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Move It Or Lose It – Fish Migration Game

April 29, 2011 in Education Materials

Developed by: Katie Gardner, Kate Florio, Cathy Yehas, Aly Busse

Download the pdf of this lesson

Topic:

Introduce different species that depend on specific water conditions for survival. Participants take on the role of a species forced to migrate to stay in its favored water conditions over the course of one year.

Audience:

Age 9 and older

Length:

30 minutes

NJ State Standards:

  • 5.3.4.C – Interdependence

Objectives:

  • Compare and contrast how marine and terrestrial animals generally inhabit their environment
  • Describe possible reactions to changes in an animals’ environment

Introduction:

This activity is intended to help students understand how marine organisms can react to changes in their environment through role-play. While this is by no-means entirely scientifically accurate, it is meant to model the behavior of animals in response to habitat changes.

Background:

Within the open ocean, habitat is often defined by the physical water conditions present, such as temperature and salinity. Species inhabiting the open ocean might have several different responses to changing temperatures. They could go dormant, have a wide range of conditions they live in, or they move with the favorable conditions. Many migrations in the ocean are triggered by changing conditions.

Materials:

  • Playing tarp (See ConstructionGuide_Fish_Migration.pdf for instructions to make this.)
    Additional materials are listed in the construction guide to prepare the playing tarp.
  • Color print out of fish cards (Fish_Cards.pdf)
  • Paper cutter – fish cards are printed 2 per page
  • Laminator (optional – to protect fish cards)
  • Container of small tokens to use as Energy Points (paper clips, or beads for example)
  • Small cups, one per student to hold their supply of Energy Points
  • Powerpoint presentation (Fish_Migration_Game.ppt)
  • Computer Projector
  • Projection Screen
  • Small binder clips (have 2 per student available)

Procedure:

I. Preparation

  1. Print fish cards, and cut pages in half, so each card is only displaying information about one fish. (If desired, laminate the cards to protect and improve durability).
  2. Lay out playing tarp
  3. Set-up projector with PowerPoint Presentation in a way that students won’t block the projection while on the tarp.
  4. Pass out the one Fish Card to each of the players in the game
  5. Pass out 6 energy points to each player to start the game

II. Activity

This activity relies on the honesty of players. Students may decide to cheat to “win” by not paying enough for movement, or moving to “safe” squares while unobserved. This needs to be strongly discouraged, “dying” is not a failure, just a lesson learned.

Explain the rules:

  1. There will be 12 rounds to this game- one for each month of the year.
  2. The students (who are now playing the role of an animal, using information they get from the Fish Cards) will have to make decisions based on the information on their card.
  3. The object is for each student to try to ‘survive’ the year by keeping their animal in the habitat that it likes to live in (information found on the Fish Cards) and to have enough food to keep moving on their migration/movement path.
  4. The students have to move around the playing tarp trying to stay within their particular animals’ range of habitat requirements.
  5. The colored areas on the slides represent different temperatures of ocean water, which will change each turn because they change each month; the salinity of the open ocean is relatively constant, and students will not have to worry about this during game play.
  6. The yellow stars are food sources (energy points).
  7. Each turn:
    • The facilitator will announce the month that is that turn.
    • A map will appear with the SST for that month (via PowerPoint)
    • The facilitator will then hand out energy points to any animal standing on a food source at the beginning of the turn. (4 points) Note: No food is given at the being of the first month as students have just received 6 energy tokens to start the game.
    • The students must decide if they are going to use energy to move towards their (end) goal location or if they should wait (end location information on Fish Cards).
      • If they decide to move, the students must pay the energy amount to move (1 point per square moved, students may move in any direction, including diagonally).
      • If at any time, the student does not have enough energy to move, they cannot move; they are stuck! Their fish survives as long as whatever changes in water temperature that occurs to that area is within their comfort range.
    • Students can obtain more energy points by standing on a food-rich area at the beginning of the month. (4 points)
    • Those animals that did not survive the month are out of the game and should sit on the side. This means that any student who is outside the temperature range of their fish species at the end of the month once they’ve had a chance to move, dies. (Alternate: students who are out of the game could choose an active player’s species to track for the rest of the game).
    • Students will receive a binder clip when they reach their mid-point, and another when they reach their finish point.
    • Students do not have to be on their Start/Finish Location at the end of turn 12 if they have both binder clips.
  8. If an animal completes their migration without going outside of their comfort range of temperature, they win!

