Sea Level

Science Concepts—Sea Level

Summary: One consequence of climate change is sea level rise. In order to determine whether global sea level is changing, scientists must be able to understand natural temporal and spatial sea level variability. This topic guide includes resources related to global sea level measurements and trends. Students compare global sea level trends with regional and local sea level measurements using online data and/or through a coastal field experience.

Concepts to teach:

Goals:

  1. Scientists measure water level to determine patterns and trends.
  2. Ocean water levels vary depending on scale and geographic location.
  3. Overall, global sea level is rising.

Standards: NGSS Performance Expectations

  • HS-ESS3-5 – Analyze geoscience data and the results from global climate models to make an evidence-based forecast of the current rate of global or regional climate change and associated future impacts to Earth systems.

Specific Objectives:
Students will be able to:

  1. Define global, local and relative sea level
  2. Use online sea level data to determine global and regional trends
  3. Use online or collected data to describe water levels for an coastal area in Oregon

Activity Links and Resources:

  • Reading: What is sea level? From NOAA Tides and Currents
  • Global sea level—Long term changes in global mean sea level is measured by satellite altimetry. View trends from the NOAA/NESDIS/STAR Laboratory for Satellite Altimetry.
  • Regional sea level trends—How does the sea level in Oregon compare to other parts of the world?
  • Local Sea Level is measured by tide stations, which refer to the height of the water as measured along the coast relative to a specific point on land. Invite students to explore online water level data.
  • Visit a coastal or aquatic site to determine current and historic high water level based on:
    • available data sets (local, online, etc.)
    • historical photos (contact the local historical society)
    • landscape indicators (identifying plant communities, erosion effects, etc.)
    • proximity of human infrastructure
    • direct measure with a meter stick, repeat measurements over time if possible

Assessment:

  • What happened to the water level as the temperature increased?
  • What caused the water level in the flask to change over time?
  • Would salt water react the same way as fresh water? How could you design an experiment that would test your hypothesis?
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Ocean Temperature

Science Concepts—Ocean Temperature

Summary: Water has a much higher heat capacity than air, and the ocean absorbs 90% of the heat energy trapped by greenhouse gases. As the planet warms, the amount of heat stored in the world’s oceans increases. This topic guide provides resources that support student learning about ocean heat capacity and how ocean heat is an indicator of climate change. Students also examine sea surface temperature measurements to visualize how the Earth’s temperature fluctuates with seasons.

Concepts to teach:

  • Crosscutting Concepts
    • Energy and Matter, Stability and Change
  • Disciplinary Core Ideas
    • ESS2.A – Earth materials and systems
    • ESS2.C – The roles of water in Earth’s surface processes
    • ESS2.D – Weather and climate
  • Science Practices
    • Developing and using models, Planning and carrying out investigations

Goals:

  1. The ocean absorbs heat from the atmosphere.
  2. Sea surface temperature normally varies according to season.
  3. Climate change is causing an increase in ocean heat content.

Standards: NGSS Performance Expectations

  • HS-ESS2-4. Use a model to describe how variations in the flow of energy into and out of Earth’s systems result in changes in climate.
  • HS-ESS2-5. Plan and conduct an investigation of the properties of water and its effects on Earth materials and surface processes.

Specific Objectives:
Students will be able to:

  1. Explain the difference between heat capacity of water and the heat capacity of air, sand or other materials.
  2. Identify natural seasonal variability in ocean temperatures.
  3. Use data to demonstrate how ocean heat content is an indicator for climate change.

