Ocean Currents Mini Unit

Our Ocean Currents Mini Unit offers an in-depth exploration of the fascinating world of ocean currents and waves. This unit is designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of how these powerful forces shape our planet's climate, marine life, and ecosystems.
Key Concepts Covered:
Waves vs. Currents: Distinguish between waves, which move water up and down, and currents, which flow in continuous, specific directions like rivers and loops. Learn about wave crests and troughs.
Types of Currents: Investigate different types of ocean currents, including:
Surface Currents: Primarily driven by wind, these are warm currents found near the ocean's surface.
Deep Currents: These are cold, saltier, and denser currents that flow below the surface, driven by differences in water density.
Gyres: Explore large, rotating ocean current systems found in all major ocean basins, influenced by the Coriolis effect, wind patterns, and temperature and salinity differences.
Upwelling: Understand the process where deep, cold, nutrient-rich water rises to the surface.
Downwelling: Learn about the process where surface water sinks to the deep ocean.
Thermohaline Circulation: Discover this large-scale system of ocean currents driven by temperature and salinity differences, often referred to as the Ocean Conveyor Belt.
Coriolis Effect: Grasp how Earth's rotation deflects moving objects, causing surface currents to flow at an angle.
Ekman Transport: Learn about the net movement of surface water caused by wind drag, which results in currents flowing at an angle to the wind.
Ocean Geography: Familiarize yourself with the five major ocean basins (Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern/Antarctic, and Arctic) and their interconnectedness.
Marine Life and Currents: Understand how currents are crucial for animal migration, helping species travel between feeding and breeding grounds.
Hands-on STEM Activities:
The unit includes several engaging experiments to demonstrate key concepts:
Density & Currents: Observe how cold, dense water interacts with warmer water. This experiment allows students to visualize how water density drives deep currents and how wind can influence surface currents simultaneously.
Waves in a Bottle: Create a model to understand wave formation and breaking.
Cruise the Surface Currents: Simulate surface currents using cornmeal and breath to see how wind impacts water movement.
Current Pressure: Demonstrate how water pressure increases with depth, impacting deep currents.
Educational Components:
Ocean Current Maps: Reference detailed maps to identify major gyres, cold water currents, and the Gulf Stream.
Vocabulary Practice: Reinforce learning with vocabulary lists, fill-in-the-blank activities, and "doodle notes" for defining and illustrating terms like current, gyre, surface current, deep current, Coriolis effect, upwelling, downwelling, thermohaline circulation, Ekman transport, continental shelf, continental slope, and salinity.
Reading Passages: Informative texts provide a deeper understanding of ocean currents, their causes, and their global impact.
This mini-unit offers a complete and interactive learning experience about ocean currents, making complex scientific concepts accessible and enjoyable for students.
 
*This is a digital product. No physical item will be sent