Exploring Ocean Mysteries is a curriculum that makes it easy to teach the seven Ocean Literacy Principles while meeting NGSS, Common Core and Climate Literacy standards. Lessons are targeted to middle grades and adaptable for grades 4-12. They use the National Marine Sanctuary System as an engaging backdrop that helps students understand their importance for exploration, research, Indigenous cultures and more.
Ocean Literacy Essential Principle 3: The ocean is a major influence on weather and climate.
In the Investigating El Niño & Impacts of Changing Ocean Temperatures lesson, students explore ocean temperature data visually with NOAA View Global Data Explorer. They consider impacts of changing ocean conditions on marine sanctuaries and wildlife, as well as global impacts of El Niño and La Niña and other changes that impact the ocean and Earth’s climatic and living systems that depend on it.
Lesson Plan
Students will:
- Use a geographic information system (GIS) to collect historical data about national marine sanctuaries and monuments.
- Argue from evidence about how changes in sea surface temperature, upwelling and phytoplankton populations could impact marine sanctuaries, wildlife and Earth’s systems.
- Discuss how the ocean moderates climate and makes life on Earth habitable.
South American fishermen first noticed periods of unusually warm water in the Pacific basin and the ocean in the 1600s. You’ll use the NOAA View Global Data Explorer to investigate El Niño.