Activity Links and Resources:

  • Heat Capacity Demonstration experiment—This lesson plan from the Environmental Initiative at Lehigh University compares the heat capacities of water and sand. This activity could be used as a demonstration, or conducted by students in groups.
    • Extension: Allow students to design their own experiments to compare the heat capacity of water and another substance (air, earth materials).
  • EPA’s Ocean Heat Content—Ocean heat is an indicator for climate change. This webpage describes trends in the amount of heat stored in the world’s oceans between 1955 and 2012.
  • NASA’s Global Temperature Anomalies visualization 1880-2018
  • What are today’s SST conditions? Check the earth.nullschool website for a visualization of global weather conditions forecast by supercomputers (updated every 3 hours)

Assessment:

  • The Heat Capacity Demonstration experiment includes assessment questions at the end of the lesson.
  • Why does the EPA’s Ocean Heat Content graphic use three different datasets?
  • Pause the Global Science Investigator animation. Can you figure out which season it is in the Northern Hemisphere by looking at the sea surface temperature?
  • What is the relationship between the data showing seasonal sea surface temperature variation 2000-2006 and data showing an increase ocean heat content between 1955 to 2012? How do these data contribute to scientists’ understanding of global climate change?

 

RETIRED LINK:

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How do we know the world is warming?

Introduction—How do we know the world is warming?

Summary: What is climate change? How do we know it is happening? The resources in this topic guide provide an overview to the topic of climate change. Simple explanations and analogies are presented so that students can articulate a big picture view of the issue, with the recognition that these models have been developed based on evidence collected from complex scientific research throughout a number of disciplines. Subsequent sections of the OCEP Climate Change module explore some of these factors in greater depth.

Concepts to teach:

Crosscutting Concepts

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Science Practices

Stability and Change

ESS3.D – Global Climate Change

Asking Questions, Analyzing and interpreting data, Engaging in argument from evidence

Goals:

    1. Global climate change is caused by human activities that add excess greenhouse gases into the atmosphere; namely the burning of fossil fuels.
    1. Scientists interpret patterns to construct explanations and come to evidence-based conclusions.
    1. Climate change affects the ocean.
  1. Climate change affects all of us, no matter where we live.

Standards: NGSS Performance Expectations

  • HS-ESS3-5. Analyze geoscience data and the results from global climate models to make an evidence-based forecast of the current rate of global or regional climate change and associated future impacts to Earth systems.

Specific Objectives:

Students will be able to:

    1. Define “global climate change”
    1. Explain how scientific data provide evidence of global climate change
  1. Describe relationships between the ocean and the global climate

Activity Links and Resources:

    • Ten Signs of a Warming World—This NOAA Climate Program Office webpage can be used to explore a variety of indicators that help scientists understand that the world is warming. Download a Power Point presentation to use in your classroom. Each topic slide is link to online data. Many of the examples show specific relationships to ocean systems.

    • The Teacher-Friendly Guide to Climate Change – This book from the Paleontological Research Institution includes both the basics of climate change science and perspectives on teaching a subject that has become socially and politically polarized.  Great for high school Earth science and environmental science teachers 
    • The Very, Very Simple Climate Model—This lesson plan is from NESTA Windows to the Universe. Students use an online model to graphically visualize and predict the relationship between CO2 emissions and average global temperature.
      • Notes from CLEAN (Climate Literacy & Energy Awareness Network) about using the model

Assessment:

    • Interpret a graph from the Warming World Interactive power point and describe how the data serve as an indicator of climate change. What are the limits of the data? What other information would be helpful to have?
    • Describe three ways the ocean is affected by global climate change.
  • Explain “global climate change” in terms a layperson can understand, using one or more of the following: 1) oral presentation, in less than one minute, 2) one written paragraph, or 3) an infographic
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How do we know the world is warming?

Introduction—How do we know the world is warming?

Summary: What is climate change? How do we know it is happening? The resources in this topic guide provide an overview to the topic of climate change. Simple explanations and analogies are presented so that students can articulate a big picture view of the issue, with the recognition that these models have been developed based on evidence collected from complex scientific research throughout a number of disciplines. Subsequent sections of the OCEP Climate Change module explore some of these factors in greater depth.

