficial pets of Rob Wilson’s Marine Science class. Bringing a bit of the ocean to the desert helps the students get their feet wet, so to speak, as they dive into the larger topics involving the system of waters that covers more than 70 percent of the planet we call home. In this course, students look at the movements of the tides, the formation of waves, the lives of the creatures that reside in the water, and how the ocean impacts every inch of the planet—no matter how far from the shore.

“The wind, the weather, and even the terrain upon which we live are and were shaped by the ocean,” said Rob. “We are influenced by it every day, but because we are so far from it, there aren’t that many opportunities to learn about it. I wanted to create that opportunity.”

The opportunity is unique for students as they are studying the current state of the oceans while living in a place that was home to multiple ancient seas. Utah was once the location of Lake Bonneville, covering the western state at one time, and long before that, seas marked the landscape. Ancient marine sediments from a shallow tropical sea can be found in the land around the Great Salt Lake, and the Book Cliffs and Canyonlands in the southeastern part of the state are evidence of the Western Interior Seaway, which existed during the Cretaceous period. You can see the impacts of these bodies of water in the mountains and other landscape formations, and marine fossils can be found all over the state.

“It's interesting to see how we can still identify the effects of oceans from millions of years ago,” said sophomore Miles Lee. “It shows just how long it took for those formations to form. I’ve been able to understand the history of the ocean across the globe, like the movement of the continents.”

Seeing how these processes from the beginning of time affect us now, and are continuing to happen, definitely changes your view of the ocean as a whole.—Nicole Wright, class of 2028

The evidence of oceans past is important to Rob as he teaches the class; he wants the students to develop a sense of “deep time” so they better understand the current state of the oceans and the earth processes caused by them. “It changes how you perceive the world when you understand those depths of time better,” he said. “You move beyond seeing just the time you are in or your lifespan to see it’s part of something much larger and enduring.”

It’s a lesson that the students have been quick to learn. “That is one of the things that is super cool to me. You don't usually think about time like that,” said sophomore Nicole Wright. “Seeing how these processes from the beginning of time affect us now, and are continuing to happen, definitely changes your view of the ocean as a whole.”

While humans have only existed for a sliver of time compared to the oceans, the impacts they have made are vast. One project being undertaken by the class is looking at the ongoing ramifications of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which happened in 2010—the year many of the students were born. Tens of billions of dollars have been allocated for restoration of the Gulf Coast and preservation of the animals impacted in the years since, and the students are tracing where and how that money has been spent. It’s a lesson in how precarious the health of the ocean can be, even after billions of years.

The jellyfish are a part of that lesson and a good indicator of overall ocean health. While they are some of the oldest organisms on the planet, they are not easy to keep alive. Students are learning how even slight changes in their environment can be catastrophic. Before the marine invertebrates even arrived, the class had to work to ready their saltwater tank, testing the pH balance and bacteria levels, and raising brine shrimp that will serve as their food.

“They are tedious to keep alive. You have to maintain the right level of nitrogen in the water, which can rise very quickly from their waste,” Rob said. “But they are fascinating to watch and help the class in understanding the depth of time.”

I love the ocean and think it’s important to know how what we do impacts it and the organisms that live in it.—Luke Gagan, class of 2028

Whether in a large-scale research project or on the two-gallon scale of the jellyfish tank, the students are learning how fragile the ocean is. When considering how to be people the world needs, some now see ocean conservation as an option. “I'm really interested in environmental conservation and climate change,” said sophomore Luke Gagan. “I love the ocean and think it’s important to know how what we do impacts it and the organisms that live in it.”

Several students in the class will take their ocean stewardship to the next level this summer when they travel to Alaska with Rob to do a baseline study in the Kenai Peninsula. It’s an area of the world considered a hotspot for climate and marine science, as the glaciers in the region are quickly retreating. Each student will be assigned an aspect of the environment to observe and record the conditions for future researchers to reference.

“I think the trip aligns perfectly with this class. It’s a good ending place to go after finishing Marine Science,” said Miles. “I'm not sure what the structure will look like there, but I'm looking forward to it.”

For sophomore Annabelle Hill, the trip is an opportunity to compare and contrast the very different ocean she knew in her youth in Virginia Beach. “There we had warmer waters and different organisms,” she said. “Compared to Alaska, the waters are much colder, and I'm excited to see the difference between those two habitats.”

Water on Earth is what makes this planet habitable, and the jellyfish in Rob Wilson's classroom are a living testament to that history. They represent how the ocean caused the evolution of life-forms and still sustains them today. By studying marine science, Rowland Hall students are connecting the dots between Utah’s prehistoric past and the urgent environmental needs of the present—and perhaps helping the oceans endure for years to come.