It turns out there's a lot more to heading south for the winter for migratory birds! Study the Coriolis Effect with a fun, hands-on teaching tool. Pupils take to the skies as a small red bird bound for the tropics from his frosty home at...

How does the formation of currents and waves in the ocean happen? High schoolers will learn about the primary causes for ocean currents and waves by calculating a wave's amplitude and nautical mile speed. Then they will complete a...

Blow your class away with a gust of humor as they watch this video about air pressure and wind. Along the way, they find that the density of air (as determined by temperature, altitude, and water vapor content) leads to air pressure...

Convection is offered as the reason behind our weather phenomena. This presentation assumes that viewers are familiar with the methods of heat transfer, and is therefore more geared toward middle-school meteorologists. The focus is on...

The Gulf Stream has historically provided humans with a faster trade route because of its swift-moving waters. It continues to be a source of information and fascination for oceanographers today. As your class views this collection of...

Middle school earth scientists describe the behavior of the Coriolis force. They compare and contrast conditions under which the Coriolis force has a significant impact with conditions under which it has very little. They model the...

Students locate the Trade Winds, Westerlies and Polar Easterlies on a map, explain the impact of the rotation of the Earth, and plot a route for a round trip voyage from New York to London.

Ocean lovers hang ten as they watch this film about waves and currents. What causes waves? What is a current? Learn this and more from Sam as he explains why RJ was struggling to surf the gnarly waves. Have your class watch this at home...

Students will determine the direction of Earth's rotation as viewed from the north and south if they were suspended out in space. They will model how the rotation of the Earth causes currents to be deflected in different directions for...

Learn how ocean currents are vital to humans and marine life. The eighth installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) program, focuses on ocean currents and how they affect global climate. The...

Students examine the different types of wind patterns. Using common materials, they construct weather vanes to measure and record wind direction over a two-week period. After analyzing the data, they draw conclusions about the...

Students identify different climate regions and local weather patterns.  In this cloud coverage instructional activity students use NASA satellite data and import it into Excel. 

In this currents worksheet, students review the Coriolis effect, surface currents, and density currents. This worksheet has 8 short answer questions.

Students describe connections between wind patterns, surface currents, and ocean climate zones. In small groups, they color the ocean climate zones in four different shades of blue. Students then answer questions like what four...

Students examine the toll taken on New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina. In this current events lesson, students visit selected websites to discover details about the geography of the city and the hurricane itself. 

[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Describes the Coriolis effect.

[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Describes the Coriolis effect.

Explains what upwelling and downwelling of ocean currents are, and the impact of Ekman transport and the Coriolis effect on current movement as well as where they occur. The effects of upwelling and downwelling on water temperature and...

A video and a short multiple-choice quiz on the topic of air pressure and wind. It explains what makes air pressure change, how we measure it, how wind is created, and types of winds.