Resources: Lesson Plans, Media, and Collaborative Research
The increased release of carbon dioxide due to human activity has created an imbalance in the ocean. About a quarter of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere dissolves into the ocean. As the amount of carbon in the atmosphere increases, the amount of carbon going into the ocean also increases, and this chemical imbalance is causing ocean water to become more acidic. The following links explain ocean acidification.
The world we live in is increasingly characterized by data. In oceanography, the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) and other efforts are spurring advances in sensor technologies and cyberinfrastructure that are changing the way oceanographers conduct research and share their results with the world. As we look to train the next generation of scientists, it is imperative that students have the opportunity to develop the skills necessary to collect, analyze and understand data.
The Aquarius mission is brimming with educational content that hits all four areas of STEM: science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The design and engineering of the satellite, the science of ocean observing, the technical specifications for the mission and the importance of understanding global processes through data can all be illustrated using Aquarius as an example.
In this poster, NASA’s education and outreach team illustrates their multi-pronged approach to creating educational products and opportunities for educators to utilize information and data about Aquarius.
