Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Ocean Currents: Modeling 'Global Conveyor Belt' in Your Kitchen
Ocean currents have a profound effect on the climates of the continents, especially those regions bordering on the ocean. The Gulf Stream makes northwest Europe much more temperate than any other region at the same latitude, and the...
NOAA
Noaa: Ocean Explorer: Hot, Cold, Fresh and Salty
Learners simulate ocean water characteristics in order to recognize that the effects of salinity and temperature are the drivers of thermohaline circulation.
NASA
Nasa: Ocean Motion: Wind Driven Surface Currents: Upwelling and Downwelling
Explains what upwelling and downwelling of ocean currents are, and the impact of Ekman transport and the Coriolis effect on current movement as well as where they occur. The effects of upwelling and downwelling on water temperature and...
E-learning for Kids
E Learning for Kids: Science: Atlantic Ocean: What Is Evaporation?
Explore with Julia how wind speed and temperature affect evaporation rate.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Ocean Water: Density
In this lesson students will learn about the stratification of the ocean by using a simulation to show the different densities. The simulation explores how temperature, salinity, and wind affect the development of water stratification.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Harbor Porpoise Movement
In this project you can use archived satellite tracking data to learn about activity patterns of harbor porpoises. How far do they travel? Can you find patterns in the routes individual animals take? Can you correlate their route with...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Do Warmer Seas Make Stronger Hurricanes?
We've all heard that hurricanes draw their immense power from warm ocean waters. Of course, many factors contribute to the formation and growth of a hurricane, but can we expect to find that the warmer the water, the stronger the...
Other
Rutgers Marine & Coastal Sciences: Cool Classroom
Students and teachers can explore the work of marine scientists and observe the ocean from their computers. Learn about Rutgers Coastal Ocean Observation Laboratory, discover why oceanography is important, and see what life is like in...
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.
US Navy
Naval Research Office: Ocean Water: Temperature Scales
For an overview of the four temperature scales, visit this site. General information is given about the scales including their boiling and melting points.
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments: Freezing Temperature of Ocean Water
This activity makes use of the Temperature Probe to measure the temperature of water as it cools and freezes. Students' determine and compare the freezing temperature of fresh water and ocean water.
E-learning for Kids
E Learning for Kids: Science: Atlantic Ocean: What Is Temperature?
Students learn the difference between heat and temperature, how temperature is measured, and about the Celsius scale.
E-learning for Kids
E Learning for Kids: Science: Atlantic Ocean: What Is the Water Cycle?
Explains the three states of water, how the water cycle works, and the role of temperature. Includes a fun fact quiz.
Climate Literacy
Clean: Ocean Impacts on an El Nino Event
Students examine the relationships among sea surface height, sea surface temperature, and wind vectors in classifying the ocean characteristics of an El Nino.
PBS
Pbs, Secrets of the Ocean Realm: Mountain in the Sea
This experiment allows your students to study the effect of temperature on water motion and also to create their own density driven current.
Other
Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences: Salinity and Deep Ocean Currents
For this activity, students will investigate how temperature and currents affect the salinity of ocean water, making predictions after studying ocean maps. It is recommended that teachers do the experiment themselves before presenting it...
Other
Earth Science: Earth's Surface and Heat [Pdf]
This textbook chapter looks at the role of temperature in sustaining life on Earth and on weather and climate. It discusses the Earth's movements and the seasons, the circulation of the oceans, wind and weather, and the water cycle....
American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History: O Logy: Journey to Deep Sea Vents
Take a submersible down to the seafloor. As you descend, passing through the ocean's sunlight, twilight, and midnight zones, you can observe how temperature, pressure, and light levels change. When your submersible reaches the seafloor,...
Climate Literacy
Clean: Hurricanes as Heat Engines
For this activity, students examine the effects of hurricanes on sea surface temperature using NASA data. They examine authentic sea surface temperature data to explore how hurricanes extract heat energy from the ocean surface.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Density Differences
Students investigate differences in ocean water density, and record density data from salt, ice, and hot water samples in their notebooks. Students then simulate ocean water temperature levels in a simulation.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Harmful Algal Blooms in the Chesapeake Bay
Harmful algal blooms occur when algae, which form the base of the ocean food web, grow in massive numbers and produce toxic or harmful effects on people, fish, shellfish, marine mammals, and birds. In this project you will learn how to...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Can Water Float on Water?
Of course it can, you say: ice is water and ice floats. And you're right. But we're talking about water in the liquid phase Can liquid water float on water? The goal of this project is to investigate what happens to layers of water with...
Other
Nanoos: Well, Well, Well [Pdf]
This lesson provides students the opportunity to investigate the relationship between winds, surface currents, sea temperature and upwelling and downwelling off the coast of Oregon and Washington.
NOAA
Noaa: El Nino and La Nina
La Nina is characterized by unusually cold ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific, as compared to El Nino, which is characterized by unusually warm ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific. Find more general info, Forecasts,...