Earth Exploration Toolbook Chapter: When is Dinner Served? Predicting the Spring Phytoplankton Bloom in the Gulf of Maine

Author:

Amy Cline, Denise Blaha

Subject:

Science and Technology

Institution Name:

SERC

Collection:

Earth Exploration Toolbook (SERC)

Grade Level:

Secondary

Abstract:

In this activity, users learn about the variables that influence the abundance of phytoplankton, the microscopic plants that form the base of the marine food chain. Users apply this knowledge to make predictions about the timing of the spring phytoplankton bloom in the Gulf of Maine. They obtain and graph data from buoy monitoring stations and interpret them to make their predictions. They check their predictions by examining chlorophyll concentration data at each buoy. Users also compare their predictions with reality by obtaining and examining MODIS satellite images to view the full extent of the bloom over time.

Course Type:

Learning Module

Languages:

English

Material Type:

Activities and Labs

Media Format:

Text/HTML

Conditions of Use:

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 1.0