Mapping the Gulf Stream A multidisciplinary project which utilizes both real time data and primary source materials to

1. Mapping the Gulf Stream“A multidisciplinary project which utilizes both real time data and primary source materials to help guide students to discover the science and history of the Gulf Stream” Adam F. Sprague Instructor: Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science Adjunct Professor: Ocean County College

2. Objective: Students will investigate this great ocean current, how it affects the Atlantic Ocean and some of mankind's experiences dealing with it. This voyage includes activities for marine science, earth science, chemistry, physics, biology, math, history and language arts.  All may be easily used in today's technology enhanced classroom.

3. NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards Mathematics Standards 4.1: All Students Will Develop the Ability to Pose and Solve Mathematical Problems in Mathematics, Other Disciplines, and Everyday Experiences 4.2: All Students Will Communicate Mathematically through Written, Oral, Symbolic, and Visual Forms of Expression. 4.3: All Students Will Connect Mathematics to Other Learning by Understanding the Interrelationships of Mathematical Ideas and the Roles that Mathematics and Mathematical Modeling Play in Other Disciplines and in Life 4.4: All Students Will Develop Reasoning Ability and Will Become Self-Reliant, Independent Mathematical Thinkers. 4.5: All Students Will Regularly and Routinely Use Calculators, Computers, Manipulatives, and Other Mathematical Tools to Enhance Mathematical Thinking, Understanding, And Power. 4.9: All Students Will Develop an Understanding of and Will Use Measurement to Describe and Analyze Phenomena. 4.11: All Students Will Develop an Understanding of Patterns, Relationships, and Functions and Will Use Them to Represent and Explain Real-World Phenomena. 4.13: All Students Will Develop an Understanding of Algebraic Concepts and Processes and Will Use Them to Represent and Analyze Relationships among Variable Quantities and to Solve Problems. 4.16: All Students Will Demonstrate High Levels of Mathematical Thought through Experiences which Extend beyond Traditional Computation, Algebra, and Geometry. Science Standards 5.2: All Students Will Develop Problem-Solving, Decision-Making and Inquiry Skills, Reflected by Formulating Usable Questions and Hypotheses, Planning Experiments, Conducting Systematic Observations, Interpreting and Analyzing Data, Drawing Conclusions, and Communicating Results. 5.4: All Students Will Develop an Understanding of Technology as an Application of Scientific Principles. 5.5: All Students Will Integrate Mathematics as a Tool for Problem-Solving in Science, and as a Means of Expressing and/or Modeling Scientific Theories. 5.8: All Students Will Gain an Understanding of the Structure and Behavior of Matter. 5.9: All Students Will Gain an Understanding of Natural Laws as They Apply to Motion, Forces, and Energy Transformations. Standard 2: All students will use technology, information and other tools. Standard 3: All students will use critical thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving skills.

4. Activity #1:Use real time data to locate the Gulf Stream. Procedure 1.  Create working groups of 6 students. Break each group of six into pairs.Pair 12.  Obtain the most recent data from the buoys listed on the following page. 3. Record the following information on the Student Worksheet:  Latitude and Longitude, Time and Date, Air Temperature (ATMP) and Water Temperature (WTMP).  Scroll down the page to the Previous 24 observations.  Plot the location of the 6 buoys on the chart.

5. Buoy Links National Data Buoy Center http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/index.shtml Nantucket http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=44008 Cape May http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=44004 Delaware Bay http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=44009 Georges Bank http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=44011 Cape Hatteras http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=41001

6. Pair 2 3.  Obtain the most recent ship data by clicking on the Ships in the North Atlantic link below. The symbols represent the ships and buoys currently logging data in the Northern Atlantic.  The red symbols are buoys and the blue symbols represent ships.  Notice the series of letters and numbers under the blue ship symbols.  These are the "Ship IDs".  No two sets of letters and numbers are the same.  Locate at least four ships between 30N - 50N Latitude and 50W - 80W Longitude.  Write down the exact "Ship ID" on the Student Worksheet.

7. Ships in the North Atlantic http://www.oceanweather.com/data/NATL-Southern/marine.html You can access the real time data from the link above from ships out in the Atlantic Ocean.

8. Ships Observations Report Now click on the Ships Observations Report link listed.  Look through the data reported by the ships selected from the North Atlantic map.  Record the water temperature.  Record the location of the ship(s).   http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/ship_obs.php

9. Pair 3 Obtain the most recent satellite image of the Gulf Stream and answer the questions on the student worksheet. http://www7320.nrlssc.navy.mil/altimetry/images/modas_images/today/gst_sst.gif

10. Assessment Using colored pencils, sketch the approximate current location of the Gulf Stream on the chart.  Use the appropriate colored pencil to represent the temperature of the water and label.  Use the latitude and longitude points to guide placement of the current.  After each pair of students has collected their respective data and answered their questions, have the students regroup into their group of six. Have the students compare their data and answer the Assessment questions on the worksheets. 

