Graphing temperatures in the ocean.
Students will construct, analyze, and interpret real data from a profiling float in the ocean. Students will explore ocean temperature trends and climate change. Students will develop critical thinking, geographical, mathematical, graphing, analyzing, and interpretation skills.
Cover image: Global map of average Sea Surface Temperature (SST), NASA. https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3652
Teacher Resources
Additional Resources
- Introduction to Temperature lesson
- A Day in the Life of a Float [1-min video]
- Adopt-A-Float Viz page
- Celsius to Fahrenheit conversion
- Looking at ocean warming trends
- Sea level rise
- Ocean heat content
- Global temperatures
- Global ocean heat and salt content
- Ocean layers [2-min video]
- Converting Celcius to Fahrenheit [2-min video]
- Float animation [1-min video]
- Taking temperature of the ocean-Argo Floats [1:40min]
- Argo Floats: How floats are able to measure much more of the ocean [6-min video]
- Explaining Argo float in 35 seconds video
Next Generation Science Standards
Crosscutting Concepts
- Cause and effect
Core Ideas
- ESS2.C: The Roles of Water in Earth’s Surface Processes
- ESS2.D: Weather and Climate
- ESS3.C: Human Impacts on Earth SystemsESS3.C: Human Impacts on Earth Systems
Practices
- Analyzing and interpreting data
- Engaging in argument from evidence
Ocean Literacy Fundamental Concepts
- 1.D: Sea level is the average height of the ocean relative to the land, taking into account the differences caused by tides. Sea level changes as plate tectonics cause the volume of ocean basins and the height of the land to change. It changes as ice caps on land melt or grow. It also changes as sea water expands and contracts when ocean water warms and cools.
- 7.E: Use of mathematical models is now an essential part of ocean sciences. Models help us understand the complexity of the ocean and of its interaction with Earth’s climate. They process observations and help describe the interactions among systems.,