Evaluation:

  1. Once the students have finished- either reached their migration goal or didn’t succeed, talk about the factors that effected their travels:
    1. What was the hardest part:
      • Not knowing what the water temperatures would be?
      • Trying to stay in the range of temperature?
      • Having enough food to survive?
    2. How do you think real marine organisms decide where and when they are going to migrate?

    Safety Precautions:

    Students must walk at all times during this game.

    Extension:

    Have students select a species on the tagging of Pacific predators website and observe it’s movements within the Pacific basin. Try comparing the movements of those species to ocean conditions at the same time, (view live data). Can students determine what factors influence the migration patterns of these predators?

    Resources:

    These files can be used if you have a colorblind student.

    • Color print out of fish cards (Fish_Cards_Colorblind)
      The winter flounder should be used for a color blind student, this can be passed out without singling the student out in anyway.
    • PowerPoint presentation with geometric pattern (Fish_Migration_Game_ColorBlind)

    Additional Links:

Seasonality in the Ocean

April 27, 2011 in Education Materials

Developed by: Katie Gardner, and Kate Florio

Download the pdf of this lesson

Topic:

Explore the concept of seasonality within the ocean. Compare and contrast differences between seasons on land and seasons in the ocean. Discuss the reasons for the similarities and differences. Students will be introduced to ocean data in the form of sea surface color (chlorophyll) and sea surface temperature (SST).

Audience:

Grades 8 – 12

Length:

30 to 45 minutes

NJ State Standards:

  • 5.1.A – Understand Scientific Explanations
  • 5.4.A – Objects in the Universe
  • 5.4.E – Energy in Earth Systems
  • 5.4.F – Weather and Climate
  • 5.4.G – Biogeochemical Cycles

Objectives:

  • Observe similarities and differences between seasons on land and seasons in the ocean.
  • Explain scientifically why differences are observed, and why there are similarities.
  • Use understanding of seasons to interpret ocean observing system data products.

Introduction:

This activity is meant to open discussion on the idea of seasonality within the ocean. How would students know what season it is if they didn’t have a calendar? What things do they think of in the spring, summer, fall, winter? Does the ocean have seasons? Do all places in the world have the same seasons?

Background:

The data products used for this activity are seven year monthly composites of Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and Ocean Color measured and compiled from the New York Bight region of the Atlantic Basin. Four months of the year (January, April, July, and October) were chosen as representative of a season.

SST data is measured using satellites, which record infrared radiation from the ocean surface in several different wavelengths. This can be a good real world application to discuss or review the electromagnetic spectrum. The temperature values measured are converted to a color in order to create a false color map. False color maps are created as a visual tool to observe patterns and differences within the data collected. These maps are not in true-life color nor are they photographs/pictures.

Ocean color is a satellite measure of how green the water appears. This measure is a proxy* for the amount of chlorophyll in the ocean. Chlorophyll is a chemical in plants that facilitates photosynthesis, allowing plants to convert sunlight and CO2 into organic compounds for energy and structure. Most varieties of this chemical are green, and this is why many plants are green. Chlorophyll is present in ocean plants too, the mostly microscopic forms of phytoplankton found in the surface ocean. More green means more chlorophyll, and hence more plants. This data is also presented as a false color map.

*A proxy is measuring one thing, and directly relating it to another variable that we are interested in. Proxies are often used when direct measurement of a variable is not easily performed, or available.

Materials:

  • Color printouts of the Chlorophyll and Temperature Data Sheets* (SeasonalDataSheets.pdf)
  • One Plastic sheet protector for each print out sheet (optional)

* This data was provided by Rutgers University Coastal Ocean Observation Laboratory (RU COOL), specifically for this lesson. It is a 7 year composite from 2000-2006 of January, April, July, and October. Each data page represents one month. The use of composite data was chosen to focus students on patterns of temperature and chlorophyll.

