Curated OER
Oceanography: Density: Designing a Hydrometer Lab
Young scholars explore water density and design a hydrometer to measure density. This activity is part of Ocean World's home site and excellent resources and links are provided.
Curated OER
The Weight of Water
Students examine how salt water is more dense than fresh water. They discuss how manatees need to float and sink, conduct a sink or float experiment, and conduct an experiment with eggs and salt and fresh water.
Curated OER
Teacher's Guide For: Water Temperature and Salinity Experiment
Students experiment with water density, temperature and salinity. In this water lesson, students observe how the coldest water sinks to the bottom of a test tube, and how saltwater sinks in comparison to freshwater.
Curated OER
Water Density Boundaries
Students create observable layers in water that represent a separation based upon density differences. They model density boundaries using differences in temperature and salinity. They, in groups, perform a meaningful experiment...
Curated OER
Water Density and Stability Lab
Students observe how different water densities and salinity control the depth at which different water masses occur. Submarines are used as a case study. This is a well-designed with an excellent worksheet.
American Chemical Society
Inquiry in Action: Compare the Density of an Object to the Density of Water
In this activity, students use tea light candle holders and a student-made balance to compare the weight of equal volumes of wax, water, and clay. Students will discover that since the wax weighs less than an equal volume of water, it is...
Georgia Department of Education
Ga Virtual Learning: Physical Oceanography
A student learning module with a focus on the relationship of temperature and salinity with density, ocean-influenced weather patterns, and how light and sound move through ocean water.
NOAA
Noaa: National Ocean Service: Education: Currents
Illustrated tutorial explains the numerous factors which shape ocean currents. Animations help students visualize how these aspects constantly affect the water movement in the ocean and how scientists use this information to study ocean...
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Woods Hole Oceanography Institute: Deep Ocean Circulation
What causes the circulation of ocean waters that are too deep to be affected by wind? Find out how salinity and temperature drive the deep sea currents. This resource has several videos and an online quiz.
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Woods Hole Oceanography Institute: Activity: Demo for Density
In this experiment, students look at Deep Hypersaline Anoxic Basins, or DHABs, that are present in the Eastern Mediterranean, and make a model of a DHAB to investigate how liquids that have different densities can form layers. This...
Utah Education Network
Uen: Nhmu: Boy, Is That Buoyant!
Learn how salt increases the density of water and creates a condition of buoyancy.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Predicting the Spring Phytoplankton Bloom in the Gulf of Maine
This lesson helps students understand the variables that influence the abundance of phytoplankton. Students will make predictions about the timing of the spring phytoplankton bloom in the Gulf of Maine. Furthermore, data from buoy...
Rice University
Rice University: Museums Teaching Planet Earth: What Is the Hydrosphere?
Focus is on the hydrosphere and contains the definition as well as characteristics of the ocean and the effect of the ocean on climate.
TOPS Learning Systems
Tops Learning Systems: Top Science: Slow Drips [Pdf]
Investigate density by floating an ice cube on the surface of cooking oil and observe what happens as it melts.
Museum of Science
Museum of Science: Water Density Experiment
A simple lab activity to demonstrate that ocean currents are influenced by changes in water density.