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 and make inferences about the presence and location of hydrothermal vents using salinity, density, temperature, and pressure data.

Concepts

ocean exploration, salinity, the deep sea, density, pressure, temperature, hydrothermal vents, making inferences, data analysis

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Show images of hydrothermal vents to ensure pupils understand what they are locating
• Connect the lesson with plate tectonics to show the class how activity in Earth's crust has a broad effect on underwater topography and ocean habitats

Classroom Considerations

• Review the teacher's guide to ensure you are able to communicate the technologies discussed in the lesson effectively
• Place learners in groups of three or four depending upon the size of the class

Pros

• The activity uses actual exploration data for graphing, making the experience more real for pupils
• A variety of extensions in the teacher's guide provide great ideas that connect the lesson with other topics common in seventh and eighth grade science curricula

Cons

• None