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Seniors Oceanography Packet Name________________________

Below is work not completed from Quarter 2.

Those of you have been notified of the pages you need to complete in order to earn credit.

A reminder you can only receive a maximum letter grade of D.

Pages 19 to 22 are to be used for the alternative exam assignment.

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Assignment 1: Currents Map Lab Procedure: A. Using the map provided on page 3, label all of the world’s currents by name. Color each current with the color that corresponds to the current’s temperature. Color the cool currents blue, and color the warm currents red. B. Next, answer all of the current questions below. Questions: 1. In the Northern Hemisphere, the circular pattern that gyres form from currents move in this direction: ___________________________________________ 2. What direction is the circular pattern that the gyres move in within the Southern Hemisphere? _______________________________________________ 3. In what latitudes do warm water currents originate? __________________________ Why are they warm? __________________________________________________ 4. In what latitudes do cold water currents originate? ___________________________ Why are they cold? ___________________________________________________ 5. Which current could circumnavigate the globe (carry a vessel around the world) without the assistance of any other current? _______________________________ 6. If you were traveling from South America to Australia, which three currents would you take to arrive there? __________________________________________________ 7. Explain the Ekman spiral: _______________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ What is the net movement of a current in an Ekman transport? ___________________ __________________________________________________________________ 8. If you were to drop a message in a bottle off the coast of Virginia, it would be carried by what current? _________________________ In what direction? _____________ 9. Which global wind belt produces the current off of the coast of Virginia? ___________ 10. Which global wind belt produces the Brazil & South Equatorial currents? ____________ 11. Which currents would bring icebergs south from the North Polar region? _________________________________________________________________

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Assignment 2: CURRENTS Article

Ocean and atmospheric circulation play an essential role in sustaining life by moderating climate

over much of Earth's surface. Two circulation patterns dominate the ocean: wind-driven currents in the

upper ocean and density-driven currents in the deep ocean. Wind-driven currents are maintained by

energy transferred by the winds to the ocean surface. Surface currents form gyres roughly centered in

each ocean basin. Viewed from above, currents in these subtropical gyres flow in a clockwise direction in

the Northern Hemisphere and a counterclockwise direction in the Southern Hemisphere. Global surface

current patterns are driven by the wind, impacted by the barriers to water flow (land masses) & the

rotation of the earth.

Western boundary currents (Gulf Stream) are among the fastest surface currents in the ocean.

Western boundary currents occur along the western boundaries of ocean basins and flow toward the poles

- north in the Northern Hemisphere and south in the Southern Hemisphere. Water moving in these

currents transport large amounts of heat from tropics to upper latitudes.

Eastern Boundary currents (California current) are slower, shallower, and wider than western

boundary currents. These currents transport colder waters from the poles to the tropics. Once there the

water is heated and transported poleward in the western boundary currents.

How does this impact our lives?

For centuries, people have used ocean surface currents to explore the world and transport goods to

market. Today we use them to take the most efficient path to save fuel in the shipping industry, to win a

sailboat race, and to track pollution such as oil spills or assist in search and rescue operations. Ocean

surface currents contribute to studies of severe weather such as hurricanes, short-term climate

phenomena such as El Niño, and long-term climate variability.

OCEAN EDDIES

An eddy is a loop of current that is cut off from the

main current; in other words a small, spinning current.

They are comparatively tiny, short-lived circulation

patterns in the ocean. Ocean eddies move at speeds of

about 0.5 knots (about 0.9 kilometers or 0.6 miles per hour)

and may occasionally persist for many months. Eddies can

be over 300 km (about 200 mi) in diameter. Such large

eddies can be seen easily from space by thermal infrared

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sensors.

The picture above shows the Gulf Stream and many eddies. The Gulf Stream is a Western

Boundary current that separates two distinct water masses. The northwest water mass of nearshore

water to the north is colder and more fertile than the water that is to the southeast of the Gulf Stream

(called the Sargasso Sea). The nearshore water has a temperature of less than 10°C (50°F), while the

temperature of the Sargasso Sea ranges from 15°C to 25°C (59°F to 77°F). In general, whether an eddy is

cold-core or warm-core depends on which side of the Gulf Steam the water came from.

A cold-core eddy is a ring of Gulf Stream water that flows counterclockwise around a cold, less

saltymass of water. It is formed when a branch of the warm Gulf Stream “wanders off” and captures a

piece of colder water from the northwest. A cold ring can be tracked for months before it dissipates into

the surrounding ocean waters. A cold ring traps the nutrient-rich water from north of the Gulf Stream

and transports both nutrients and plankton into the relatively barren Sargasso Sea.

