TOPIC - OCEAN PRIMARY PRODUCTION


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Ocean Drifters - NOAA Ocean Explorer


Lesson Plan 

Summary
Students first learn about the different groups of plankton and their characteristics. Then the students make a model plankton cell which is neutrally or slightly negatively buoyant.

Concept: Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis by marine plants produces much of the oxygen in the atmosphere and uses much of the carbon dioxide.

Education Standards




Photosynthesis and Respiration in Seagrass - COSEE Coastal Trends


Lesson Plan 

Summary
Students conduct a hands-on experiment that illustrates how different levels of light affect photosynthesis and respiration in seagrass. Note: instructor may need to be creative with timing of the experiment to allow for an adequate incubation period.

Concept: Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis by marine plants produces much of the oxygen in the atmosphere and uses much of the carbon dioxide.

Education Standards




Being Productive in the Arctic Ocean - NOAA Ocean Explorer


Lesson Plan 

Summary
Students investigate the three major realms of the ocean in the Arctic region and identify limits on primary productivity in the region.

Concept: Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis by marine plants produces much of the oxygen in the atmosphere and uses much of the carbon dioxide.

Education Standards




Plant Pigments in Oceanography - Classroom BATS (Bermuda Atlantic Time Series)


Lesson Plan 

Summary
Students first learn how oceanographers study chlorophyll in the water to determine global plankton distribution, then conduct a hands-on activity to extract chlorophyll from a plant. Students also examine time series data to explore the seasonal and spatial distribution of plankton in the ocean.

Concept: Distribution
Primary productivity is distributed throughout the world according to several factors

Education Standards




It's All Connected: Trophic Tag - COSEE Coastal Trends and University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science


Lesson Plan 

Summary
In this active game that illustrates the concepts of ecological balance, interdependence, and trophic energy transfer in marine food webs, students play the roles of organisms that are representative of the different aquatic trophic levels.  The game can be played using various environmental conditions and manipulations of organism ratios to achieve a balanced marine ecosystem.

Concept: Marine food web
Primary production supports the marine food web

Education Standards




Pilbara to Mars: Are We Alone? - NASA and Macquarie University


Lesson Plan 

Summary
Using data collected from Pilbara, Australia, students study the age of the fossilized stromalites of the region.

Concept: Early life in the ocean
It is thought that life began in the ocean.

Education Standards




Size Selective Predation - COSEE Coastal Trends


Lesson Plan 

Summary
Students explore the mechanisms of prey size and the method of how predators capture prey.

Concept: Marine food web
Primary production supports the marine food web

Education Standards