Intermediate  Hydrosphere  Activities   Project 1 Project 2 Project 3 Answer Keys

Students will analyze a more detailed sea surface temperature map; in this example, one for the Great Lakes taken in late June of 1998.  They will use the map, together with NIH Image, Scion Image or Image Tool to help complete the student worksheet. (Using the Image software helps discover what the proper water temperatures are.  Since so many colors are similar, it is hard to distinguish each shade of color with the naked eye.)  Remember, to view the image, it must be a TIFF or PICT file.  You may wish to save the TIFF or PICT image to the hard drives of the computers you will be using before beginning the activity.  One problem may arise because it appears as if the temperature scale has one less square than values represented.  The solution is that the scale begins at 0 degrees Celsius, and ends exactly at 30 degrees Celsius.  So the top box on the temperature scale actually stands for 29 degrees Celsius; there is no box for 30 degrees Celsius.

larger, printable image (color laser printer works best)  student worksheet #1  teacher's answer key

• answer the same question on the worksheet, using the latest map rather than the above map.
• have students use the new images to ask (and answer) their own questions about the lake surface temperatures.
• save 1 image per week for several weeks, then create a movie using NIH Image or other software.  This movie should show how and at what rate the various lakes warm up or cool down at different times during the year.

Lake, ocean and sea surface temperatures for areas in and around the United States are kept by NOAA at this site.  Students can view the surface temperatures of various bodies of water at different times of the year.

The student activity involves making comparisons of the water temperature among different areas and different bodies of water.  A sample student worksheet is provided.  It may be helpful to save and examine the images in NIH Image (or other such tool) when completing the activity.  Students may need to use other maps and other resources as well.

Since the answers will vary depending upon when the images are viewed, teachers will have to create their own answer keys.  The possibility exists that some of the questions may be unsolvable (due to broken links or other unforeseen circumstances), or have strange answers (for example, asking which city has warmer off-shore waters: Miami or Honolulu, may not have an answer because they have the same water temperature).  Teachers should be prepared to handle these and other possible problems with the solutions.

Extensions to Project 2:

• Once the students have completed the worksheet, put them in groups of four or five, and issue them this challenge: They must come up with 10 questions of their own.  These questions should be similar in nature as those on the worksheet.  They can use any of the images found at the NOAA POES site, and should try to arrive at really tough questions.  They also have to know and record the answers (on a separate page).  Once each group has come up with 10 questions, they should trade their questions with other groups, then try to solve the questions they are given.  This can be graded in a variety of ways.  You can make it a contest, with prizes going to the group with the best questions, the group that solves the problems (all correctly) the quickest, the group whose questions use the most maps, etc.  Or, you can treat it as an assignment.  One suggestion: On a large map of North America (classroom wall size), each city, or body of water used by the groups in making their questions could be plotted.
• save 1 image per week (of the same locations) for several weeks, then create a movie using NIH Image or other software.  This movie should show how and at what rate the various lakes or ocean areas warm up or cool down at different times during the year.

Coral Reefs are an important part of the ocean ecosytem.  However, they are slowly being destroyed, largely due to activity by humans.  Pollution, careless tourists, and even the rise is global sea surface temperatures are affecting the coral reefs around the world in a negative way.  Students can use library sources and the following links to research coral reefs.  They should prepare a presentation or report that answers some of the following questions:

Multiple Choice Answer Key
Project #1 Answer Key