A warm-core eddy forms when water from the edge of the Gulf Stream breaks off from the current

and moves into the colder water. Because the current is warmer than the surrounding water it is called a

warm-core eddy and has a clockwise flow. This eddy drifts towards the coast and usually dissipates

within a few months as it collides with the shallow continental shelf. Warm-core eddies trap and

transport a variety of different kinds of animals normally not seen in colder waters.

Questions – Answer in complete sentences.

1. What are the two types of ocean circulation current patterns?

2. What is a western boundary current?

3. What is the driving force behind the Gulf Stream?

4. If you were the president of a company that used ships to transport all your goods explain

why you would choose either a western boundary current or an eastern boundary current.

5. In what ways are ocean currents used today?

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6. What is an eddy?

7. What is the typical temperature of the water in the Sargasso Sea?

8. What does a cold core eddy transport?

9. Which direction does a warm core eddy flow?

10. What causes a warm core eddy to dissipate?

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Assignment 3: Alternative to Plastic Ocean Plastic Micro-Debris Lab/SIO,

Directions : Read the background, graph the data and answer the questions.

Background: Plastic debris in the North Pacific Gyre (the Great Pacific Garbage Patch) are a concern at

many levels. The introduction of plastic debris has recently become of interest to many studies and

research expeditions. Gregory and Ryan (1997)

reported that plastics comprise 60-80% of marine

debris. It is typically composed of fragments of

manufactured plastic products. (McDermid &

McMullen 2004). Most plastics do not biodegrade.

Unless they are removed, they remain in the sea for

hundreds of years, breaking up into ever-smaller

particles (Leahy 2004). Plastic does not just

disappear when it enters the ocean, but rather is

broken down through processes such as

photodegradation. Photodegradation is thought to be

one of the driving forces behind plastic breakdown, and occurs when ultraviolet waves of light from the

sun break apart the bonds that hold plastic together, causing it to be brittle. This type of degradation

creates microscopic pieces, difficult to see with the naked eye, but continually traveling throughout the

North Pacific Gyre.

The possibility of plastic accumulating in the ocean from countless sources raises many questions; notably

because of the lack of effective methods to remove it. Information about the abundance and occurrence of

plastic micro-debris particles, as well as quantitative information on how plastic particles change over

time is limited (Gilfillan, 2009).

Data:

Quadrants

Number of Pieces

<1mm 1mm-2mm 2.01mm-3mm 3..01mm-4mm >4mm

Quadrant

A1

Number of

Styrofoam

Pieces

7 5 2 1 0

Number of

Plastic

Pieces

12 4 5 2 1

Quadrant

A2

Number of

Styrofoam

Pieces

15 7 5 2 3

Number of

Plastic

Pieces

8 2 3 6 8

Quadrant

B1

Number of

Styrofoam

Pieces

11 8 5 3 1

Number of

Plastic

Pieces

13 9 8 6 5

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Quadrant

B2

Number of

Styrofoam

Pieces

14 12 3 5 7

Number of

Plastic

Pieces

5 6 7 3 2

Quadrant

C1

Number of

Styrofoam

Pieces

10 8 9 3 1

Number of

Plastic

Pieces

9 7 11 7 3

Quadrant

C2

Number of

Styrofoam

Pieces

11 9 12 8 2

Number of

Plastic

Pieces

14 12 6 7 4

Data Analysis Place the totals from the data on a chart

like the one provided.

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Questions (answer in complete sentences for full credit) 1. Do scientists know how much plastic exists in the ocean?

2. Explain why plastic is such an issue in the ocean.

3. Explain how plastic breaks down in the ocean over a long period of time.

4. Which currents are most associated with the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?

5. Explain why America is more responsible for the trash in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch than Europe.

6. Explain why the problem of plastic trash in the oceans will not go away even if we put it off and do nothing

about it for 10-15 years.

7. On average research ships use 1000 gallons of fuel per day (that’s a lot of fossil fuels)! Do you believe that

the amount of fuel is worth using in order to study the Garbage Patch?

8. In the October 2009 issue of Rolling Stone, Captain Charles Moore argues that there is no way the Garbage

Patch can be cleaned up because the collection of the small pieces of plastic is impossible. Explain whether

you agree or disagree with this.