Procedure:

I. Preparation

  1. Print out one set of data sheets for each pair or group of students
  2. Slide each sheet into a plastic sheet protector if desired

II. Activity

  1. Hand out color copies of the chlorophyll/temperature data.
    There are 4 pages of data; each page is one month of the year.
  2. Have students work in pairs or small groups of to decide which page is in each season, and order them winter, spring, summer, fall.
  3. Some questions that would help guide students could include:
    1. When is the most chlorophyll present? Why?
    2. Does this data show seasons in the ocean the same way we think of seasons on land?
    3. What other data could you look up that would show changes in seasons?
  4. When viewing these data sheets, do not rely on the chlorophyll data directly along the coast. This coastal growth is seen year round. It grows on the nutrients entering the ocean in estuaries, as rivers bring their load in from the continent; there is also a lot of sediment and other particles that can color the water in these areas (remember we are using color as a proxy for chlorophyll). Connections can be made between this and health of watersheds. Ocean blooms will be seen further from the coast.
  5. Data Sheet Key:
    1. Fall – highest water temperatures, bloom in the ocean is fading to yellow and small in size.
    2. Winter – low water temperatures, little to no phytoplankton in St. Georges Bank region.
    3. Summer – warm temperatures, slightly smaller orange bloom in ocean.
    4. Spring – cold water temperatures, large bright red bloom in the ocean.

Evaluation:

Have students share how they ordered the data sheets, and then explain whether they are correct or not. Students often need help understanding the discrepancies between what they think about seasons, and what is observed in the ocean. The temperature data can be misleading if you use your experience with air temperatures. Summer has the hottest months for air; however water has a much higher heat capacity than air. This means that it takes longer to heat up in the spring, and longer to cool down in the fall. The highest surface ocean temperatures are generally recorded in early September and slowly cool through the fall.

The growth of phytoplankton is related to two major factors: the availability of nutrients, and amount of sunlight. Focus on the bloom that occurs in the ocean off of Massachusetts’ Cape Cod, not along the coastline. This region is known as St. Georges Bank, a productive fishery. During the short days of winter, there is little primary productivity seen in the section of ocean shown on the data sheets. Storms are common in the region throughout the winter months, and this serves to mix the water column, bringing up nutrients from deeper water. As the days lengthen, phytoplankton use the nutrients in the water to reproduce quickly, leading to the spring bloom. As spring progresses, warming temperatures will start to stratify the surface ocean , forming layers which block continued upwelling of nutrients. The phytoplankton use up their nutrients and the bloom reduces in size. There is some recycling of nutrients within the surface through the summer, and also heavy grazing by zooplankton. As the days shorten in the fall, productivity drops off. The cooler surface water is less stratified, and storms aid in mixing; starting the seasonal cycle over.


The above composite data is a cross section of temperatures produced by Slocum gliders off the coast of New Jersey. It is shown to illustrate what is meant by temperature stratification in summer vs. winter. A similar temperature pattern is seen in the St. Georges Banks region. Winter temperatures are similar from surface to bottom due to mixing. Summer temperatures are stratified. In this image, a thermocline has developed at 15m depth. A thermocline is a horizontal boundary across which a sharp change in temperature is measured. A connection to water density and the relationship to temperature can be made here.

Extension:

Following the activity and explanation, can students explain why one location on the coast experiences different climate than a location at the same latitude on the interior of a continent? (New York City vs. Chicago) Can students relate the heat capacity of water in the ocean to having a local effect on nearby land masses? What climate differences would students expect to observe based on their reasoning? Have students find climate data to support their reasoning.

Resources:

  • Earth Exploration Toolbook explains in more detail some of the dynamics associated with ocean blooms.
  • The CoolRoom is an ocean data source for public users.
  • RUCOOL is a source for a wider array of both real time and older ocean data.

Sea 3-D

April 22, 2011 in Education Materials

Developed by: Kate Florio, Katie Gardner, Cathy Yehas, Aly Busse

Download the pdf of this lesson

Topic:

Establish the three-dimensional nature of ocean habitats, and expand to idea that there is not a uniform temperature and salinity throughout the ocean.

