Atlantic Ocean vs. Pacific Ocean: What Do You Know? Students will be analyzing real-time data from the East Coast (SECOORA) and West Coast (NANOOS) to compare the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.What do you really know about the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans? What are their similarities? Differences? Remembering that energy from the sun causes differential heating on Earth, students will be analyzing real-time data from the East Coast (SECOORA) and West Coast (NANOOS) to compare these two oceans. Essential questions students will explore include information about air temperature and water temperature. Skills they will be developing involve comparing and contrasting data, creating a graph, and drawing conclusions after analysis of the information. Finally, students will create a Venn diagram poster project to summarize their learning as an assessment. This unit plan can also be used for other parts of the world as a template for comparing and contrasting two ocean areas…your students will be experts when finished! Topics Ocean Observing AuthorsKatrina Alegado Teacher ResourcesLesson PlanExcel Example Student ResourcesStudent InstructionsStudent Webquest InstructionsExcel InstructionsVenn Diagram TemplateFinal Self-Evaluation Additional ResourcesMBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute) https://www.mbari.orgOOI (Ocean Observatories Initiative) http://www.oceanobservatories.org/GOOS (Global Ocean Observing System) http://www.ioc-goos.org/IOOS (Integrated Ocean Observing System) http://www.ioos.gov/CORMP (Coastal Ocean Research and Monitoring Program) http://www.cormp.org/NDBC (National Data Buoy Center) http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/ Next Generation Science StandardsCrosscutting ConceptsScale, proportion, and quantitySystems and system modelsCore IdeasPS4.C: Information Technologies and InstrumentationESS2.D: Weather and ClimatePracticesAnalyzing and interpreting dataEngaging in argument from evidence Ocean Literacy Fundamental Concepts1.A: The ocean is the dominant physical feature on our planet Earth—covering approximately 70% of the planet’s surface. There is one ocean with many ocean basins, such as the North Pacific, South Pacific, North Atlantic, South Atlantic, Indian and Arctic., 1.C: Throughout the ocean there is one interconnected circulation system powered by wind, tides, the force of the Earth’s rotation (Coriolis effect), the Sun, and water density differences. The shape of ocean basins and adjacent land masses influence the path of circulation.