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Introduction:
Currents are the life blood of the Ocean and the Planet. They bring fresh food and climate change, they allow for travel and transportation. Our lives would be very different without density currents. In this activity series we will discover how currents work and why they are important to understand.
This exercise is linked to temperature, heat sinks and density currents. In this case, students will be asked to find data on air and water temperatures for the year on Catalonia island, graph this information and complete a number of web based and real lab activities.
Purpose:
The purpose of this lab / graphing exercise is to help students become familiar with creating a spreadsheet and graph using data that they can find on the Internet. From this data the students can create a month by month picture graph of the air and water temperatures on Catalonia Island. Following the completion of this graphing task students should be familiar with the temperature differentials in the ocean and ready for the Lab, Convection a Current Affair.
Pre- lab Questions :
these questions should be answered by students BEFORE beginning the lab, usually done as homework the night before the lab.
Procedure:
Background Information
- Proceed to the web site - physical oceanography from space - http://podaac.jpl.nasa.gov/kids/index.html. Read the background infomation about how Physical Oceanography takes place.
Click on experiment #1 : How does sea surface temperature change with Latitude?
Complete the activity as directed on this page.
Check your answer with the instructor. (and on the key that is on this web site)
- How are latitude and ocean temperature related?
Drawing your own conclusions - making a graph
- Proceed to the web site - Catalina information http://www.catalina.com/temps.html
- Launch AppleWorks
- open a new spreadsheet
- copy the information from this web page on average air and water temperatures into the spreadsheet.
leave the cell A-1 blank for your title
put the months in the A column
put the high in the B column
put the low in the C column
put the water in the D column
- choose the cells you would like to have appear on your graph by highlighting \them
- select Make Chart from the Options menu to begin making your graph.A dialogue box will appear, choose line graph for this exercise, but you may want to explore other options.
- when your graph is completed, you may edit such things as the line color andadd labels to your axes.
- copy your completed graph and spreadsheet into a word processing document.
- remember to paste them as objects by selecting the arrow key before pasting.
- Answer the discussion questions for this part of the experience
sample graph
Complete the lab - Convection Currents
- separate instructions will be given out in class for this part of the activity.
Learn more about currents and temperature
- Go to the web site science with OAR http://www.oar.noaa.gov/k12/html/oceans.html
- complete the activities on ocean temperature variations by region and current tracking.
- work with a partner to answer all the questions included on these web pages in your student activity books handed out in class.
Discussion Questions :
Following the graphing exercise:
Following the ocean temperature and current tracking exercise described here OAR http://www.oar.noaa.gov/k12/html/oceans.html
look here national buoy data center
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Extension Activities: (may be done for extra credit or a portfolio)
Other Activites that involve remore sensing:
ocean color viewed from space -this activity looks at false color image of the ocean to determine plankton bloom. Fun and interactive web site!!
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