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 currents occur due to wind streams. Lastly, they learn how fresh water floats on top of salt water, the difference between water in the ocean and fresh water throughout the planet, and how engineers are involved in the design of ocean water systems for human use.

Concepts

engineering, ocean currents, salinity, stem, oceanography, oceans

Show More Show Less

Additional Tags

fresh water, salt water, wind streams, ocean, integrated teaching and learning program and laboratory, teachengineering, tide

Show More Show Less

Classroom Considerations

• Knovation Readability Score: 3 (1 low difficulty, 5 high difficulty)