Curated OER
Mapping the Aegean Seafloor
Earth science learners create a two-dimensional topographic map of the floor of the Aegean Sea. They use it to then create a three-dimensional model of the ocean floor features. This comprehensive resource delivers strong background...
NOAA
Mapping the Ocean Floor: Bathymetry
Bathymetry is not a measure of the depths of bathtubs! Through the three lessons, scholars explore two different types of maps and how they are made. The resource focuses on topographic and bathymetric maps and teaching the techniques...
NOAA
Wet Maps
How do oceanographers make maps under water? Junior explorers discover the technologies and processes involved in creating bathymetric maps in part three of a five-part series designed for fifth- and sixth-grade pupils. The lesson...
Curated OER
Map that Habitat
Students participate in an activity that replicates the creation of sea floor bathymetry by taking a simplified form of soundings in the classroom. They discuss sea floor mapping technologies, sonar, soundings, and remote sensing,...
Curated OER
Reading Contour Maps
Students examine contour maps and bathymetry maps and discover how to interpret a contour map of the East Pacific Rise. Students look at a map as a class and answer questions together before working independently on a map of the East...
Curated OER
Mapping the Canyon
Students compare and contrast topographic maps and bathymetric maps. They investigate how bathymetric maps are made and how to interpret one.
Curated OER
TE Lesson: Habitat Mapping
Students examine the current technologies used in mapping resources in the marine environment. They look at remote sensing, sounding, and underwater vehicles. They examine image from the benthic habitat produced by the GIS in order to...
Curated OER
The Unseen Ocean Floor
Students build ocean floor structures, then map and model an unfamiliar ocean floor. They are introduced to bathymetry and sea floor features, and discover one of the most widely usd methods for studying the ocean.
Curated OER
Mapping Ancient Coastlines
Most of this lesson plan is spent working on the "Bathymetry Worksheet." It includes a graph of the changes in sea level over the past 150,000 years and a bathymetric map of changes in an imaginary coastline over time. Participants...
NOAA
Watching in 3D
Bring the ocean floor to life! Earth science scholars discover the process of deep sea mapping in the third installment in a series of five lessons about ocean exploration. The teacher's guide includes helpful resources, worksheets, and...
NOAA
Into the Deep
Take young scientists into the depths of the world's ocean with the second activity of this three-part earth science series. After first drawing pictures representing how they imagine the bottom of the ocean to appear, students...
Curated OER
Mapping Deep-Sea Habitat
Students create a two-dimensional topographic map and a 3-D model of landforms. In this creative lesson students create 2 and 3-D objects and learn how to interpret the data from these things.
Curated OER
At the Edge of the Continent
Students study how to interpret a bathymetric map. They study the main features of the continental margin. They plot and graph bathymetric data. They think about and discuss the bathymetry of the edge of the cont
Curated OER
Ping!
Using "mystery bathymetry" shoeboxes, young explorers simulate sonar action to map out the topography of an un-viewable landscape. This classic activity helps physical oceanography learners understand how sonar works. It would be...
Curated OER
Seeing What You Cannot See--RADAR
Student imitate mapping the ocean floor using the basic concepts of radar. Then they explain what radar is and how it workds. All of their measurements are recorded on a data sheet. Then the data is entered into a spreadsheet program. A...
Curated OER
Mapping Seamounts in the Gulf of Alaska
Students describe major topographic features on the Patton Seamount, and interpret two-dimensional topographic data. They create three-dimensional models of landforms from two-dimensional topographic data.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Habitat Mapping
The marine environment is unique and requires technologies that can use sound to gather information since there is little light underwater. In this lesson, the students will be shown benthic habitat images produced by GIS. These images...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Map That Habitat
Historically, sea floor mapping occurred with a more simple data collection method: soundings. Soundings are taken by dropping a weight with a pre-measured rope off the side of the boat and noting the measurement on the rope when the...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Discovering Plate Boundaries
A data rich exercise built around four global data maps to help students discover the processes that occur at plate tectonic boundaries. The lesson plan is based on the jigsaw concept, mixing the students to work in different groups...
US Geological Survey
Usgs: Bathymetry of the Marshall Islands
This map details the area around the Marshall Island seamounts. Seamounts are one of many features that are found in conjunction with abyssal plains.
NOAA
Noaa: Ngdc: Images, Visualizing Data
The National Geophysical Data Center has transformed extensive ocean research into colorful video, 3D maps, charts posters and more! This site starts off with a film clip of a dive into the Marianas trench and then lead you to other...
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Earth Science: Bathymetric Evidence for Seafloor Spreading
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Seafloor features and how scientists map them.
NOAA
Noaa: Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory: North Pacific Ocean
This site shows a map of the North Pacific Ocean and the surrounding seas. You can study the islands, or the ocean currents in detail.