In this lesson, students become familiar with how ocean water forms density-stratified layers in many places. They design and carry out a series of tests to show how water masses of four different densities interact, using clear straws to stack colored water of different salinities. Temperature is varied to increase the differences in density of each water sample. Full description.

The purpose of the lessons is to teach about ocean acidification, its causes and impacts on marine life especially zooplankton, an essential part of marine food webs. Included in the materials is background information on ocean acidification. There are four different activities included in this document. To do all four you should plan on at least two 45 minute periods. The activities define and explain ... Full description.

The National Sea Grant Library (NSGL) is the digital library and official archive for NOAA Sea Grant documents. It is the only comprehensive collection of Sea Grant –funded documents from over 30 programs and projects across the country. This collection encompasses a wide variety of subjects, including oceanography, marine education, aquaculture, fisheries, aquatic nuisance species, coastal hazards, ... Full description.

The New Millenium Observatory is a seafloor observatory off the coast of Oregon, which studies the relationships between submarine volcanic events and the chemistry and distribution of hydrothermal vents and the biologic communities that depend on them. This website is a multimedia presentation of the ongoing research at Axial volcano. The NeMO Explorer page offers several virtual tours, which allow ... Full description.

This expedition explores the chemical and physical properties of the ocean and their role in governing oceanic processes. Topics include: Is There Salt in Seawater?, Ions of Salt, What is Source of the Salt?, Salinity Variability, Salinity and Precipitation, Calculating Salinity, Ocean Temperature, Solar Radiation, Variations in the Properties of Sea Water, Light Penetration, Temperature, Thermocline, ... Full description.

This resource supports the Oil Spill Professional Development program sponsored by the NOAA Office of Education. Information, presentations, and questions and answers support professional development for educators in regards to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Activities and lessons and additional relevant links are available. Full description.

In this lesson, students consider the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and related cleanup efforts. They then design and execute experiments to learn more about the effects of oil spills, and apply their findings to the coastal communities in the gulf region. Finally, they explore the economic and political impacts of the oil spill as well as the technological progress toward stopping ... Full description.

This webinar (1 hour 19 minutes) presented during the Education Week 2011, provides information on the timeline and effects of the Gulf oil spill and answers questions regarding its long-term consequences. Many educators have elected to focus on the Gulf Oil Spill as a unifying interdisciplinary theme to explore throughout the school year. Full description.

This resource provides links to scientific and governmental organizations that continue to track the Gulf Oil Spill. In the aftermath, researchers are attempting to understand the spill and its impact on marine life, the Gulf coast, and human communities. Gathered data and research findings from researchers and scientists compare historical ecological data with recently collected data. Inter-disciplinary ... Full description.

The purpose of this site is to provide access to teaching materials to respond to sudden hazard events, specifically the Deep Horizon Oil spill, in the classroom as well as more generalized materials that will help educators teach about hazards either before or soon after such an event. Resource includes images, videos and visualizations as well as current informational blogs and news reports Full description.