Audience:

Grades 5 – 8

Length:

45 minutes

NJ State Standards:

  • 5.1.8.B – Generate Scientific Evidence through Active Investigations
  • 5.1.8.D – Participate Productively in Science
  • 5.4.8.E – Energy in Earth Systems
  • 5.4.8.F – Climate and Weather

Objectives:

Students will be able to:

  • Build an understanding of what a cross section is
  • Experience an introduction to real time data
  • Work with a visual aid when first learning about complex data
  • Gain skills to interpret real time data and false color images

Introduction:

This lesson explores the properties of seawater with depth. The ocean is three-dimensional and physical properties can change with depth as well as horizontal distance. Students translate false color ocean data from a three-dimensional model into a two-dimensional image to help them contextualize the information, and then discuss the changes in ocean properties with depth and their effects on circulation and biology.

Background:

The density of seawater is affected by temperature, salinity, and depth. Differences in density result in layers of water masses in the ocean. Many layers have distinct characteristics that allow scientists to determine that water mass’ origin and track its movement over time. Salinity has a larger impact on water density than temperature but is less likely to fluctuate a lot over time in the open ocean. Density driven currents, known as thermohaline circulation are one of the major forces mixing seawater vertically in the ocean, and bringing nutrients from the deep sea to the photic zone in biologically productive upwelling zones. Water masses may also have characteristic nutrient concentrations, allowing scientists to study the links between circulation and biology. Real time data from autonomous underwater vehicles allows scientists to study current conditions and changing conditions in near surface water masses. Some of the features commonly studied include the thermocline, a layer where there is a sharp separation in water temperature, and the halocline, similarly the layer where there is a sudden change in salinity.

Materials:

  • Student worksheet with bathymetric profile being studied
  • Pencils
  • Crayons or colored pencils
  • Laptops for students to access real-time data (if available/desired)
  • Foam Box with map and data columns (See related Construction Guide and Layout Guide .)

Procedure:

I. Preparation

A. Prepare the boxes as directed in the Construction Guide .

B. Look at real-time data ahead of time and choose some profiles you would like to highlight with students. Some ideas include:

Current local conditions

Interesting ongoing research

Concurrent profiles for temperature, salinity, and density

II. Activity

A. Students will work in groups using the model. Students are to create a cross section of a seawater property using the data available from the model blocks.

B. Review false color with students – what is false color, and what do the colors on the scale you will be using represent.

C. Have students select a block to lift. They will place it horizontally on their paper in the correct water column (lining up the bathymetry), and mark the colors on their paper based on the block. Be sure to have them note again what the colors they are using represent.

D. Students will replace the first block, and choose another to repeat the process.

The goal will be for students to create a cross section of ocean data on their paper by transferring the information from the 3-d blocks into a 2-d format.

E. Have students fill in the holes in their data as they color to create the full cross section.

Optional: you may have students choose only one or two of the blocks and predict what the full cross section will look like. Then they may use the remaining blocks to check their answers.

F. Define thermocline and halocline for students. Have them determine whether the data you have used for your model depicts a thermocline or halocline.

G. You may also give students composite data collected from gliders for each of the four seasons. Challenge them to locate the thermocline or halocline on each data set.

H. Discuss the seasonal differences in thermo/halocline, if any, that students observed.

I. Have students discuss what impact their observations might have on organisms living in this region.

Resources:

You can access both current and archived Slocum glider data from Rutgers University’s Coastal Ocean Observation Lab (the COOL Room) here:

http://marine.rutgers.edu/cool/auvs/

LSC Earth Science Teacher Working Group

February 14, 2011 in Events

The following opportunity is being provided by COSEE NOW partner Liberty Science Center. We encourage teachers who are using Real-Time Data in their classrooms to check it out.

Through a grant from NASA, the Liberty Science Center will be offering a Summer Institute for Earth Science teachers who have experience using real-time or near-real time (RTD) data in their instruction. Experienced teachers are teachers who have run at least one RTD lesson, lab, or activity with their students (and would do it againJ). Examples of RTD are air temperatures, cloud coverage, earthquake epicenter locations, sea-surface temperatures, energy from the sun, chlorophyll concentrations, etc.

We are currently convening a working a group of teachers with experience using RTD to help us design the summer institute. Teachers in the working group will help us establish how RTD are being used in the classroom and determine what support teachers need to more fully integrate RTD lessons in their instruction. Working group teachers will also have the opportunity to exchange classroom tested, RTD lessons with each other, earn 6 professional development hours, and explore the Liberty Science Center’s exhibitions on the day of the meeting. Teachers participating in the working group are guaranteed a space in the summer institute, but it is not necessary to commit to the summer institute to be part of the working group.