Concepts to teach:

Crosscutting Concepts Disciplinary Core Ideas Science Practices
Stability and Change ESS3.D – Global Climate Change Asking Questions, Analyzing and interpreting data, Engaging in argument from evidence

Goals:

  1. Global climate change is caused by human activities that add excess greenhouse gases into the atmosphere; namely the burning of fossil fuels.
  2. Scientists interpret patterns to construct explanations and come to evidence-based conclusions.
  3. Climate change affects the ocean.
  4. Climate change affects all of us, no matter where we live.

Standards: NGSS Performance Expectations

  • MS-ESS3-5. Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the past century.

Specific Objectives:
Students will be able to:

  1. Define “global climate change”
  2. Explain how scientific data provide evidence of global climate change
  3. Describe relationships between the ocean and the global climate

Activity Links and Resources:

  • Ten Signs of a Warming World—This NOAA Climate Program Office webpage can be used to explore a variety of indicators that help scientists understand that the world is warming. Download a Power Point presentation to use in your classroom. Each topic slide is link to online data. Many of the examples show specific relationships to ocean systems.

  • The Very, Very Simple Climate Model—This lesson plan is from NESTA Windows to the Universe. Students use an online model to graphically visualize and predict the relationship between CO2 emissions and average global temperature.
    • Notes from CLEAN (Climate Literacy & Energy Awareness Network) about using the model
  • Reading: How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate by L. Cherry and G. Braash – Described as “a non-scary book about Climate Change Science and Solutions for grades 4 -8”, this book introduces readers to more than 40 climate scientists and their research, and offers practical suggestions that empower students to become citizen scientists and contribute toward solutions.
    • Review of this book from NSTA Recommends

Assessment:

  • Interpret a graph from the Warming World Interactive power point and describe how the data serve as an indicator of climate change. What are the limits of the data? What other information would be helpful to have?
  • Pick a scientist from the How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate book and read about his/her research. Relate the researcher’s activities to one or more of the eight NGSS Science and Engineering Practices [link]
  • Describe three ways the ocean is affected by global climate change.
  • Explain “global climate change” in terms a layperson can understand, using one or more of the following: 1) oral presentation, in less than one minute, 2) one written paragraph, or 3) an infographic
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Reduce Emissions

Mitigation—Reduce Emissions

Summary: We know what factors are contributing to a change in our global climate and ocean, so what can students, parents, and schools do to help? There are actions that individuals and communities can take to help reduce the amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gases that go into the atmosphere. This topic guide empowers students to take action and make a difference.

Concepts to teach:

Crosscutting Concepts Disciplinary Core Ideas Science Practices
Cause and Effect ESS3.C – Human Impacts on Earth Systems Constructing explanations and designing solutions

Goals:

  1. Reducing carbon emissions will make a difference to the rate and impact of climate change
  2. There are personal actions everyone can take to help reduce the amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gases that go into the atmosphere

Standards: NGSS Performance Expectations

  • MS-ESS3-3. Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.

Specific Objectives:
Students will be able to:

  1. Describe how reducing greenhouse gas emissions will reduce the rate and impacts of climate change
  2. Identify and evaluate behaviors that reduce the amount of carbon humans put into the atmosphere

Activity Links and Resources:

  • The bathtub model shows that turning off the tap is an important component to solving the problem of excess greenhouse gases.
  • How does your behavior affect the carbon balance? Calculate your impact:
  • Ideas for reducing your impact on a personal level
  • Ideas for reducing your school’s impact

Assessment:

  • Quantitatively assess the impact of a behavior change
  • Share successful changes with others
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Model Wave-Energy Generators

activity thumbnailactivity thumbnailGet ready to explore the theory, construction, and operation of a model wave-energy generator!  Designed by William Hanshumaker, Ph.D., Oregon Sea Grant, and Alan Perrill, Hatfield Marine Science Center (HMSC), this activity works to further students’ and the general public’s knowledge of and interest in wave-energy generators.  Students will build variations of model wave-energy buoys that contain a linear generator, a magnet that moves in a straight line in and out of a coil of wire, mimicking that of linear electric generator.

