Curated OER
Water Density
Students identify and analyze the concept of density using the formula, density equals mass divided by volume. They review the differences in salinity levels of the ocean and note that the changes in density are caused by wind and...
Curated OER
Teacher's Guide For: Water Temperature and Salinity Experiment
Learners experiment with water density, temperature and salinity. For 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
Density Stratification and Ocean Circulation
Students examine how circulation currents of the ocean. They use a tub of hot and cold water to demonstrate the currents. They discover how salinity and temperature of water affect its movement.
Curated OER
Density Currents
Students experiment with currents caused by temperature variations that simulate the origins and flow of polar bottom currents. They discover water density is affected by temperature and salinity, resulting in deep water currents.
NOAA
The Oceanographic Yo-yo
How does chemistry help deep-sea explorers? Part four of a five-part series of lessons from aboard the Okeanos Explorer introduces middle school scientists to technologies used in ocean exploration. Groups work together to analyze data...
Curated OER
Ocean Layers
Students investigate how temperature and salinity causes ocean layering. In this ecology lesson, students observe and sketch their experimental result. They report their findings in class.
NOAA
Ocean Layers II
Now that you know the ocean has layers, let's name them. The seventh installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) program covers terminology associated with ocean layers, such as thermocline and...
Curated OER
Learning Lesson: Salt 'n Lighter
Students participate in a demonstration showing that as salinity increases density increases as well. They also examine the different densities of air. They discuss the amount of water displaced by large ships.
Curated OER
Making and Using a Hydrometer
Students build a hydrometer to measure the densities of fresh and salt water samples. They record the water temperature and density and use the temperature, density, and salinity conversion graph to locate the salinity. Finally,...
Curated OER
Sink or Float?
Students analyze the relationship between density, buoyancy, and salinity. In this chemical properties lesson, students read a background activity for the lesson and experiments to the topics. Students discuss the questions and complete...
Curated OER
Biocomplexity Lab Activity: Density and Buoyancy of
Students investigate how the density of water changes the buoyancy of
water. Students create a hypothesis about what will happen when placing the
egg into the water.Students can research online different bodies of water (The Red Sea, The...
Curated OER
Estuarine Currents
Students experiment observing a demonstration on models of density-driven currents which are typically found in an estuarine system of water flow. They compare/contrast water temperature and salinity to the formations of estuarine currents.
Curated OER
Driving Currents
Students conduct a variety of investigations to see how water, heat, and salinity affect the flow of the world's ocean currents,as well as, explore many factors that affect the flow of the world's ocean currents. They also describe in...
Curated OER
Liquid Rainbow
Young scholars develop their own techniques for drawing a small sample of solutions into a straw. They hypothesize ways to increase the density of water, and discuss how salt-free rainwater tends to float on top of salty seawater.
Polar Trec
Do You See What Icy?
Here is a lesson that kicks off with a question. "How does ice floating on the ocean act as it melts?" As learners investigate this natural phenomenon, they'll discover that it has a lot to do with temperature, salinity, and the effect...
Curated OER
Sea Water Freeze
Middle schoolers observe how salinity affects the time it takes water to freeze. They participate in an experiment to determine that ice is essentially salt-free whether formed from fresh or salt water
Curated OER
Learning Lesson: That Sinking Feeling
Students discover the origin of the Great Ocean Conveyor. They participate in a demonstration showing how salinity and temperature affect water density. They also examine the new sea ice that forms every winter.
Alabama Learning Exchange
The Composition of Seawater
Students explore the concept of finding the composition of seawater. For this finding the composition of seawater instructional activity, students make a saturated salt water solution. Students discuss why there is variation in ocean...
Curated OER
Water Quality Monitoring
Pupils comprehend the four parameters of water quality. They perform tests for salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH and clarity or turbidity. Students comprehend why scientists and environmental managers monitor water uality and aquatic...
Curated OER
Effects of the Southern Pacific Railroad Causeway
Fifth graders describe the appearance of a substance before and after a physical change. They re-create the Southern Pacific Railroad Causeway across the Great Salt Lake. They determine for themselves how the water is exchanged...
Curated OER
Drifting Downward
Students study the effects of different salients and temperatures on vertical movement of an organism. In this experimental lesson students design different shapes of foil to simulate drifting planktonic organisms.
Curated OER
What is an Estuary?
Students define the terms estuary and watershed. They conduct an experiment to determine the density differences between fresh and saltwater. They examine the salinity distribution of the Peconic Bay Estuary.
Curated OER
Estuarine Currents
Students explore an estuarine system to gather data on density driven currents. This type of current is contrasted with temperature and wind driven currents.
Curated OER
Finding the Deep Water Masses of the Atlantic Ocean
Young scholars describe the role of density in driving deep ocean currents and the density layers of the ocean. They determine that the ocean is one continuous body of water with global currents that interact, with water surrounding all...