Participation in the working group is a one-day commitment, Saturday, March 5 or Saturday, March 19. Please see the workshop flyer for additional information.

MACOORA Usability Test

September 27, 2010 in Resource Guides

In August 2008, a team of COSEE NOW members collaborated with Cia Romano, the founder and CEO of Interface Guru, to conduct a website usability test with a group of tuna fishermen and women to better understand how ocean observatory data can be communicated via Web-based visualization displays such as maps, charts and other data sources.

This work was done to support the mission of MACOORA and COSEE NOW. Our main goals were to learn:

  1. the fundamentals of website usability testing and
  2. to use the results of the test to improve visualization and navigation of data displays for MACOORA member institutions, including COSEE NOW.

To learn more, please download the MARCOOS Usability Test

Using Ocean Data in Education

April 30, 2010 in Events

COSEE NOW is pleased to present a new webinar series on Using Ocean Data in Education. In this series, we will explore effective strategies for incorporating real ocean data in formal and informal education products and programs, as a way to connect students to scientific concepts and real-time science.

Who should attend? This series is designed for informal educators, especially those who are part of the Ocean Observing System (OOS) community or museum/aquaria staff interested interested in Ocean Science. We also encourage the participation of OOS Scientists interested in increasing their outreach capacity.

Presenters: The webinar series is supported by the National Science Foundation’s Centers for Ocean Science Education Excellence Networked Ocean World (COSEE NOW) and will be delivered by science education professionals at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Rearch Institute (MBARI), Hatfield Marine Science Center, and Rutgers University, Graduate School of Education.

Session A: EARTH: Education And Research: Testing Hypotheses

Date: May 11, 2010 at 1:00 pm EST
Presenter: George Matsumoto, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)

It is clear the ability to collect data has not been matched by our ability to disseminate this information to the public or the educational community and that both researchers and educators are still learning how to use existing data effectively. Dr. Matsumoto will discuss his involvement with EARTH, the well-received program of MBARI to enable engagement of students with real oceanographic and other data by provision of data, supporting lesson plans and activities, as well as training, to educators.

As the MBARI observatory efforts ramp up, EARTH is beginning to be recognized as a portal to this wealth of MBARI data, both archived and near-real-time, as well as ocean observing data from other instruments. The EARTH website has a focus on data distribution (near-real-time and archived) with supporting lesson plans and activities. Anyone who is already using data in the classroom or would like to, will benefit from his wealth of experience of what works and what doesn’t.

Sessions B & C: Beyond the Wow! Helping public audiences make sense of scientific visualizations

Date: May 17th and 25th, at 1pm EST
Presenter: Shawn Rowe, Oregon State University, Hatfield Marine Science Center

Public audiences, school audiences, and even scientists in training often have trouble with all kinds of scientific visualizations. In fact, developing skill at using visualizations is part of becoming an expert. We know from research that experts and novices actually SEE and INERPRET visualizations differently. Novices need

  1. explicit direction and modeling in how to SEE what experts see in visualizations,
  2. multiple entry points to making sense out of visualizations, and
  3. conceptual and perceptual anchors within visualizations.

If we want audiences to see, make sense of, and use our visualization products, we must explore ways to both support audiences in becoming more expert, and also developing visual cues within images that make them more accessible.

For this two part workshop, we will examine some of the theoretical issues and empirical work surrounding visualizations as communicative and cognitive tools, go out and try our hand at improving visualizations and return to develop some common tools, techniques, and questions that can guide our future work.

Session D: COOL Classroom: Building a Collaborative Design Team for Science Curriculum Development

Date: June 8th, at 1pm EST
Presenter: Ravit Duncan, Rutgers University, Graduate School of Education

Ravit will discuss the development of the COOL Classroom, and strategies for incorporating data products into inquiry driven classroom lessons.

Coral Bleaching: A White Hot Problem

December 18, 2009 in Education Materials

Bleached brain coral (Credit: NOAA)

Bleached brain coral (Credit: NOAA)


Some of the planet’s most beautiful and diverse ecosystems are at risk. With temperatures on the rise, coral reefs are at greater risk for coral bleaching. Using ocean observing system data from NOAA’s National Data Buoy Center, this classroom activity examines ocean temperatures off Puerto Rico to see how coral reefs are being impacted and predict what’s on the horizon. Brought to you by Sea Grant’s Bridge website and COSEE-NOW.

