Oceanography 101

Get ready to explore a world that cannot be seen. It is a mysterious world of which we know less about than we do the dark side of the moon even though it covers more than 70% of the rock we live on. In this activity, you will have the opportunity to explore, learn and discover new things. 

"People should treat the oceans like we do anything else that we care about - with consideration, with care, and affection. That's it. For that we must educate." ~ Walter Munk

You will be creating a google slides document that you will share with me via email. Follow the steps in the process to complete the assignment. There should be at least 7 slides in your document. (Some steps may have to be broken into 2 or more slides.)

You may use these websites to aide you and, of course, you can use your own research websites as well. (You may have to do your own research in some instances)

WEBSITES - 

Physical Features of the Oceans 

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1b3yNgIfKw

Oceans

• http://www.gdrc.org/oceans/world-oceans.html
• http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/infopage/oceans.htm

Oceanography

https://science.nasa.gov/earth-science/oceanography/physical-ocean

https://science.nasa.gov/earth-science/focus-areas/climate-variability-and-change/ocean-physics/

https://science.nasa.gov/earth-science/oceanography/physical-ocean/salinity

https://science.nasa.gov/earth-science/oceanography/oceans-interactive

https://science.nasa.gov/earth-science/oceanography/ocean-earth-system

History of Oceanography

http://www.divediscover.whoi.edu/history-ocean/index.html

http://www.neok12.com/Oceans.htm

Complete each step below and place into your google slides document

Step 1- Oceans

1. Research the 5 major oceans and create a table in your slides with the following information:
   1. square kilometers
   2. greatest depth
   3. seas included 
2. Insert a map with all of the major oceans labelled.

Step 2- History

1. Who is Matthew Maury and what did he contribute to Oceanography?
2. Create a timeline of the submersible. Make sure to include the bathysphere, bathyscaph and robot submersibles.
3. Explain what SONAR is, how it works and how it changed the study of Oceanography.

Step 3- Ocean Topography

1. Find or create a diagram that depicts all of the major ocean floor features. You MUST include the following: continental shelf, continental slope, continental rise, submarine canyon, ocean trench, mid-ocean ridge, abyssal plain, seamounts and guyots
2. The diagram should be labeled and the features should have a basic description of either what they are or how they are formed

Step 4- Ocean Water

1. Define salinity and list the major solids found in ocean water.
2. Include a graph showing what happens to the temperature of ocean water as you go deeper into the ocean. Make sure to label and describe the thermocline.
3. Describe what accounts for the color of the ocean water. Include a couple of contrasting pictures.

Step 5- Ocean Life

1. Describe the 3 classes of ocean organisms (plankton, nekton & benthos).
2. Create or find a diagram/picture of ocean organisms making sure to include organisms from all 3 classes. 
3. Make a special note of which ocean organism is responsible for most of the oxygen we breathe.

Step 6- Tides

1. Create a slide explaining how a tide is created and the difference between spring and neap tides.
   1. Use animation if possible
   2. Make sure your backgrounds are not distracting.

Step 7- Up to You

1. What are 3 things you always wanted to know or explore about the oceans? Can be anything from what causes waves to the most unique and terrifying organisms. 
2. Create a slide sharing your questions, answers and pictures.

You should have at least 7 slides in your google slides document. I am simply looking for every step to be completed and to be completed thoroughly (which means, don't leave anything out). Total project is worth a 100 test grade.

Hopefully boys and girls, this was a fun and interactive way for you to learn oceanography. The field of oceanography offers a wide variety of careers. You could be a scientist on a research ship or in a land based lab studying everything from ocean salinity and currents to ocean topography. You could also be a researcher who studies ocean life either in the wild or as a curator at an aquarium. Considering how vast the oceans are and just how much has been explored and also the impact that it has on many things from our oxygen levels to the water cycle, tides and weather trends, it is a field that can be very rewarding. I hope you learned copious amounts of knowledge and a healthy love and respect for our oceans. After all, water is rare in our solar system and we can count ourselves lucky to be living on a planet that has it. 

Mrs. Clark's 5th grade Oceanography Webquest

https://sites.google.com/site/clarks5thgradeocean/home

and

Mrs. Riddle's Science Blog: Oceanography Webquest

https://riddlescience.wordpress.com/earth-science/oceans/oceanography-webquest/

This activity was designed for a 9th grade Earth Science class.