STANDARD - SYSTEMS ORDER AND ORGANIZATION
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Top to Bottom - NOAA Ocean Explorer
Summary
Students explore the possible impacts on deep sea ecosystems associated with changes in thermohaline circulation resulting from climate change.
Ocean processes have major effects on global climate change; global climate change could have major impacts on the ocean.
Education Standards
Being Productive in the Arctic Ocean - NOAA Ocean Explorer
Summary
Students investigate the three major realms of the ocean in the Arctic region and identify limits on primary productivity in the region.
Photosynthesis by marine plants produces much of the oxygen in the atmosphere and uses much of the carbon dioxide.
Education Standards
It's All Connected: Trophic Tag - COSEE Coastal Trends and University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
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.
Ocean from A to Z - COSEE Coastal Trends
Summary
Students create multi-media projects in which they research and report on organisms for each letter of the alphabet. The research is conducted in class and/or on their own over a two-week period.
There is a high diversity of life in the ocean with a wide range of functions and interactions.
Education Standards
Culturing Bacteria - COSEE Coastal Trends
Summary
Students collect water samples, plate the samples on suitable agar, and count bacteria colonies present in each sample to compare and contrast the types of bacteria living in a variety of aquatic environments.
Create a Bacterial Ecosystem - COSEE Coastal Trends
Summary
In this activity, students mix mud, water, a carbon source, and a sulfur source together in a clear bottle to create a stratified “column” of bacterial communities. Activity requires time to set up in the classroom as well as periodic observations as the "column" stabilizes (4-6 weeks)
Hydrothermal vents: This old tubeworm - NOAA Ocean Explorer
Summary
Students learn about the process of chemosynthesis and how to calculate age of tube worms found in deep-sea vents.
There are many diverse habitats in the open ocean, which contribute to the diversity of organisms.
Education Standards
Wetlands: Marsh Elevation - University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Summary
In this field investigation, students visit a local wetland to explore plant zonation. Students construct a transect, use quadrats to count grass species, and graph their findings.
Coastal ocean systems provide important habitats for organisms.
Education Standards
Wetlands: The Fragile Fringe - USGS
Summary
Students explore wetlands through a series of lessons ranging from wetland identification to investigating the beneficial functions of wetlands and causes of wetland loss.
Coastal ocean systems provide important habitats for organisms.
Education Standards
Rocky intertidal: Monitoring the Intertidal with Life-Sized Photos - Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association
Summary
Students use photo quadrats of a real rocky shoreline to investigate the zonation of organisms in the rocky intertidal zone. Note: links to photo quadrats and organism ID guide are listed in the Materials section.
Coastal ocean systems provide important habitats for organisms.
Education Standards