This comprehensive activity is targeted at sixth to eighth grade students and includes background information on the theory of wave-energy generators as well as instructions on how to build different configurations of the models and simple wave tanks to test them in.   The goal of this activity was to create something that would be inexpensive enough to reproduce, but also remain functional to detect energy using simple meters.  A complete parts list is included and depending on what is already available in your classroom or lab costs can range from $80 to $160.

Using a simple analog electrical meter and different variations on the model students can test multiple models get a sense of the relative output of a wave-energy generator.  Ultimately, these models can be brought to the HMSC for evaluation using their wave tank and oscilloscope and later be scaled to size for display in the HMSC Visitor Center.

Downloads: Activity | Primer of Wave-Energy Generators

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Oregon Coast STEM Hub

The Oregon Coast STEM Hub promotes integrated science, technology, engineering and math education and serves coastal teachers, students and communities.  It is one of six Regional STEM Hubs funded in 2014-2015 by the Oregon Department of Education.  The Oregon Coast STEM Hub is centered at OSU’s Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport and serves the entire Oregon coast region with partners.

This coast based STEM Hub is working to provide professional development for teachers and partners in effective practices focusing on STEM integration and Project Based Learning.  K-14 student experiences in the classroom and field are supported by providing connections to STEM professionals, equipment and resources to carry out STEM related activities and making opportunities to showcase student created designs and STEM projects.  This is all accomplished by created a network of resources, programs and professionals to support STEM learning for students that is housed on the Oregon Coast STEM Hub website which serves as a clearinghouse for connecting these community resources with schools.

NAME is already an official partner of the Oregon Coast STEM Hub, but we are looking to expand the network of available resources!  Learn how your organization can share STEM resources, events, and more to help foster student STEM experiences:  http://oregoncoaststem.oregonstate.edu/book/how-plug

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Fishing in the Future

Planning—Fishing in the Future

Summary: Complex changes in ocean conditions are affecting the distribution and availability of some commercial fish species. Fishers and fishery managers use science to adapt to and prepare for the future. In this topic guide, students explore online data tools designed to help fisheries adapt to climate change.

Concepts to teach:

Goals:

  1. Excess carbon dioxide in the environment is resulting in complex changes to the distribution and availability of some commercial fish species
  2. Fishers and fishery managers use science to help guide their practices

Standards: NGSS Performance Expectations

  • MS-LS2-4. Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.

Specific Objectives:
Students will be able to:

  1. Examine data to determine trends in the distribution of a marine species
  2. Identify how science can help fisheries adapt to ecosystem changes

Activity Links and Resources:

Assessment:

  • Students use the OceanAdapt webtool to prepare a data-supported report on the trends of a commercial fish population. According to the data, has the species changed its distribution?
  • How does the OceanAdapt data can help fishers and fishery managers, and what are the limits of the data?
  • Analyze the NWFSC Forecast Tables. What is the current forecast for salmon returns in the Pacific Northwest, and what indicators were used to make this forecast?
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Adopt a Wetland

Planning—Adopt a Wetland

Summary: Students adopt a wetland and collect data to help determine the amount of carbon sequestered by the wetland, and engage in water quality monitoring to promote the efficiency of carbon sequestration.

Concepts to teach:

Goals:

  1. Human actions can affect the health of marine wetland ecosystems
  2. Healthy marine wetland ecosystems sequester carbon and help to offset the effects of increased carbon in the atmosphere

Standards: NGSS Performance Expectations

  • MS-ESS3-3. Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.

