Find the major current that flows past your coast.  Is it a warm current or cold current? 

How do you think the current affects your life, including the climate, the biological life found on your coast, the possibility of the water being warm if you go to the beach?

Objectives
Students will be able to:

identify a major current that flows past the nearest coast identify if the current is a warm or cold current explain how the current effects the climate

Materials
computers with Internet access
Student Worksheet


Background
How do Currents Affect You? is an inquiry-based assessment that will challenge students to organize information learned through the Gulf Stream Voyage unit, by seeking patterns in the various data streams, and attempt to explain the patterns through the public medium of a "Shore Guide".  It is recommended that the students' work is submitted to the web site for display in the Student Gallery area on the site.

The Gulf Stream is a pattern of warm water extending from the Gulf of Mexico to the British Isles. It is responsible for the mild climate of Western Europe, which is at a much higher latitude than most of New England, but experiences much milder weather. Wind patterns over the ocean pull the warm water from the Gulf into the Northeast Atlantic.  The Gulf Stream current is one of the strongest and well known currents, but is only one of many currents in the ocean.

Warm Currents
Flowing from the equator to high latitudes are the western boundary currents.  These warm water currents have specific names associated with their location: North Atlantic - Gulf Stream; North Pacific - Kuroshio; South Atlantic - Brazil; South Pacific - East Australia; and Indian Ocean - Agulhas.  All of these currents are generally narrow, jet like flows that travel at speeds between 40 and 120 kilometers per day.  Western boundary currents are the deepest ocean surface flows, usually extending 1000 meters below the ocean surface.

Cold Currents
Flowing from high latitudes to the equator are the eastern boundary currents.  These cold water currents also have specific names associated with their location: North Atlantic - Canary; North Pacific - California; South Atlantic - Benguela; South Pacific - Peru; and Indian Ocean - West Australia.  All of these currents are generally broad, shallow moving flows that travel at speeds between 3 and 7 kilometers per day.


Procedure
1.  Identify the major current that runs past your coast. 

2.  Is it a warm current or cold current? 

Possible Resource Links
National Buoy Center 
Ships
Ships Database
DEOS Altimetry Atlas 
SeaWiFS Browser


Assessment
Based on lessons learned in this unit, prepare a "Shore Guide" on how do you think the current affects life at your shore, including the weather or climate, the biological life found on your coast, the possibility of the water being warm (or how to predict it) at the beach.


Implementation Tips