Disturbance Port Aransas

You have been tasked with keeping Port Aransas communities and surrounding ecosystems healthy!

Every year you are faced with different events, including both natural disturbances and human-environment interactions. Your goal is to help the city and the ecosystems around it thrive and recover after disturbances.

The goal of the integrated multi-ecosystem game is to develop a healthy functioning coastal community that lives harmoniously with surrounding coastal ecosystems. In Port Aransas, the city is bordered by salt marshes, which are next to mangroves. A little farther from shore you get oyster reefs and seagrass beds. As the water gets deeper and you get further away from the coastline, you reach open water ecosystems.

To win the game, develop a coastal community that earns “Texas Stars” for its resources, health, diversity, and connectivity!

This educational Earth science game was designed by scientists at the University of Texas at Austin's Jackson School of Geosciences and Marine Science Institute. The game is modeled after real ecosystems, resources, and events at the Texas coastline.