Join Scripps' Institutions Neal Driscoll as he presents new high-resolution images of landscapes and seascapes providing clearer understandings of the link between formative processes and their signatures in the geologic record. (52 minutes)
Average inquiry level: Guided inquiry
This is a series of scaffolded modules to guide students in understanding Plate Tectonic Theory, from its history to modern applications, and is designed for the asynchronous class. These modules may be used as individual classroom assignments or as labs. They were written with the intention of students working from 12-16 hours during an asynchronous week. They can also be used in classes with different modalities. This is not designed for one 3-hour lab session, although individual modules could be used as labs.
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This experiment uses the heating of water to explore the concepts of density and volume. Students learn about the transfer of heat energy within the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and Earth's interior, and connect this transfer to differences in density, which in turn result in motion. As part of the investigation, students will also become familiar with the Celsius and Fahrenheit temperature scales.
Students create a STELLA model of two marine terrace platforms separated in elevation by a cliff, using the hillslope flux equation to simulate the change in the cliff face over time as diffusive processes tear it down.
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In this hands-on OLogy activity, kids learn about coral reefs by building a diorama. Students are introduced to coral polyps and reefs and given illustrated, step-by-step directions that show how to construct a diorama containing models of a brain coral, a sea fan, a sponge, and sea anemones.
This OLogy activity, a hide-and-seek game, introduces kids to the many different ecosystems in the ocean. In the Think & Link game, kids are challenged to connect all the featured organisms in three ecosystems, deep sea, coral reef, and continental shelf, by answering a series of questions.
In the darkness of the ocean live fascinating creatures that produce their own light called bioluminescence. Join Scripps Institution's Mike Latz and discover how organisms use this light to attract food, hunt prey, and hide from predators, and how applications of bioluminescence have rEvolutionized biomedical research. (47 minutes)
Learn about the challenging research work of many of the fellowship students at Scripps. Hear three short presentations that represent a sampling of the broad spectrum of research work Scripps graduate students are conducting to understand climate change and its impact on Earth. (58 minutes)
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HideA screen-shot from Google Earth showing chlorophyll concentrations in the equatorial Pacific. This is the data that students use in the exercise. Details In this activity, students are split into groups and assigned different ocean regions. These include the Arabian Sea, Equatorial Pacific, North Atantic, and Southern Ocean. Each group uses Google Earth to view NASA satellite chlorophyll imagery and the cruise track of data collected as part of the U.S. Joint Global Ocean Flux Study. At three locations along each cruise track, chlorophyll-temperature-depth (CTD) and bottle data collected as part of the study can be downloaded. Students work with the data to identify oceanographic features as a function of depth and then make simple calculations.
In the second component of the exercise, monthly mean chlorophyll a satellite imagery is also included and students speculate about the annual cycle of physical and biological processes based on that time series. Students compile the results into a presentation for the class. Each group should have different responses to the questions asked and different results for the calculations because each ocean region is very different. This easily leads into a discussion about the major ecological provinces of the ocean and what factors cause variability.
(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)
One of the greatest challenges facing society today is protecting and restoring biodiversity in the oceans. Join Dr. Nancy Knowlton, director of ScrippsŐs Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation as she describes how CMBC research activities are helping us rise to this challenge. (59 minutes)
This reference list has more than 50 books on ocean life, with titles for both children and adults. A short description is given for each book, along with author name, publisher, and publication date. The list is divided into two sections: one for teachers with general listings and curriculum and one for students.
Self-guided field trip assignment to Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk CT. Students evaluate the main processes occurring in Long Island Sound estuary. Environmental issues are also examined. Students evaluate the displays for educational value and scientific content
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Join Scripps Institution's Bill Fenical and learn how recent discoveries of antibiotic-producing Bacteria in the deep oceans suggest that the last remaining resource for new Antimicrobial drugs may well be the microorganisms that inhabit the oceans. (56 minutes)
Join Kendall Melville as he describes his work on Waves that occur both at the surface and in the ocean's interior and learn the profound influence their energy has on oceanographic and climatic processes. (49 minutes)
Climate researchers have long understood that human induced changes to Earth's atmosphere should impact climate in the polar regions earlier and more dramatically than in most other places. Explore the unique meteorology, oceanography, and ecology of both the Arctic and Antarctic with Dr. Dan Lubin as he describes observations that indicate unmistakable signs of anthropogenic climate change in both the Arctic and Antarctic. (46 minutes)
A 15-20 minute think-pair-share activity interpreting a deep-sea sediment core combining concepts from oceanography, sedimentology, and plate tectonics.
(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)
Brian Palenik describes how he and other marine scientists are exploring genomes to understand how Phytoplankton, the "plants" of the sea, have adapted to life in the oceans. (28 minutes)
In this multi-part activity, students study seismograms from 3 different seismic stations recording the magnitude 9.0 Sumatra earthquake of December 26th, 2004. By comparing the arrival times of the P and S waves on each seismogram, students determine the distance from the epicenter to each station. Using that data, they can accurately map the location of the epicenter and the precise time of the earthquake. After locating the epicenter, students calculate the position of the tsunami generated by the quake at one hour intervals. From those determinations, predictions are made about how much time people had before the tsunami crashed onto their shores. Finally, students investigate some of the ways people can lessen the impact of the next great tsunami.
(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)
For time immemorial, humanity has looked at the world's oceans as a vast unending sea of resources, but imagine a Serengeti where the elephants and the lions are gone and the top consumers are termites and locusts. That is what is happening in the ocean. Join Dr. Jeremy Jackson as he considers the biological future of the oceans in the context of accelerated human disturbance. (28 minutes)
How do seemingly harmless invertebrates and seaweeds defend themselves against predators? How do they ward off competitors for space and resources, or stop deadly infection by millions of marine microbes in seawater? Join Scripps Institutions' Melany Puglisi and find out the answer to these and other compelling questions about microbial pathogens in the marine environment. (40 minutes)