In this article, the author describes an activity using physical models -- each a clear plastic box enclosing a miniature coastal town, complete with real water in the "ocean." This activity shows students a natural cause-and-effect relationship that is scientifically simple, yet even many adults don't grasp the worldwide implications:…

Ocean currents play an important role in regulating the Earth's climate by redistributing ocean heat around the planet. One important climate phenomenon that includes several large ocean currents is the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, which is the process of warm surface currents in the North Atlantic Ocean moving to the Arctic to…

This paper aims to introduce an activity for teachers to assist in meeting learning outcomes as defined in the earth and environmental science units of the Australian Curriculum. The focus of the classroom tasks is on a global ocean feature referred to as El Niño. This phenomenon is part of the El Niño Southern Oscillation, which is largely…

This paper organizes and analyses over 500 geoscience misconceptions relating to earthquakes, earth structure, geologic resources, glaciers, historical geology, karst (limestone terrains), plate tectonics, rivers, rocks and minerals, soils, volcanoes, and weathering and erosion. Journal and reliable web resources were reviewed to discover (1) the…

The complexity and interrelatedness of aspects of the geosciences is an important concept to convey in an undergraduate geoscience curriculum. A synthesis capstone project has served to integrate pattern-based learning of an introductory Earth History course into an active and process-based exercise in hypothesis production. In this exercise,…

The ocean is a major influence on weather and climate. With this set of lessons, middle school Earth systems science teachers can help their students build an understanding of how large bodies of water can serve as a heat source or sink at different times and how proximity to water moderates climate along the coast. The activity's combination of…

This project engages elementary school students, parents, teachers, and administrators in ocean-themed family science nights based on a proven model. Our key goals are to: (1) educate participants about ocean and earth science issues that are relevant to their communities; and (2) inspire more underrepresented students, including Native Hawaiians,…

Presents results of research designed to assess and predict the storm-related hazards of living on the coast. Findings suggest that certain sections of coastline are more vulnerable than others to storm damage. (WB)

Understanding the vagrancies of climate, a vast, complex subject, requires a multidisciplinary approach, focusing on the ocean's effects on the atmosphere and vice versa. (Author/BB)

El Nino is a complex periodic oceanographic event that occurs off the west coast of South America, adversely affecting climate not only in the local area but in other regions of the world. There is evidence that the equatorial regions hold the key to predicting this economically destructive phenomenon. (Author/BB)

A National Research Council committee recently concluded that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels will "most likely" double by late in the next century, causing an increase in the earth's average temperature. Effects of the increase on sea levels, global climate, and other parameters are discussed. (JN)

Heat, like money, has its budgets. Income and outgo at the sea surface determines the balance. (Author/BB)

Through the study of ocean temperature anomalies, scientists are trying to determine whether the seas initiate climate change or follow the dictates of the atmosphere. (Author/BB)

Halfway through a five-year experimental program designed to test classical concepts of ocean/atmosphere climate dynamics, researchers are finding that the theories may conflict with new data on disturbances in the ocean thermal structure. (Author BB)

A great many atmospheric and oceanic events are involved in the growth of sea ice, an important but not completely understood influence on the climate system. (Author/BB)