Download Unit E: Atmosphere-Ocean Interaction

Unit E: Atmosphere-Ocean Interaction
Overview
Standards Addressed
During Unit
Students will study the oceans role in determining Earth’s climatic conditions and how human activities
have been impacted by major disruptions in climate. Students will examine the relationship between wind
patterns and ocean currents and predict the weather patterns during an El Niño and La Niña event.
SC.912.L.17.3
SC.912.E.7.9
SC.912.L.17.4
Fundamental Skills:
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Background information on Earth’s wind patterns
Graph the path of hurricanes
Science laboratory safety practices
Coherence
In the grade prior students…
 Recognize various meteorological symbols
 Discuss the effects of uneven heating of Earth’s surface
 Read maps of the world
Highlighted Nature of
Science Standards
Unit E: Atmosphere-Ocean Interaction
Unit E: Atmosphere-Ocean Interaction
Unit Essential Question: What is the ocean’s role in determining Earth’s climate?
Standards:
SC.912.L.17.3 Discuss how various oceanic and freshwater processes, such as currents, tides, and waves, affect the abundance of aquatic organisms.
SC.912.L.17.4 Describe changes in ecosystems resulting from seasonal variations, climate change and succession.
SC.912.E.7.9 Cite evidence that the ocean has had a significant influence on climate change by absorbing, storing, and moving heat, carbon, and water.
Understand
“Essential understandings,” or generalizations, represent ideas that are transferable to other contexts.
Students will understand that the ocean plays an important role in determining Earth’s climate.
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Know
Do
Declarative knowledge: Facts, vocabulary, information.
Procedural knowledge: Skills, strategies & processes that are transferrable to other
contexts.
Atmospheric processes affect ocean circulation.
Ocean circulation is divided into two categories: horizontal &
vertical.
The Earth’s rotation affects the ocean & atmosphere.
Earth’s climate is regulated by ocean circulation.
Earth’s climate is changing.
Changes in Earth’s climate will impact the severity of the greenhouse
effect.
Global weather anomalies are affected by changes in climate.
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Model the Coriolis effect.
Diagram prevailing wind patterns.
Describe net transport in terms of the Ekman Spiral.
Compare and contrast El Niño & La Niña characteristics and patterns.
Research the effects of El Niño & La Niña events on human activity.
6. Research & graph Earth’s temperature patterns over the past
century.
Performance Task:
Students will research global climate change and its impact on coral reefs. Students will create a presentation informing how global
climate change has contributed to the stresses that coral reefs are under. Students will support each of their identified impacts that
have led to negative consequences with evidence to support each.
CONCEPT: SC.912.L.17.4 Describe changes in ecosystems resulting from seasonal variations, climate change and succession
Sample Scale
Score 4.0
I can:
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o
o
Score 3.0
I can:
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o
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Score 2.0
investigate the processes that drive currents in deep
ocean layers
compare & contrast El Niño & La Niña characteristics
& patterns
analyze various climate changes & predict the weather
anomalies that could occur
research Earth’s temperature patterns over the past
century
I can:
o
o
o
o
Score 1.0
research surface currents & explain why understanding
what causes surface currents & where they flow is
important
research the effects of El Niño & La Niña events on
human activity & suggest some ways that human could
avoid the negative impacts
analyze various climate changes & predict the weather
anomalies that could occur
explain that the study of ocean currents is important to
scientists who study climate & weather
distinguish between surface & deep ocean currents
differentiate between El Niño & La Niña events &
predict the affects of both on human activity
indicate that Earth’s climate is constantly changing &
that the ocean plays a major role in those changes
I know:
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o
o
o
there are two types of currents: surface & deep ocean
that ocean movement influences climate/weather
that El Niño & La Niña exist & affect human activity
that Earth’s climate is constantly changing
Sample Performance Tasks
Ocean Surface Currents: http://oceancurrents.rsmas.miami.edu
Hurricanes: http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/101-videos/hurricanes-101
El Nino & La Nina: https://www.climate.gov/enso
Currents:
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/tutorial_currents/lessons/currents_tutorial.pdf
The Seasons:
http://www.sciencecourseware.org/eec/GlobalWarming/Tutorials/Seasons/
Hurricanes: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/naturaldisasters/hurricane-profile/
El Nino Analysis: http://er.jsc.nasa.gov/seh/Ocean_Planet/activities/ts2pcac3.pdf
Sea Level Slopes and Surface Currents:
http://er.jsc.nasa.gov/seh/Ocean_Planet/activities/ts2siac5.pdf
How Ocean Currents Work:
http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/oceanography/oceancurrent3.htm
Hurricanes: https://www.ready.gov/hurricanes
What are El Nino & La Nina?: http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/ninonina.html
Surface Currents:
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/kits/currents/05currents1.html
Comparing Climate patterns- http://earth2class.org/site/wpcontent/uploads/2014/01/climate_analysis.pdf
Concept: Currents
Driving Questions:
SC.912.L.17.3
What are the forces involved in generating ocean water
Discuss how various oceanic and freshwater processes, such as circulation?
