STANDARD - GEOCHEMICAL CYCLES


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Sediment Bottle - COSEE Coastal Trends


Lesson Plan 

Summary
Students mix a variety of sediments with water in a clear container to observe particle separation based on size.

Concept: Sands
Sand is a mixture of land and ocean substances.

Education Standards




The Nitrogen Cycle - COSEE Coastal Trends


Lesson Plan 

Summary
Students put together “puzzle piece” print-outs of the compounds comprising the nitrogen cycle and string the pieces together to reconstruct the pathways of the cycle.

Concept: Geochemical cycles
The ocean is an integral part of the geochemical cycles. It is connected to land-based waterways, which transport materials to the ocean.

Education Standards




Carbon Cycle Game - Windows to the Universe


Lesson Plan 

Summary
Students learn how carbon cycles through the Earth system through an online game.

Concept: Geochemical cycles
The ocean is an integral part of the geochemical cycles. It is connected to land-based waterways, which transport materials to the ocean.

Education Standards




The Nike Shoe Investigation - UCLA Marine Science Center


Lesson Plan 

Summary
In 1990, a container ship lost 60,000 pairs of sneakers in rough seas.  Students calculate the speed and direction of the major surface currents in the north Pacific gyre by tracking and plotting the pathway of the floating sneakers.

Concept: Ocean water movement
Ocean circulation is interconnected and is powered by wind, tides, force of Earth

Education Standards




The Water Cycle and Global Warming - BioEd Online


Lesson Plan 

Summary
Students trace the effects of global temperature change on oceanic surface levels through model and laboratory investigations.

Concept: Water cycle
The ocean plays a major role in the water cycle, which drives changes in weather and climate.

Education Standards




Top to Bottom - NOAA Ocean Explorer


Lesson Plan 

Summary
Students explore the possible impacts on deep sea ecosystems associated with changes in thermohaline circulation resulting from climate change.

Concept: Global climate change
Ocean processes have major effects on global climate change; global climate change could have major impacts on the ocean.

Education Standards




Plant Pigments in Oceanography - Classroom BATS (Bermuda Atlantic Time Series)


Lesson Plan 

Summary
Students first learn how oceanographers study chlorophyll in the water to determine global plankton distribution, then conduct a hands-on activity to extract chlorophyll from a plant. Students also examine time series data to explore the seasonal and spatial distribution of plankton in the ocean.

Concept: Distribution
Primary productivity is distributed throughout the world according to several factors

Education Standards




Kure Waste Chase - Jean Michel Cousteau Ocean Adventures, PBS


Lesson Plan 

Summary
In this web-based game, students explore various habitats of the ocean, collect harmful marine debris and learn which organisms are affected by the debris.

Concept: Humans affect the ocean
Humans affect the ocean and therefore must protect it.

Education Standards