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Education: Student Outcomes

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Outcome: Explain that evaporation can separate the water from the salt in salt water.
Grade level: K-4
Theme: water cycle
Video: salty_regions.flv

Very salty parts of the world's ocean are the Mediterranean Sea and also the Red Sea. In fact, those areas are some of the saltiest places we know in the global ocean. The reason they are so salty is that there is such strong evaporation because they're so warm there and they have high winds. So those places are very salty.

And also in the middle of our subtropical gyres. A gyre is a current system that moves around in a circle. The "subtropics" means that it is located in an area around 30 degrees (north) latitude all around the globe. That area is where we have very strong evaporation. That evaporation means that we lose fresh water from the surface. And we lose more fresh water from the surface than we actually gain through precipitation. That area is what we call "the ocean deserts".

Now on the fresh side, we have very fresh water near the coastlines and that's because we have the river waters flowing in. And we also have fresh water near the high latitudes where we have ice.
Grade level: K-4
Theme: water cycle
Video: water_everywhere_01.flv

 
Water is all around us, and its importance to nearly every process on earth cannot be underestimated. It is the only compound that can be found naturally as a liquid, gas, and solid. The process by which water moves around the Earth, from the ocean to the atmosphere to the land, and back to the ocean, is called the water cycle. Water regulates climate, storing heat during the day and releasing it at night, and carries heat from the tropics to the poles, by sea and by air.

Let's follow a single molecule of water, beginning in the ocean, through the paths it might take before eventually winding up right where it started - back in the big blue sea. The fuel for this journey will be provided by our planet's prime energy source: the sun. During the day, the sun heats up the air and ocean surface, causing water molecules to evaporate. Evaporation occurs when a liquid molecule of water escapes into the air as a gas.

This scientific visualization shows how water evaporation, indicated in turquoise, is driven by the energy of the sun. Notice how the rate of evaporation pulses over land: it speeds up during the day and almost disappears at night. Over the ocean, evaporation appears to remain constant, both day and night. Water in the air in gas form is known as water vapor. The molecule is now fresh water, having left the ocean salt and other particles behind. (source)
Grade level: K-4
Theme: water cycle
Video: Evap_and_clock_IPOD.m4v.flv

This animation of evaporation shows how heating from the sun causes increased evaporation over land during the day. This video is a clip taken from Water, Water Everywhere which incorporates audio not included in this clip.

Water regulates climate, storing heat during the day and releasing it at night. Water in the ocean and atmosphere carry heat from the tropics to the poles. The process by which water moves around the earth, from the ocean, to the atmosphere, to the land and back to the ocean is called the water cycle.

This animation was created using data from the GEOS-5 atmospheric model on the cubed-sphere, run at 14-km global resolution for 30-days. Variables animated here include evaporation, water vapor and precipitation. This animation is time synchronous throughout the animation to allow cross fades during compositing. (source)
Grade level: K-4
Theme: water cycle
Video: WC_evaporation_IPOD.m4v.flv

This animation of evaporation shows how heating from the sun causes increased evaporation over land during the day. This video is a clip taken from Water, Water Everywhere which incorporates audio not included in this clip.

Water regulates climate, storing heat during the day and releasing it at night. Water in the ocean and atmosphere carry heat from the tropics to the poles. The process by which water moves around the earth, from the ocean, to the atmosphere, to the land and back to the ocean is called the water cycle.

This animation was created using data from the GEOS-5 atmospheric model on the cubed-sphere, run at 14-km global resolution for 30-days. Variables animated here include evaporation, water vapor and precipitation. This animation is time synchronous throughout the animation to allow cross fades during compositing. (source)
Grade level: K-4
Theme: water cycle
Video: WC_vapor_IPOD.m4v.flv

This animation portrays the flow of atmospheric water vapor around the world. This video is a clip taken from Water, Water Everywhere which incorporates audio not included in this clip.

Water regulates climate, storing heat during the day and releasing it at night. Water in the ocean and atmosphere carry heat from the tropics to the poles. The process by which water moves around the earth, from the ocean, to the atmosphere, to the land and back to the ocean is called the water cycle.

This animation was created using data from the GEOS-5 atmospheric model on the cubed-sphere, run at 14-km global resolution for 30-days. Variables animated here include evaporation, water vapor and precipitation. This animation is time synchronous throughout the animation to allow cross fades during compositing. (source)
Grade level: K-4
Theme: water cycle
Video: WC_SST_IPOD.m4v.flv

This animation of sea surface temperature shows the transport of heat along the ocean's surface. This video is a clip taken from Water, Water Everywhere which incorporates audio not included in this clip.

Water regulates climate, storing heat during the day and releasing it at night. Water in the ocean and atmosphere carry heat from the tropics to the poles. The process by which water moves around the earth, from the ocean, to the atmosphere, to the land and back to the ocean is called the water cycle.

Data for this animation was derived from a model run of ECCO's Ocean General Circulation Model of heat along the ocean's surface. (source)
Grade level: K-4
Theme: water cycle
Video: WC_rivers_IPOD.m4v.flv

In this animation, pulsing of the global rivers highlights the flow of water from the continents back into the oceans. This video is a clip taken from Water, Water Everywhere which incorporates audio not included in this clip.

Water regulates climate, storing heat during the day and releasing it at night. Water in the ocean and atmosphere carry heat from the tropics to the poles. The process by which water moves around the earth, from the ocean, to the atmosphere, to the land and back to the ocean is called the water cycle. (source)