DUCK, DUCK, DATA!!

Goal: Plot the data of the Duck’s Journey to hypothesize where the world’s ocean currents are located.

Procedure:

  1. Plot the Data from Student Sheet 1 on the blank world map.
  1. “NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association) needs our help. Their scientists have been receiving emails from all over the world. People have found plastic toys on beaches. We need to organize the information from these emails into a table. Then we can use the information to determine the pattern of ocean currents around the world.
  1. Read the emails and create a Data Table (Student Sheet 2).
  1. Plot the locations of the toy finds on the blank world map. Be sure to label the places in chronological order (8, 9, 10, etc.)
  1. Draw an arrow to show the direction of each duck’s path on the BLANK WORLD MAP to identify the current that the ducks took .
  1. Answer the analysis questions.

1. What caused the ducks to travel?

2. Why were the ducks found at different locations even though there originated at the same location?


**See teacher for Ocean Current Map before moving on**

1. Compare the paths that the ducks took to the Ocean Current Map. If there wasn’t a storm, and the duck cargo still fell overboard, what would be different about the locations of the ducks?

2. Examine the Ocean Current Map. Look for any patterns you can see. Make a table that shows the direction of the flow of the current (towards the Equator, away from the Equator, along the Equator, or along polar latitudes), source location (does the current flow from the pole or from the Equator and the water temperature (warm or cold) for the Gulf Stream, Benguela Current, West Wind Drift, Transarctic, and Peru Currents shown on the map.

  1. In general, do warm or cold currents flow away from the Equator?
  1. What is the general relationship between the source of a current and the temperature of the water in the current?
  1. Is this relationship always true? Explain your answer using evidence.


**See science teacher for mini activity to answer following questions**

  1. Will “salty water float or sink? Make a prediction of what you think will happen and explain your prediction. (You are forming a hypothesis)
  1. Will warm water float or sink? Explain your answer.

3. Which liquid was the densest?

4. Which liquid was the least dense?

5. What does adding salt do to the density of the water?

6. Based on this mini activity what factors cause ocean currents? How does this relate to density of the water?