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Education: Webinar Clips and Resources by Scientist/Educator

Tom Farrar
Tom Farrar
Associate Scientist
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Dr. Farrar received his Ph.D. in Physical Oceanography from the MIT-WHOI Joint Program in Oceanography. His research interests include air-sea interaction and exchange; dynamics and thermodynamics of the upper ocean; tropical dynamics and equatorial waves; oceanic internal waves and eddies; satellite oceanography; and ocean observing and instrumentation.
Mooring deployment
Constructing a Surface Mooring (00:07:18)  Planning and Carrying Out Investigations Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information 
Dr. Tom Farrar dicusses how scientists design surface moorings to stay in one place in the middle of the ocean while simultaneously collecting data for up to one year at a time.
Temperature and salinity profiles in the SPURS region
How Do Scientists Visualize Ocean Salinity? (00:03:57)  Asking Questions and Defining Problems Analyzing and Interpreting Data Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking 
Simply gathering oceanographic data is not enough: scientists must then translate that data into something they can see and interpret. Learn how by watching this video!
SPURS Buoy
How Do We Define Salinity? (00:01:30)  Asking Questions and Defining Problems Planning and Carrying Out Investigations Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions 
Dr. Tom Farrar explains what scientists mean when they talk about ocean salinity and defines the associated values.
Freshwater budget in the SPURS area
Linking Freshwater Flux with Variations In Ocean Salinity (00:04:51)  Asking Questions and Defining Problems Developing and Using Models Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking 
In this clip, Dr. Tom Farrar describes his research with surface seawater fluxes and what it means to create a salinity "budget" for the SPURS study site.
Flux buoy locations
What's Above a Mooring? (00:03:21)  Asking Questions and Defining Problems Planning and Carrying Out Investigations Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information 
Surface moorings collect continuous data from a single point in the ocean. Dr. Tom Farrar explains the types of instrumentation often found atop one of these moorings.