This activity was developed in response to the 2005 massive coral bleaching event in the Caribbean caused by high sea surface temperatures. Using ocean observing system data, water temperatures can be monitored to evaluate the likeliness of other bleaching events.

Via the COSEE-NOW online community, we were able to receive valuable feedback on making the graph of water temperature more user-friendly and expanding the discussion questions to evoke some higher level thinking from students.

This activity has been demonstrated to teachers at the National Marine Educators Association conference and Virginia Sea Grant professional development institutes; and to graduate students in several different settings.

Check out Coral Bleaching: A White Hot Problem available on the Bridge

Don’t Even Sink About It!

December 11, 2009 in Education Materials

It sinks!

It sinks!


Does a can of soda float? Does salt water really make that much difference? What’s a Plimsoll mark? Buoyancy can be a difficult concept for students. It’s all about density! With this hands-on introduction to teaching buoyancy from the Bridge website and COSEE-NOW, students work through activities and demonstrations that use online resources and ocean observing systems data to investigate the buoyancy considerations of commercial shipping.

This activity was developed to shed light on how the commercial shipping industry has benefited from ocean observing systems. By knowing water temperature and salinity, as well as water depth, shippers can maximize a ship’s cargo capacity and transit time.

My COSEE-NOW partners provided me with some great input on writing the objectives for this activity and guided me to some demonstration activities developed by the Lawrence Hall of Science that could be used prior to the activity to pique the students’ interest.

This activity has been demonstrated to over 100 teachers, including presentations at the National Marine Educators Association and National Science Teachers Association conferences.

Check out Don’t Even Sink About it! available on the Bridge

Send a Letter Across the Atlantic Ocean

March 19, 2009 in NOW News

Looking for a cool way to get your students involved in ocean exploration?

This spring, scientists and students from Rutgers University will send an underwater robotic glider on a mission to cross the Atlantic Ocean. The 3,300 mile voyage will take at least six months for the slow-moving low-energy glider to make it across.

And now your classrooms can be a part of this historic mission!

To get involved, all they have to do is write a letter to the other side of the Atlantic. We’ll put all the classroom letters we collect in the next few weeks inside the glider. (Technically, we’ll put them on a thumb drive, so we’re asking for scanned or faxed letters from teachers.) We’ll also post all the letters we get on the mission web site. And if the glider makes it across, we’ll send copies of the letters back to the classrooms they came from, postmarked from the glider’s destination.

As the glider embarks on its journey, we hope you’ll invite your students to follow along. If they have a letter in the glider, they’ll become vested in checking out the ocean conditions around the glider as it flies through oceanic storms and remora infested waters.

We encourage you to use this exciting opportunity to engage your students in the excitement of ocean exploration.

For more details check out the Atlantic Crossing Mission site and check out the online form for submitting your letters.

Activity: Jellies as Drifters

March 18, 2009 in Education Materials

Objectives

Students will be able to:

  • interpret real time wave height, directional flow and sea surface temperature data
  • predict where jellies might be lurking in the ocean

Materials

Computer with Internet access
Student worksheet - Jellies as Drifters

Background

Jellies are drifters, meaning that their movement is largely at the mercy of the tides and currents in the water.

Procedure

Today, a large group of moon jellies (sting) was found at 39:30 N 74:00 W.

Concentrations of moon jellies are usually found in the temperature range of 9 – 19°C (but they can withstand temperatures as low as -6 and as high as 31°C ).

  1. Access the Coolroom Sea Surface Temperature data (http://www.thecoolroom.org/boaters/boat_sst.htm) and determine if the temperature of the water might effect the moon jellies?
  2. Access the Coolroom CODAR data (http://www.thecoolroom.org/boaters/boat_codar.htm) and determine where the jellies might move.

Extensions

  • Build your own Jelly - NY Aquarium Jellies Exhibit  (http://www.alienstingers.com)
  • Discovery Channel – Science of the Deep – Movie – Salps – Mid Water Mysteries

This activity was originally developed by COSEE-MA by Liesl Hotaling and Janice McDonnell.