9. What are some ways we could prevent the Great Pacific Garbage Patch from becoming even larger?

10. Debris that avoid being pulled into the gyre continue to circulate around the Pacific Ocean and eventually

wash up on beaches. Which of the two collections of plastic (the gyre verses on the shore) do you feel should

have a greater priority in terms of clean up and why?

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Assignment 4: rubber ducky article

What can 28,000 rubber duckies lost at sea teach

us about our oceans?

A shipping container filled with rubber duckies was lost at sea in 1992, and

the bath toys are still washing ashore today.

BRYAN NELSON

March 1, 2011, 5:24 p.m.

6

In 1992, a shipping crate containing 28,000 plastic bath toys was lost at sea when it fell

overboard on its way from Hong Kong to the United States. Oddly, these were a

bonanza for scientists studying ocean surface currents. Typically oceanographers

would release 500–1000 “drift bottles” and usually only recover around 2% or 10-20

bottles. The ducks however were durable, easily identifiable and drifting in large

enough numbers to provide a lot of data.

So where did the ducks end up? Within 10 months some started landing on beaches

in Alaska; over the next year, 400 were found along the Alaskan coast. Within three

years, caught on the Subpolar Gyre, they began to wash ashore in Japan. The toys

also drifted to various beaches in Hawaii. Between 1995 and 2000, some floated north

of the Bering Strait and became frozen in the pack ice in the North Atlantic. By 2001,

the bath toys were found on the coast of New England and by 2003 they were

discovered on beaches in the islands North-west of Scotland.

The charismatic duckies have even been christened with a name, the "Friendly

Floatees," by devoted followers who have tracked their progress over the years. "I

have a website that people use to send me pictures of the ducks they find on beaches

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all over the world," said Curtis Ebbesmeyer, a retired oceanographer and Floatee

enthusiast. This map details the extent of where the ducks have traveled so far:

Travel patterns of the Friendly Floatees. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Perhaps the most famous Floatees are the 2,000 of them that still circulate in the

currents of the North Pacific Gyre — a vortex of currents that stretches between Japan,

southeast Alaska, Kodiak and the Aleutian Islands that the plight of the duckies helped

to identify. "We always knew that this gyre existed. But until the ducks came along, we

didn't know how long it took to complete a circuit," said Ebbesmeyer. "It was like

knowing that a planet is in the solar system but not being able to say how long it takes

to orbit. Well, now we know exactly how long it takes: about three years."

Questions (answer in complete sentences) :

1. Why were the ducks more useful at mapping ocean currents than previous efforts?

2. What are FOUR of the locations the Floatees have been found in?

3. Explain which location is the most surprising to you where ducks have been found.

4. Use the map provided to explain where the rubber ducks first went overboard.

5. Explain how the Floatees have helped to map ocean currents.

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Assignment 5: upwelling and BNSG Video

Complete this video activity and the article on page 13

Video Link: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5uif7x or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0suwsnCzvuQ

Name: _ _

BNSG

0209 Ocean Currents

While watching, complete this video guide.

Three things I knew A-

that were confirmed in

the video: B- _

C-

Three things I didn’t know A-

but I now know because I

watched the video. B- _

C-

∆ 1. Ocean water is water.

∆ 2. The heat from the sun condenses / evaporates the water in the ocean leaving only salt behind.

∆ 3. Ocean currents are caused by and the amount of salt in the water.

∆ 4. Warm air holds less / more heat than warm water.

∆ 5. An ocean _ is a river of water running through the ocean.

∆ 6. Very salty water is _than water that is not as salty.

∆ 7. Thermohaline currents are warm salty / cold fresh water ocean currents.

∆ 8. Data marker drift with ocean currents.

∆ 9. Fish depend on _ water, also known as currents, for food.

∆ 10. Rivers and lakes are not salty because the _ _ in the water flow to the ocean.

∆ 11. The amount of salt in the ocean has/has not changed.

∆ 12. The flow of currents in the northern and southern hemispheres are .

∆ 13. The most powerful ocean current, the Gulf Stream, is in the _ Ocean.

∆ 14. Sea level means that land is the same _ as the sea.

∆ 15. Earth is the only known planet with oceans that’s why Earth is the only planet with _.

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Read the article and follow directions.

Thermohaline ocean circulation patterns have been previously however, how does the cold, dense, deep

ocean water return to the surface. The answer is upwelling! Winds found along high pressure zones blow along

coastlines and initiate upwelling.

Color the illustration of upwelling. Color the wind black, the surface water a warm color (red, pink or

orange) and the upwelled color a cool color ( blue or purple).

