This lesson ties ocean/float data to the concept of primary productivity by looking for connections between chlorophyll-a and dissolved oxygen.
Primary productivity is the rate at which solar energy is converted through photosynthesis, aka plant/algae/organism growth. More productive ecosystems support more life and are more biodiverse, helping those ecosystems rebound from environmental change. This lesson would be used to tie ocean/float data to the concept of productivity by looking for connections between chlorophyll-a and dissolved oxygen.
Cover Image: Chlorophyll Concentration (1 mo – AQUA/MODIS): NASA Earth Observations (NEO). https://neo.gsfc.nasa.gov/view.php?datasetId=MY1DMM_CHLORA&date=2022-05-01
Teacher Resources
Additional Resources
- https://fleetmonitoring.euro-argo.eu/dashboard – data was pulled from the float monitoring site to create the graphs used in the activity – feel free to pull your own data and add to your collection of graphs to use
- Interested in adopting a float? Adopt-a-Float Program
Next Generation Science Standards
Crosscutting Concepts
- Patterns
- Systems and system models
Core Ideas
- LS1.C: Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms
- LS2.B: Cycles of Matter and Energy Transfer in Ecosystems
Practices
- Analyzing and interpreting data
- Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering)
Ocean Literacy Fundamental Concepts
- 3.E: The ocean dominates the Earth’s carbon cycle. Half the primary productivity on Earth takes place in the sunlit layers of the ocean and the ocean absorbs roughly half of all carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere.