Marine Science: The Dynamic Ocean

image of a sea turtle and a Bathymetry map

Lesson 9: The Sea Surface: The Great Heat Distributor

Back to Phase I Main Menu

Select a tab.

Click on a thumbnail for a larger version of the image.

Figure Number	Caption	Credit
FIGURE 9.1	Global SSTs are recorded every day from instruments onboard polar orbiting satellites. Often the imagery presented for analysis is a mean composite (a combination of other images collected over time) where data values are averaged and given false color.	photos.com
FIGURE 9.2	Map of SSTs indicating SST in °C.	U.S. Satellite Laboratory
FIGURE 9.3	Isobars are lines of equal pressure. A barometer placed at any location on the line shows the same pressure reading on a barometer.	NOAA
FIGURE 9.4	A false color satellite image gives meaning to scientific data.	NASA, GSFC
FIGURE 9.5	In addition to collecting scientific data, buoys are used to indicate the presence of fishing gear on the seafloor. This lobster pot is one such example. The trap sits on the bottom, with a line connecting it to a buoy at the surface. The buoy helps fishers easily find their traps to check for lobsters.	photos.com
FIGURE 9.6	NOAA scientists deploy a buoy from a research vessel.	NOAA
FIGURE 9.7	Scientific buoys are found around the world. Yellow points are recently updated. Red points represent data >8 hours old.	NOAA
FIGURE 9.8	Lab materials.	photos.com
FIGURE 9.10	Sun shining over the ocean affects SSTs as energy is reflected and absorbed. The ocean is a feature on Earth distributing heat energy throughout the planet.	photos.com
FIGURE 9.11	A Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle soaks up energy from the Sun. Most of the Sun's energy entering Earth's atmosphere is absorbed by the ocean.	NOAA/Claire Fackler
FIGURE 9.12	More dense fluids sink until they reach a layer of the same density.	U.S. Satellite Laboratory
FIGURE 9.13	Portrayed SST image without currents doesn't take into account Earth's rotation, tilt, and effect from the Sun.	U.S. Satellite Laboratory
FIGURE 9.14	False color SST image derived from satellites provides scientists with data to analyze. Color representations demonstrate colder waters near Earth's poles.	NASA, GSFC
FIGURE 9.15	Selected major ocean currents illustrate the transport of surface waters.	U.S. Satellite Laboratory
FIGURE 9.16	Monthly average SST image represents a composite of images. The mean SST maps are derived from dozens of images collected during the month. They are often used to compare temperatures from month to month, and year to year.	NASA, GSFC
FIGURE 9.17	Earth's prevailing winds.	U.S. Satellite Laboratory
FIGURE 9.18	Selected ocean currents distribute heat across the globe in all directions.	U.S. Satellite Laboratory
FIGURE 9.19	Airplane flies in a straight line over both a non-rotating and rotating Earth.	U.S. Satellite Laboratory
FIGURE 9.22	Loops of currents in ocean basins result in a circular flow of water called a gyre.	U.S. Satellite Laboratory
FIGURE 9.23	Ocean surface current image shows eastward (red) and westward (blue) surface water movement.	NOAA, Ocean Surface Current Analyses - Real time (OSCAR) Project Office, Earth and Space Research
FIGURE 9.24	Wind speed and directions illustrate air movement over the ocean.	NOAA
FIGURE 9.25	Seabirds such as the Laysan Albatross rely on wind currents for soaring many miles over the sea.	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
FIGURE 9.26	Surface current illustration shows direction and indicates speed. It portrays currents as cold or warm.	NOAA, OSCAR Project Office, Earth and Space Research
FIGURE 9.27	Cargo ships travel on the ocean and can sometimes experience accidents in which cargo is lost.	photos.com
FIGURE 9.28	Cargo Ships are used to transport goods all over the world. This photograph shows cargo containers being transferred to a truck in Antarctica.	National Science Foundation/Peter Rejcek
FIGURE 9.29	Toys spilled into the Pacific Ocean and later traveled to some faraway places.	U.S. Satellite Laboratory
FIGURE 9.30	The Gulf Stream, as drawn by Benjamin Franklin (circa 1785).	NOAA
FIGURE 9.31	Satellites and other marine technologies allow scientists to learn more about currents such as the Gulf Stream. This image shows ocean current velocities.	NOAA, OSCAR Project Office, Earth and Space Research
FIGURE 9.32	The ocean stores a tremendous amount of energy, carrying it from the Equatorial to the Polar Regions.	photos.com
FIGURE 9.34	Loggerhead Sea Turtles are one sea turtle species common in United States waters. Their diet consists primarily of invertebrate animals, including sponges and crabs.	NOAA
FIGURE 9.35	Jazz, the Loggerhead Sea Turtle, locations on a given SST map.	MOTE Marine Laboratory
FIGURE 9.36	Studying the movements of sea turtles has taught scientists a lot about the behavior of these reptiles.	photos.com
FIGURE 9.37	SST monthly mean image of the South Atlantic Ocean.	NASA, GSFC

Disclaimer: "Online" access of e-Tools content is for home use only. e-Tools content from the Marine Science DVD must be pre-installed on school computers (single or networked). This will ensure that large files do not have to be downloaded on command. Large files will take time to download.