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How Do Oceans Circulate?

Provided by: Crash Course |Published on: April 27, 2021

Videos Grades 6-8, 9-12

Synopsis

This video discusses how and why oceans circulate, the major ocean circulation patterns, how ocean circulation patterns affect global weather patterns and regional climates, and the issue of plastic waste in the oceans.
The video shows the importance of these ocean currents in maintaining important fisheries, biodiversity hotspots, global transport routes, and regional weather patterns.

Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, Geography

Authors: Crash Course

Region: Global

Languages: English

Positives

This video breaks down the content and provides nice animations and images to support the narrative.
The speaker in the video presents information using humor and an engaging tone.

Prerequisites

The video does a nice job of defining terms, but students should be familiar with the basic geography and properties of water.

Differentiation & Implementation

This video can be incorporated into classes and lessons about plastic pollution, oceans, climate, marine life, density, salinity, pressure gradients, and the Coriolis effect.
Social studies classes can use parts of this video to connect the vulnerability of many communities to changes in ocean circulation patterns caused by climate change.
This is a great video for geography, biology, Earth science, and marine science classes.
Other resources on this topic include Interactive Exploration of Coral Bleaching, Into the Dead Zone, this video about coral reefs, and this StC lesson plan about carbon sinks.

Scientist Notes

Teaching Tips

Standards

Resource Type and Format

All resources can be used for your educational purposes with proper attribution to the content provider.