11. Assessment Compare the ocean water temperature data from the satellite image with the temperatures collected from the ships and buoys.  1. How close do the data sources compare?  2. With the availability of satellite imagery, why do you think scientists continue to collect data from ships and buoys?Analyze satellite imagery.  Review the following archived satellite images and answer the questions on the Student Worksheet. http://srbdata.jhuapl.edu/d0043/avhrr/gs/averages/02jan/gs_02jan29_2249_mult.gif http://srbdata.jhuapl.edu/d0043/avhrr/gs/averages/02apr/gs_02apr19_2238_mult.png http://srbdata.jhuapl.edu/d0043/avhrr/gs/averages/02aug/gs_02aug28_2153_mult.png http://srbdata.jhuapl.edu/d0043/avhrr/gs/averages/02oct/gs_02oct23_2245_mult.png

12. Assessment 1. Does the position of the North Wall (the Northern boundary of the Gulf Stream) fluctuate greatly during the year?  Explain.2.  Describe yearly sea surface temperature changes of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean.  3.  Study the satellite image here. Based on the information in the image, estimate the time of year.  Support your answer.

13. Extension Lab Report 1. Define the following Gulf Stream terms:North Wallwarm core eddiescold core eddiesGulf Stream meanders Apply the knowledge learned working in your small group to the following activities.  Complete the activities individually and submit your question responses and completed Gulf Stream Map in your Lab Report. What information besides sea surface temperature might illustrate the pathway of the Gulf Stream? 

14. Extension View the example of the real time data image to learn how to locate the Gulf Stream, the position of the North Wall, warm-core eddies, cold core eddies and Gulf Stream meanders

15. Extension Using the Link provided   choose a recent 7-Day Composite Image for the Gulf Stream Region: Choose the current year and month (Click on choice) Scroll down and select the most recent 7-Day Composite Image.  If there is too much cloud interference, click back and select the next day. http://fermi.jhuapl.edu/avhrr/gs/averages/index.html

16. Extension On the Blank Gulf Stream Map, sketch in the current location of the Gulf Stream and label the following: The Gulf Stream Current North Wall Meanders Cold-core eddies Warm-core eddies

17. Final Assessment Answer the following questions in your lab report: a.  What direction does the current flow around Cold-core eddies? b.  What direction does the current flow around Warm-core eddies? c.  Do Cold-core eddies or Warm-core eddies have faster current velocities? d.  Where is the location of the North Wall in respect to the Gulf Stream? e.  What is the difference between a meander and an eddy?f.  What features were easily recognized on the sea surface temperature map? g.  What features were easily recognized on the velocities map? h.  If you had to choose one of these real time data to use while sailing in the Gulf Stream, which would it be? Why? i. How is the Gulf Stream identified today?j. Why is it important to know where currents are today?  k. Why is it so important to spend money on a satellite to collect this data?l. How are today's data collection methods different than from the ones identified in the previous lesson?  Better?m. Are any of the older methods still employed today?  Which ones?  Why?n.  In general, does the position of the Gulf Stream change drastically during the course of one year?  Provide support for your response.

18. Further assessment and multidisciplinary approach. Introduction to vectors without trigonometric functions

19. Introduction to vectors without trigonometric functions Use the site listed below to answer the following questions. http://rads.tudelft.nl/gulfstream/

20. Problems 1. What is the fastest speed of the Gulf Stream this week? 2. How many miles per hour does that equal? 3. Approximately, what is the location(s) of part of the Gulf Stream which is moving the fastest?  (Use latitude and longitude from real time map above) 4. If a ship was at this location, what would its Forward speed be if the ship's engines were not running? 5. If a ship was steaming at 10mph, how fast would travel going in the same direction of the current? 6. If a ship was located at 370N latitude by 670 W longitude what speed current would it be fighting? 7. If a ship was located at 400 N latitude by 730 W longitude? 

21. Extension Using the link provided, choose the real time data image timeframe that best matches your sea surface temperature date. On the Gulf Stream Map, draw in the arrows that represent the direction of the water flow in the following features: The Gulf Stream Current North Wall Meanders Cold-core eddies Warm-core eddies http://rads.tudelft.nl/gulfstream/

22. Work Cited http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/index.shtml http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=44008 http://www.oceanweather.com/data/NATL-Southern/marine.html http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=44004 http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=44009 http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=44011 http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/ship_obs.php http://www7320.nrlssc.navy.mil/altimetry/images/modas_images/today/gst_sst.gif http://srbdata.jhuapl.edu/d0043/avhrr/gs/averages/02jan/gs_02jan29_2249_mult.gif http://srbdata.jhuapl.edu/d0043/avhrr/gs/averages/02apr/gs_02apr19_2238_mult.png http://srbdata.jhuapl.edu/d0043/avhrr/gs/averages/02aug/gs_02aug28_2153_mult.png http://srbdata.jhuapl.edu/d0043/avhrr/gs/averages/02oct/gs_02oct23_2245_mult.png http://fermi.jhuapl.edu/avhrr/gs/averages/index.html http://rads.tudelft.nl/gulfstream/