Ocean and Coasts
Photographer: Mr. William Folsom, NOAA, NMFS,
The ocean covers 71 percent of the Earth's surface and contains 97 percent of the planet's water, yet more than 95 percent of the underwater world remains unexplored. The ocean and large inland lakes play an integral role in many of the Earth's systems including climate and weather. More than 50% of all species on Earth are found under the ocean and the ocean helps sustain human life above the water by providing 20 percent of the animal protein and five percent of the total protein in the human diet. In the US alone, there are over 95,000 miles of shoreline. More than half of the US population lives within 50 miles of the coast in the narrow area of land known as the "coastal zone."
This area of the education resources website provides links to NOAA resources which help explore the physical and chemical properties of the ocean and its adjacent ecosystems to advance ocean literacy. NOAA protects, preserves, manages and enhances the resources found in 3.5 million square miles of coastal and deep ocean waters. The agency provides products, services and information that promote safe navigation, support coastal communities, sustain marine ecosystems, and mitigate coastal hazards.
Source: NOAA Ocean Fact Sheet and National Ocean Service Ocean Facts
Tsunami
This Collection provides resources about the causes, properties, impacts and safety related to tsunami events. The real-world resources in this Collection can help bring relevance to science concepts such as plate tectonics, acceleration and speed, force and motion, energy transfer and the physics of waves as they relate to the devastating power of a Tsunami.
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Ocean Floor Features
This Collection of educational resources includes materials to help educators teach about the connections between plate tectonics, sea floor features, the diversity of life, and adaptations to the ocean floor environment. They can be used to help increase understanding of the interconnectedness of Earth Systems. These materials can also be used beyond science education. For example math educators may find relevant resources to teach integers, positive, and negative whole numbers, and graphing.
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Gulf Oil Spill
This collection provides resources that are specifically related to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. In addition, resources related to other oil spills and general information on spill impacts and restoration efforts are included. Links include current and historic data sources, lesson plans, activities, and multimedia resources to help teach about the impacts of oil spills on different ecosystems.
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Cleaning Oiled Feathers
Graphing Changes in Marine Life After the Exxon Valdez (MS, HS)
Tides
This collection provides resources which explore the causes of tidal fluctuations of coastal areas and waterways connected to the ocean. Learn how the gravitational forces of the moon and sun and other variables influence tide levels, duration, and frequency. Resources are also provided which explore the impact of tides on sea life in intertidal zones and on ship navigation.
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Ocean Currents
The lessons, labs, data, multimedia and other resources in this Collection can be used to educate students about the basics of ocean currents, the interactions of Earth's systems and how abiotic factors, such as ocean water density, Earth's rotation, wind and ocean currents affect climate, biomes, and the beaches that students may visit and the sea food which they eat.
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Ocean Pollution
No matter whether students live near the coasts or far inland, they are a part of the problem and the solution to ocean pollution. Through education, students can be informed of the types of pollution and actions that they can do to prevent further pollution of the ocean. This collection contains a variety of multimedia, lesson plans, data, activities, and information to help students better understand ocean pollution and what they can do to prevent it.
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From Trash to Marine Debris (MS)
Understanding Marine Debris Activity Book (ES)