Sea and Ice Salinity

Saved in:

Link to Resource:	http://www.earthsciweek.org/classroom-activities/sea-and-ice-salinity
Resource Type:	Classroom Activities; Curricula and Instruction
Grade Level:	6 7 8 9 10
Language:	English
Organization:	American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Summary:	What is sea ice? It is simply frozen ocean water. Why is sea ice important? While it occurs mainly in polar regions, sea ice influences our global climate. Changing amounts of sea ice can affect ocean circulations, weather patterns, and temperatures around the world. Sea ice insulates the relatively warm ocean water from the cold polar atmosphere, except where cracks in the ice allow for the exchange of heat and moisture. The exchange of salt between sea ice and the ocean alters the density of ocean waters, thus influencing ocean circulation. Many animals, such as polar bears, seals, and walruses, depend on sea ice for their habitat. These species hunt, feed, and breed on the ice. Satellites provide the best way to observe sea ice, the factors that affect sea ice, and the ways sea ice affects global climate. Scheduled to launch in 2010, NASA's Aquarius mission will measure global sea surface salinity with unprecedented resolution. Even small variations in sea surface salinity â€” the amount of salt present near the ocean's surface â€” can have dramatic effects on sea ice, the water cycle, and ocean circulation. What are the effects of salinity on the formation of sea ice? Will salt water freeze more quickly or more slowly than fresh water? Try this investigation to find out.
Earth Science Big Ideas:	Big Idea 5
NGSS Discplinary Core Ideas:	ESS2.A; ESS2.C
NGSS Performance Expectations:	HS-ESS2-5; MS-ESS2-4
NGSS Science and Engineering Practices:	Developing and using models; Planning and carrying out investigations
NGSS Crosscutting Concepts:	Energy and matter: Flows, cycles, and conservation; Structure and function
Subjects:	climate; climate change; earth science week; hydrology; oceans; space; water; water availability
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!

Similar Items

Properties of Fresh Water and Sea Water by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

"Interactive Map of """"If All The Ice Melted""""" by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Climate and Water Resources Management, Part 1: Climate Variability and Change by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Published: (2016)

Gravity and Climate Experiment (GRACE) by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Use Flubber to Model Ice Shelf-Glacier Interactions and Sea Level rise by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Published: (2016)

Will There Be Enough Fresh Water? by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Splish Splash by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Melting Ice by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Why is the Dead Sea dead? Measuring Salinity by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Arizona Hydrological Society (AHS) by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Interpret Earth temperatures from simulated deep-sea and ice cores using sweets to simulate oxygen isotope ratios in cores by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Spokane Aquifer Joint Board: Virtual Field Trips by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Dynamic Wetlands by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

GeoScience Videos Blog by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Global Change: Where Land, Air and Water Meet by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Hawaii DLNR Maps and Illustrations by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Interactive Tool for Monitoring Arctic Ice Recession by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Investigating the Use of Water in Your Home by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

What's Causing Sea-Level Rise? Land Ice Vs. Sea Ice by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Lessons in Sea-Level Rise by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Ocean Currents Change Our Earth by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

"Water Phases of the Earth , """"Earth Soccer Ball Paper Craft Model""""" by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Exploring Change with GIS by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Chemistry of Burning by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Exploring Climate Change with GIS by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Hurricane Tracking by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

American Institute of Hydrology (AIH) by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Sea Level and the Terrapin by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Earth's Hydrologic Cycle by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

International Association of Hydrogeologists/U.S. National Chapter (IAH) by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Exploring Earth: Rising Sea by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Published: (2017)

Eyes on the Rise by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Wash This Way by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Nebraska Water Science Center (NEWSC) by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

A Timeline of Earth's Average Temperature (Since the Last Ice Age Glaciation) by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Model of a Well by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

The Groundwater Foundation: Educational Webinars by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Graphing Sea-Level Trends by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Tracking Water in My Schoolyard by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Published: (2016)

Restoring Wetlands in Hawaii by American Geosciences Institute (AGI); Earth Science Week (ESW); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Published: (2013)