Ocean Web Quest Directions

Name: ______Date: ______Period: ______

Oceans Webquest

Concept: Oceans Waves

Topics: Ocean waves, currents, and tides.

Guiding Questions:

1) How do waves, currents, and tides affect our planet?

2) What is the relationship of the positions of the sun and the moon on the oceans’ tides?

Introduction:

You are about to embark on an exciting quest to learn more about the ocean tides, currents, and waves and how they affect our planet. You won’t be traveling on a Magic School Bus, but on the Information Super Highway. Your task sheet contains the URL’s for several different web sites that you will visit in order to complete a scavenger hunt. At each site there will be information to locate and record. At various points you will encounter an “Assessment Check”. This is when you should reflect and silently ask yourself “Do I understand the concepts I just discovered” before moving on. If you do not believe you understand the concepts ask for assistance from the teacher or review what you missed again. This work is due at the end of class. The grade will be based on the accuracy of what you have completed.

Waves

1.The size of a wave depends on ______.

2. Waves travel ______water, they do not take ______with them.

3.Tsunamis are usually caused by ______.

4. Tsunamis are sometimes called tidal waves. Why is this incorrect? ______

Animation-

ASSESSMENT CHECK – I can explain what a wave is and how it is caused.

______

Currents

Animation-

5. What do you call the circular patterns in which the world’s oceans travel? ______

6. What can this be compared to? ______

7.How do currents move in the northern hemisphere? ______

8.What is this called?______

9.What else causes currents to flow? ______

10.Do all currents have the same characteristics? ______

11.What makes them different?______

12.Describe the Gulf Stream by its characteristics. ______

13.Besides cold water what does the Humboldt Current normally bring to the surface? ______

14. How does El Nino change this pattern? ______

ASSESSMENT CHECK – I can explain how currents affect our climate and how they are caused.

______

Tides

Animation-

15.Give a definition of tides and explain what causes them. ______

16. Who first explained tides? ______

20. Why does the moon have a greater effect on tides than the sun? (Look for this answer in the animation site) ______

21. Where is the moon when there is a high tide? ______Draw a picture of spring tides with the earth, sun and moon.

ASSESSMENT CHECK – I can explain what a tide is and how it is caused.

______

For Exploration and Challenge:

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/tsunami/tsunami_intro.htm

Click on Locations and Occurrences on the left hand side. Study the map for patterns. Enlarge it so that you can read the key.

1. Where are most of them? ______

2. What usually causes tsunamis? ______

3. Challenge question: Why doesn’t the east coast of the United States have tsunamis? ______