Commotion in the Ocean

Introduction

There is commotion in the ocean! The chemistry of our ocean is changing, but why is this happening? Why do we care? How does it affect your family or even the world around you? As oceanographers, we will take a dive into our ocean to analyze what is happening at a molecular level. With researching potential areas of concern and creating data visualizations of the ever changing dynamics of our ocean and its ecosystems, we will set out to inform the public of harmful impacts, potential risks and possible solutions. 🌊🐙🐚🎣

Important Information: This expedition is the Cycle 3 Chemistry Pathway expedition option

Essential Questions

• What is pH? What does the pH scale tell us? How do we test for acidity/basicity? What are the characteristics of acids vs. bases? How is our oceans pH changing?
• What happens at a molecular scale in our oceans? What is the carbon cycle? What is a chemical reaction? How do molecules break down causing the acidity to rise? 
• Why is there a decline in certain species in our oceans? What are humans doing to contribute to it? How does the rising ocean acidification affect/impact you specifically?
• How can you digitally inform the public about this issue? How can we show the decline of a particular ecosystem using technology or data visualizations? Are there any solutions to this problem?

Learning Objectives

• Analyze the change in pH of our oceans over time What is pH? What does the pH scale tell us? How do we test for acidity/basicity? What are the characteristics of acids vs. bases? How is our oceans pH changing?

• Analyze ocean acidification at a molecular level. What happens at a molecular scale in our oceans? What is the carbon cycle? What is a chemical reaction? How do molecules break down causing the acidity to rise? 

• Analyze the Impact of human activity/involvement on ocean ecosystems.  Why is there a decline with certain species in our oceans? What are humans doing to contribute to it? How does the rising ocean acidification affect/impact you specifically?

• Create a Solution. How can you digitally inform the public about this issue? How can we show the decline of a particular ecosystem using technology or data visualizations? Are there any solutions to this problem?