Upwelling begins when a northwest wind blows along the shoreline and pushes against the surface later of

water causing it to flow south, away from the direction of the wind. Because of the Coriolis effect, the water is

deflected away from the shore. Then the off-shore flowing surface water is replaced by the colder water which

wells up from below.

In the aphotic zone, bacteria and other decomposers have broken down plant and animal tissues and released

nutrients back into the ecosystem. However, these nutrients are only able to be used by plants and therefore

they remain dissolved in the water until the water is upwelled back to the surface, sunlight layer. Once the

nutrients have re-entered the photic zone, phytoplankton are able to use them during photosynthesis.

Phytoplankton are microscopic drifting producers which means they are the basis for most ocean food chains.

Color the abbreviated upwelling food chain. Color the plankton green, the sardines light grey, the

mackerel blue, sea lion dark grey or black, the cormorant brown, and the boat however you would like.

Questions.

1. What is upwelling?

2. What causes upwelling to occur?

3. What are phytoplankton?

4. why is plankton important to the ocean environment?

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Assignment 6: Create a Plankton

Directions: Create a unique plankton in the space below by following this flow chart, then tell me more about your plankton on the back of this paper including:

1. Unique features or behaviors

2. Where found (ex. Deep sea, coral reefs, arctic, new planet ?!?, etc.)

3. If it is a meroplankton tell me what it grows into. If it is a holoplankton tell me its main predators

4. Explain 2 reasons why plankton are important

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Assignment 7: Coastal Features

1.__________________

2.__________________

3.__________________

4.__________________

5.__________________

6.__________________

7.__________________

8.__________________

9.__________________

10._________________

11._________________

12._________________

13._________________

Diagrams for this activity are on page 16

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Assignment 8: Weathering

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Assignment 9: Waves & Tides

In this activity you will plot a month's worth of tide data and use the resultant graph to answer questions.

1. Examine the tide data table on the back of this sheet. Find the highest high tide and the lowest low tide in the month. What is the difference between these two heights?

2. Draw and label the axes for the graph. The x-axis should be day of the month and the y-axis should be height of tide. Look in the table at the highest and lowest numbers for day and height to determine what scale to use for the axes. For many locations, a scale where each line on the x-axis represents one day and each line on the y-axis represents 1/2 meter will work well.

3. Now you are ready to plot your data. First plot the height of the first high tide of the month. Then skip the next high tide and plot the third high tide (this has been done for you). Continue this way, plotting every other high tide. When you finish, you should have one data point for high tide on each day of the month.

4. Next, repeat the procedure in Step 6 for low tides. 5. Label the spring tides and neap tides on your graph. (HINT: Remember that there are two spring tides

and two neap tides each month.) 6. On your graph indicate where the New Moon, 1st Quarter, Full Moon and 3rd Quarter Moon would

appear in the sky.

Analysis

1. What type of pattern do your graphs show?

2. Is the difference in height between high tide and low tide on a given day fairly constant over a month? Explain why or

why not.

3. Are the dates of the highest high tide and highest low tide the same? Explain your results.

4. What is the date of the highest high tide in your graph? What is the date of the lowest low tide? Explain your results.

5. How many days are there between the two spring tides? Between the two neap tides? Explain your results.

6. What do you think the phase of the moon will be on the date of the highest high tide? On the date of the lowest high

tide?

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7. Use your results from Step 6 to explain how the phase of the moon is related to the height of high tide.

Tidal Data

Date Day High Tide Low Tide Phase of Moon

2/8/09 Sun 13.1 1.3 Full

2/10/09 Tues 13.6 0.5

2/12/09 Thurs 13.4 0.3

2/14/09 Sat 12.8 1.1

2/16/09 Mon 11.6 2.3

2/18/09 Wed 10.5 3.5

2/20/09 Fri 10.2 4.0

2/22/09 Sun 10.7 3.5

2/24/09 Tues 11.6 2.6

2/26/09 Thurs 12.1 1.8

2/28/09 Sat 12.7 1.3

3/1/09 Mon 12.8 1.3

3/3/09 Wed 12.2 1.7

3/5/09 Fri 12.0 2.3

3/7/09 Sun 12.2 2.2

3/9/09 Tues 13.0 1.2

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Complete graph here

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Unit 3 Alternative test assignment:

Write a 1000-word research paper on the influence oceanic currents have on scientific

research (importance) and the different roles ocean currents play on oceanic circulation.

-Must cite sources

-plagiarism will result in a zero

___________________________________________________________________________

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