Acronyms Site Map

The tables posted below show the 23 student outcomes addressed by Aquarius Education and Outreach materials and aligned with National Science Education Standards (NSES), North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) guidelines, and Ocean Literacy standards. The outcomes are grouped into four major themes that relate to Aquarius science: Water Cycle, Ocean Circulation, Climate, and 21st Century Technology.

Earth's water cycle is dominated by ocean-atmosphere exchanges: globally, 86% of evaporation and 78% of precipitation occur over the ocean. Ocean surface salinity is a key tracer for understanding the freshwater fluxes into and out of the ocean system. This is because some parts of the water cycle decrease salinity (e.g., precipitation, groundwater flow to the ocean, river runoff) and some parts increase it (e.g., evaporation and freezing of seawater). With Aquarius data, scientists are able to relate ocean surface salinity variations to evaporation and precipitation, providing insight into how the ocean responds to seasonal and annual variability in the water cycle.


Salinity plays a major role in how ocean waters circulate around the globe. Salinity changes can create ocean circulation changes that, in turn, may impact regional and global climates. The extent to which salinity impacts our global ocean circulation is still relatively unknown, but NASA's Aquarius mission helps advance that understanding by painting a global picture of our planet's salty waters.


Oceanographers believe that maintaining density-controlled ocean circulation is key to keeping ocean heat transport - and Earth's climate - in balance. Increases in ocean surface salinity in high latitudes can increase seawater density and speed up the deep overturning circulation in the ocean. Conversely, decreases in ocean surface salinity (e.g., by melting ice) may result in widespread decreases in seawater density, reducing its ability to sink. In a very simple model, decreasing ocean surface salinity in the North Atlantic would reduce the efficiency of the ocean "global conveyer belt" which helps to regulate global climate by moving heat from the tropics to higher latitudes.


We know climate change can affect us, but does climate change alter something as vast, deep and mysterious as our oceans? For years, scientists have studied the world's oceans by sending out ships and divers, deploying data-gathering buoys, and by taking aerial measurements from planes. But one of the better ways to understand oceans is to gain an even broader perspective - the view from space. NASA's Earth observing satellites do more than just take pictures of our planet. High-tech sensors gather data, including ocean surface temperature, surface winds, sea level, circulation, and even marine life. With the launch of Aquarius, NASA has collected its first-ever ocean surface salinity data. Information that satellites obtain help us understand the complex interactions driving the world's oceans today - and gain valuable insight into how the impacts of climate change on oceans might affect us on dry land.

• NSES: National Science Education Standards
• NAAEE: North American Association for Environmental Education
• OLS: Ocean Literacy Standards

• NAAEE (2000). Excellence in Environmental Education: Guidelines for Learning (K-12). 2nd edition. Rock Spring, GA: North American Association for Environmental Education
• National Geographic Society, NOAA, and College of Exploration (2005). Ocean Literacy: The Essential Principles of Ocean Sciences Grades K-12. 2 pp.
• National Research Council (1996). National Science Education Standards. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. 272 pp.