Website
Rice University

Rice University: Ocean Currents and Tides

For Students 9th - 10th
This URL will start you out at the site map for Rice University's study of longitude and navigation. Scroll to the section titled "Oceans" and you will find some very good information on surface currents, especially those of the South...
Handout
NASA

Nasa: Ocean Motion: Wind Driven Surface Currents: Upwelling and Downwelling

For Students 9th - 10th
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...
Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of Natural History: Ocean Planet: Ocean Currents

For Students 9th - 10th
The Ocean Planet exhibit at the Smithsonian explains the general features of ocean circulation. A general look at upwelling, deep water, and currents are combined for an overall view.
Unit Plan
CK-12 Foundation

Ck 12: Earth Science: Surface Ocean Currents

For Students 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Describes how wind patterns and other factors cause ocean surface currents.
Handout
CK-12 Foundation

Ck 12: Earth Science: Surface Ocean Currents Study Guide

For Students 6th - 8th
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] This study guide summarizes key points about surface currents on the ocean. Includes a few questions to check for understanding.
Unit Plan
CK-12 Foundation

Ck 12: Earth Science: Surface Ocean Currents

For Students 9th - 10th
Describes how wind patterns and other factors cause ocean surface currents. [Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.]
Unit Plan
Georgia Department of Education

Ga Virtual Learning: Moving Water

For Students 9th - 10th
Students learn about surface currents, wave characteristics, and the forces that cause tides in the World Ocean.
Handout
Simon Fraser University

Chem1 Virtual Textbook: The Hydrosphere and the Oceans

For Students 9th - 10th
As part of the General Chemistry Virtual Textbook, this site examines a variety of topics related to the hydrosphere and the oceans. Topics covered include where the water came from, the hydrologic cycle, Oceanic circulation, atmospheric...
Lesson Plan
Other

Nanoos: Well, Well, Well [Pdf]

For Teachers 9th - 10th
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.
Handout
University of Southern California

University of Southern California: Ocean Currents and Climate

For Students 9th - 10th
The climate of our planet is greatly affected by Earth's oceans. Learn here about the different oceanic currents and the role those currents play on climate.
Website
US Navy

Office of Naval Research: Oceans in Motion Currents

For Students 6th - 8th
Use this site to learn what the Navy has to say about ocean currents and then test your knowledge with their quiz.
Unit Plan
Other

Rutgers: c.o.o.l. Class: Physics Project: Plankton and Ocean Current

For Students 9th - 10th
This c.o.o.l. Project focuses on tiny sea plankton and how they move in the oceans. Follow the scientific process outlined on the left, calculate and collect data to form your own predictions.
eBook
Other

Earth Science: Earth's Surface and Heat [Pdf]

For Students 6th - 8th
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....
Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of Natural History: Ocean Planet: Staying on Top

For Students 9th - 10th
This is the story of the infamous Nike shoes that washed off a cargo ship. The shoes later showed up along beaches, giving oceanographers another clue as to how ocean currents move.
Online Course
Cosmo Learning

Cosmo Learning: Ocean Currents

For Students 9th - 10th
The atmosphere forces the ocean in three ways: addition and removal of heat, precipitation and evaporation, and wind stress. The former two processes influence the density of sea water. Gravity acts on these density differences to cause...
Lesson Plan
Climate Literacy

Clean: Ocean Currents and Sea Surface Temperature

For Teachers 9th - 10th
To discover the link between ocean temperatures and currents as related to our concern for current climate change.
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: One World Ocean

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
In this activity, students learn about ocean currents and the difference between salt and fresh water. They use colored ice cubes to see how cold and warm water mix and how this mixing causes currents. Also, students learn how surface...
PPT
Other

Lunar and Planetary Institute: Oceans From Space

For Students 9th - 10th
This collection of photographs from space-shuttle missions shows some features of oceanic circulation that simply cannot be seen from any other vantage point. This site is a great resource for many different topics of study.
Unit Plan
Other

Rutgers Marine & Coastal Sciences: Cool Classroom

For Students 9th - 10th
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...
Unit Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Engineering for the Earth

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young students are introduced to the complex systems of the Earth through numerous lessons on its natural resources, processes, weather, climate and landforms. Key earth science topics include rocks, soils and minerals, water and natural...
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Investigating Processes of Sedimentation in Gravel Pits

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this field investigation, students will investigate processes of deposition that have contributed to the current Minnesota sediments and landscape. After learning about weathering and erosion and having a short introduction to...
Lesson Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

For Teachers 7th - 9th
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) is an interesting and somewhat publicized environmental problem. A swirling soup of trash up to 10 meters deep and just below the water surface is composed mainly of non-degradable plastics. These...
Interactive
Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology

Iris: Earthquake Browser

For Students 9th - 10th
A live, real-time data global map of all current earthquake activity.
Website
NOAA

Noaa: El Nino and La Nina

For Students 9th - 10th
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,...

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