currents, tides, and waves, affect the abundance of aquatic
organisms.
Student Investigations:
NOAA Learning Objects:
http://www.montereyinstitute.org/noaa/
Vocabulary
Global Winds & Ocean Currents:
Coriolis Effect, prevailing winds, upwelling, downwelling, Ekman http://er.jsc.nasa.gov/seh/Ocean_Planet/activities/ts2si
ac4.pdf
Spiral, net transport, conveyor belt, Western Boundary
Currents, Eastern Boundary Currents, gyres, thermohaline
circulation
Sample Formative Assessment Task:
Essay:
1. Compare & contrast at least five (5) features of
Western & Eastern Boundary Currents.
2. Why is the Gulf Stream so important?
3. What is El Niño & why is it considered a global
issue? What impact does it have on Florida’s weather?
If you owned a seaside home and a bad storm
brought heay winds and high surf to your coastline,
would you prefer it to be during a new moon or
quarter moon? Why?
Resources
Student Text:
Student Misconceptions:
Career/STEM Connections:
Textbook and other complex text sources:
Marine Biology, Castro-Huber, 8th Edition, Chapter 3, pages
38-55; Pages 55-61, organisms between the tides, Chapter 11;
Pages 244-266
Deeper Learning Opportunities:
Landforms look similar today as they did many millions
of years ago. For example, a river on earth today
hasn’t changed over time
PISCO Studies of ecological interactions, CastroHuber, Page 262
Castro-Huber, Waves that Kill, pgs 58 & 59
Concept: Climate
Driving Questions:
SC.912.E.7.9
How do the oceans affect climate?
Cite evidence that the ocean has had a significant influence on How is global climate change affecting the marine
climate change by absorbing, storing, and moving heat, carbon, environment?Hdoes an object’s state of
and water.
matter depend on its kinetic energy?
SC.912.L.17.4
Describe changes in ecosystems resulting from seasonal
Student Investigations:
variations, climate change and succession.
PFEL Climate & Marine Fisheries:
http://www.pfel.noaa.gov/research/climatemarine/
Vocabulary
climate, sea breeze, land breeze, El Niño, La Niña, barometric
pressure, greenhouse effect, global warming
Sample Formative Assessment Task:
Essay:
1. Identify the three (3) factors that make the
Earth heat unevenly & then explain why it is
summer in the Northern Hemisphere even though
the Earth is farther from the sun than it is in
winter.
2. Differentiate between land & sea breezes, &
explain how they moderate Florida’s climate.
Resources
Student Text:
Textbook and other complex text sources:
Marine Biology, Castro-Huber, 8th Edition- Chapters 3 & 15
(end) and Special Report (p. 231-242)
El Niño:
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/education/dynamic/sessi
on4/sess4_hydroatmo3.htm
Coral Reefs Under Stress:
http://www.cpalms.org/Public/PreviewResourceUrl/P
review/65272
How and why are coral reefs under stress? The
authors make the point that coral reefs are beautiful
and fragile ecosystems and now possibly the most
threatened ecosystem. The content includes: a
summary of the structure and function of reefs,
outlines the impacts of climate change (specifically
coral bleaching and ocean acidification), and
discusses aesthetic and economic consequences
including practical measures to maintain coral reef
health.
The Ozone Layer-Our global sunscreen:
http://www.acs.org/content/dam/acsorg/education/resour
ces/highschool/chemmatters/articlesbytopic/chemicalreacti
ons/chemmatters-april2013-ozone.pdf
Student Misconceptions:
Students don’t understand the far- reaching effects
of El Nino.
Deeper Learning Opportunities:
Career/STEM Connections:
http://oceancareers.com; http://marinecareers.net;
http://www2.vims.edu/bridge/search/bridge1output_
menu.cfm?q=career