Lab 2: Earth's Frozen Oceans

The lab activity described here was developed by Erin Bardar of TERC for the EarthLabs project.

Summary and Learning Objectives

In Part A, students will learn about how sea ice forms and influences ocean currents around the globe. In Part B of the investigation, they will look at how sea ice thickness changes over time. Finally, in Part C, students will use NSIDC sea ice index data to explore changes in sea ice extent on multiple time scales including months, years, and decades.

After completing this investigation, students will be able to:

  • describe the relationship between sea ice and ocean currents
  • describe how sea ice thickness and extent change over time
  • describe the timescales associated with sea ice growth and melt
  • explain why changes in sea ice over time are important

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Overview and Teaching Materials

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Printable Materials

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Teaching Notes and Tips

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Student Notebooks

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Assessment

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Science Standards

Lab 2 supports the following Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS):

Additional Resources

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