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Education: The Conversation Between the Ocean and the Atmosphere

A conversation implies that there is a dialog happening between two parties and indeed, the atmosphere and ocean are constantly "talking" as the two areas exchange heat, water, and other properties. This conversation is what drives all major oceanic processes like global currents, wind patterns, and salinity concentration. These videos highlight some of those conversations and the instruments scientists use to measure them.

Block diagram of the water cycle
A New View on the Water Cycle (00:05:17)  Asking Questions and Defining Problems Developing and Using Models 
Dr. Raymond Schmitt discusses the role that heat plays in warming the ocean and fueling the water cycle, making the case for a more globalized view of the water cycle.
Discharge of the Mississippi River at Belle Chasse, LA
Aquarius Sees the Gulf of Mexico (00:02:48)  Analyzing and Interpreting Data Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information 
Dr. Gary Lagerloef uses data collected from NASA's Aquarius satellite to show ocean processes taking place in the Gulf of Mexico (September, 2011).
Distribution of sunlight on earth
Atmosphere and the Ocean (00:02:26)  Analyzing and Interpreting Data Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions Engaging in Argument From Evidence 
Ted Taylor, a high school earth sciences teacher at Bangor High School, discusses how to get more ocean science topics into the classroom.
Lab setup for quantifying density and specific gravity
Bringing the Topic of Specific Gravity Into the Classroom (00:03:16)  Asking Questions and Defining Problems Analyzing and Interpreting Data Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions 
Ted Taylor, a high school earth sciences teacher at Bangor High School, presents a host of educational resources and activities that educators can make use of to enhance their own curriculum.
pH solutions
Connecting Topics with Ocean Acidification (00:05:25)  Asking Questions and Defining Problems Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions 
Ted Taylor, an earth science teacher at Bangor High School, has his students work through a series of laboratory activities centered around ocean acidification.
North Atlantic subtropical gyre
Earth's Rotation Influences Ocean Currents (00:07:31)  Developing and Using Models Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions 
In this clip, Julius Busecke discusses how the interactions between atmospheric circulation and the rotation of the earth interact to produce large scale gyres in the North Atlantic Ocean.
Carbon flux
How are Humans Affecting Ocean Salinity? (00:07:00)  Analyzing and Interpreting Data Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information 
Dr. Gary Lagerloef explains how understanding ocean salinity can help us to better understand human-induced global climate change.
R/V Sarmiento de Gamboa
How Does Atmospheric Circulation Affect Rainfall? (00:05:29)  Analyzing and Interpreting Data Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions Engaging in Argument From Evidence 
In this clip, Julius Busecke, a Ph.D student at the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, explains how these rainfall patterns create tropical and desert regions.
Map of average salinity from historical ship and buoy data
Sea Surface Salinity and the Freshwater Cycle (00:05:19)  Asking Questions and Defining Problems Analyzing and Interpreting Data Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information 
The freshwater cycle and the salinity cycle operate at very different time scales; as our freshwater cycle intensifies, this difference is becoming more significant for global climate change.
Earth as ocean
Sun, Heat, and the Global Water Cycle (00:01:53)  Asking Questions and Defining Problems Engaging in Argument From Evidence 
Dr. Raymond Schmitt discusses the connection between the ocean and atmosphere and why that connection is so important to the global water cycle.
Annual average salinity in the North Atlantic
Tales From a Grad Student: Shallow Overturning Circulation (00:05:29)  Asking Questions and Defining Problems Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions 
In this clip, Ph.D student Julius Busecke explains shallow overturning circulation and uses the North Atlantic Ocean, home of SPURS, as a case study. He also gives viewers a glimpse at some preliminary results gleaned from a recent cruise to the SPURS.
Photorealistic view of the water cycle
What Is a Coupling Process and How Is It Related to Climate? (00:05:24)  Analyzing and Interpreting Data Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions 
One way Aquarius data is being used is to better understand how the ocean and atmosphere interact: how they "couple" to create processes we experience on a daily basis like evaporation and precipitation.
Global water reservoirs and fluxes
Why Worry About the Ocean? (00:01:05)  Developing and Using Models Engaging in Argument From Evidence 
In this clip, Ph.D student Julius Busecke walks us through why we should be concerned about the ocean, due, in part, to evaporation and precipitation. Although we think of these processes as largely land-based phenomena, they actually take place on a much larger scale over the ocean.