Specific Objectives:
Students will be able to:

  1. Identify a field site that could benefit from habitat assessment and/or restoration
  2. Engage in data collection and/or restoration efforts
  3. Design a solution for a problem at the field site that is associated with climate change

Activity Links and Resources:

Assessment:

  • How much carbon is stored in your study site? How did you arrive at this estimate?
  • How does the amount of carbon stored in your wetland compare to the amount of carbon stored in a non-wetland area?
  • What is the estimated value of the carbon stored in your study site? How did you come to this estimate, what are the limits on the number, and what information do you need to make a more accurate valuation?
  • What does the water quality tell you about human impacts on the study site?
  • What other benefits and services does your adopted wetland provide?
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Hypoxia

Impacts—Hypoxia

Summary: How are oxygen levels in the ocean changing as a result of climate change? In the waters off the Pacific Northwest of the U.S., seasonal upwelling brings nutrient-dense, oxygen-poor water to the surface, and the strength and duration of upwelling occasionally forms hypoxic (low oxygen) zones in on the sea floor along the outer and middle portions of the continental shelf. Recently, scientists have observed hypoxia (dissolved oxygen concentrations less then 1.4 ml/L) in shallow waters of the inner continental shelf, where low oxygen conditions have not historically occurred. This hypoxia led to the death of many coastal organisms. In this topic guide, students will read about the conditions that lead to coastal hypoxia in the Pacific Northwest, and use online data to determine current dissolved oxygen levels in coastal areas.

Concepts to teach:

Goals:

  1. Oxygen levels in the ocean are changing due to the effects of global climate change
  2. Because of climate change, upwelled waters in the Pacific Northwest have lower pH levels and lower oxygen levels than waters that have upwelled in previous years
  3. Coastal marine organisms are negatively affected by hypoxia
  4. Scientists use a variety of indicators to describe phenomena, identify patterns and make predictions

Standards: NGSS Performance Expectations

  • MS-LS2-1. Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem.

Specific Objectives:
Students will be able to:

  1. Define coastal hypoxia and the conditions that lead to its occurrence
  2. Describe relationships between global climate change, upwelling and hypoxia events off the Pacific Northwest coast
  3. Describe the effects of hypoxia on marine organisms
  4. Use online data to explore near-time or real-time dissolved oxygen levels off the coast

Activity Links and Resources:

  • Review the Upwelling and Ocean Acidification topic guides
  • Readings:
    • Article: C. Welch, 2015 National Geographic article Oceans are losing oxygen
      • Note the distinction between deep-water “oxygen-minimum zones” driven by temperature, and “hypoxic coastal dead zones” like that which occurs in the Gulf of Mexico and is driven by an influx of nitrogen and other nutrients from land. Which process underlies the low-oxygen events in coastal waters off the Pacific Northwest coast?
    • Article: F. Schubert, 2013 article from The Dalles Chronicle—Ocean dead zones in Oregon
    • PISCO Hypoxia pages—These pages from the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO) include definitions about hypoxia in the Pacific Northwest, including handouts, videos, research and FAQ
    • NOAA-Northwest Fisheries Science Center pages—See data images that show when and where hypoxic conditions occur in the Pacific Northwest
  • Activity: Use the NANOOS NVS Data Explorer to explore oxygen conditions off the Pacific NW coast right now. Filter for observing stations that measure Dissolved Oxygen (DO).
    • A detailed description of how to use the NVS Data Explorer is included in the Well, Well, Well lesson plan from NANOOS (Gr. 6-12)
  • Activity: Water Properties: Dissolved Oxygen—This USGS Water Science School page describes how students can collect their own dissolved oxygen (DO) data in the field. Visit a marine or aquatic area in your watershed and measure the DO of the water. What equipment will you use? What DO levels do you expect to find?
    • StreamWebs is a student stewardship online network that provides tutorials and data sheets for measuring DO, access to Vernier equipment, and a platform for sharing and obtaining data throughout the state.

Assessment:

  • How does climate change affect oxygen levels in the ocean?
  • What role does upwelling play in coastal hypoxia in the Pacific Northwest?
  • Students compare and contrast the causes of “dead zones” in the Pacific NW to those found in the Gulf of Mexico.
  • Using NVS Data Explorer or other products from NANOOS, what can be said about oxygen conditions in the ocean right now?
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