ScienceSource.ca Dry Lab Activity

Unit C - Chapter 7

Investigating Science 10

Inquiry Activity

Modeling Ocean Currents

Skills Reference 2

Skills you Will Use

  • Using appropriate equipment and tools
  • Drawing conclusions

Safety

  • Apron

Caution

You will be handling clay and coloured water. Wear an apron to protect your clothes.

Transfer of thermal energy and global winds create major patterns of ocean currents. Seeing these on a two-dimensional map is informative, but it may be difficult to appreciate the nature of the patterns and why they form.

In this activity, you will build a model of the Atlantic ocean and the water currents in it.


Question

How can you model the movements of ocean water due to surface currents?


Materials and Equipment

  • rectangular baking tray
  • 3 sticks of modeling clay
  • permanent marker
  • newspaper
  • blue and red construction paper
  • two jointed bendable drinking straws
  • 400 ml of rheoscopic fluid or water with food colouring
  • chalk
  • ruler
  • hole punch

Dry Lab

A "dry lab" activity includes collected data and/or a video solution for your convenience. You can simply watch the following video and use the provided data, or if you wish to perform this lab for yourself, follow the procedure steps 1 through 8 described in the video. The same steps are included in written form in the documents available for download on the bottom of this page.



Analyzing and Interpreting

  1. A student performed procedure steps 1 through 8 and then compared their observations to a map of ocean currents they obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA):



    The student found that their results roughly agreed with the NOAA map. From what you know about ocean currents from your textbook, do you agree with the NOAA map? Explain.

Skill Practice

  1. This activity took into account only one influence on ocean currents, surface winds. Design an activity that would test other factors that affect ocean currents.

Forming Conclusions

  1. How successful was your modeling of ocean currents?