Where do ocean currents come from??
This demo, from Bill Nye the Science Guy, would make an awesome introduction to the grade 8 water systems unit. The purpose of this demonstration is to explain thermohaline circulation. Thermohaline circulation is a factor that affects the circulation of water in the oceans (it is explained in more detail in the scientific explanation section). The idea behind this experiment is not simply to teach students what thermohaline currents are, but rather to build a foundation of water system knowledge so when students move into the inquiry stage of the class they can understand the effects of global warming on ocean currents and what that means for other ocean systems as well as earth systems. When explaining what the experiment represents, it’s important to include the impact this phenomena has on other earth systems. For example, scientists have speculated that the current slow down of thermohaline circulation could lead to a a dampening of the warming being experienced in No...