This lesson shows students how to use various types of scales to measure distances on a map. Topics include the statement of equivalency, bar scales, the representative fraction, and how to measure distances along a curve. Full description.

This activity gives students a hands-on look at why saltwater sinks as they create the smallest of ocean currents in a glass baking dish. They will see firsthand why saltwater is denser than freshwater and why salt sets the seas in motion. Students slowly add saltwater that has been tinted with food coloring to a glass baking dish that contains freshwater. The students then see that the saltwater ... Full description.

This map and summary describe the Yucatan Current which flows through the passage connecting the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico known as the Yucatan Channel or the Straits of Yucatan. This current provides most of the inflow into the Gulf of Mexico. Links are provided to summary text detailing velocity and hydrographic observations, seasonal plots such as average current speed, drifting buoy ... Full description.

Abandoned ships and other objects lost at sea may ride ocean currents for months or even years before sinking or washing ashore. This video segment, adapted from a NOVA broadcast, describes how scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute plotted the trajectories of abandoned sailing ships, whose positions were reported by 19th century sea captains. The tracks of these derelict ships reveal ... Full description.

This text discusses differences in ocean tides. Along America's Atlantic Coast, two high and low tides occur daily. Such tides are called semidiurnal. On the north shore of the Gulf of Mexico, the tide is diurnal, meaning that it moves in and out again once a day while in the Pacific Northwest, there are mixed tides, two highs and two lows a day, characterized by significant disparity between successive ... Full description.

This site describes the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 301 through the eyes of an eighth grade teacher participating in the Teacher at Sea Program. Expedition 301 is part of a multidisciplinary experiment to evaluate the composition, structure, physical properties, chemistry, fluid flow, and biological communities on the east flank of the Juan de Fuca Ridge. During the expedition ... Full description.

The Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level (PSMSL), hosted by the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory (POL), is the global data bank for long term sea level change information from tide gauges. The PSMSL data set is the main source of information on long term changes in global sea level during the last two centuries. This site contains data sets, and information on other services such as vertical land ... Full description.

This lesson plan is part of the DiscoverySchool.com lesson plan library for grades 6-8. It focuses on oceans currents and their effects. Students do a lab activity to show that temperature is what causes ocean currents. Included are objectives, materials, procedures, discussion questions, evaluation ideas, suggested readings, and vocabulary. There are videos available to order which complement this ... Full description.

This page provides links to maps and summary information about thirty-two named surface currents in the Atlantic Ocean. Each current subpage provides summary text detailing velocity and hydrographic observations, plots such as average current speed, drifting buoy positions, sea surface temperature maps, and HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) simulations. Links are also provided to flow diagrams, ... Full description.

This article reports on an unsuccessful dive attempt to study deep sea vents at the Juan de Fuca Ridge. It offers an overview of the pressure in the deep seas, including how it builds, how much our bodies can withstand, and the dangers it poses in the study of deep sea vents. It describes the technology that protects crews from pressure and allows them to safely dive to depths of 2,500 meters and ... Full description.