Marine Biology
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Scientists study marine biology when they observe organisms in their water environments. Unlike biology, marine biology studies and classifies species based on their environment, rather than their taxonomy. Marine biologists do a number of different things, which include training dolphins, managing wildlife sanctuaries, looking for medicine in sponges, predicting the numbers of blue fin tuna in the ocean, and more!
If you love whales, seaweed, aquariums, and underwater volcanoes, and you also love to watch everything that swims, crawls, or moves in the sea, then this might be a good career for you. You'll not only study biology and oceanography, but also chemistry, ecology, zoology, geology, meteorology, botany, and more as you decide what area to specialize within the marine biology field.
For example, fisheries and aquaculture create sustainable seafood sources; environmental marine biology includes studying the health of the ocean; deep-sea ecology uses new technology and equipment to explore the deep sea; ichthyology studies salt and freshwater fish; marine mammology studies whales, dolphins, seals, walrus, etc. There's plenty to choose from!
That said, we need to start somewhere with our studies here, so the experiments below focuses on marine wildlife and habitats, microscopic organisms, marine creature anatomy, different ocean ecosystems, and underwater exploration technology. Just enough for you to get a good taste of many different areas.
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We're going to cover the following key concepts in this three-part course:
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Step 1:
To get started learning, print out this worksheet. You'll be using it throughout the course. It contains questions and answers for you to fill out as you work through each lesson.
You'll also need to gather your materials. You can download our Master Shopping List here or simply pick and choose the experiments you'd like to do from the list below and then create your own list based on what you already have around the house.
Step 2:
Watch the videos and do the experiments (in order):
Lesson 1: Introduction to Exploration
Lesson 2: Sonar and Radar
Lesson 3: Ocean Zones
Lesson 4: Pressure
Lesson 5: Temperature
Lesson 6: Waves
Lesson 7: Currents and Tides
Lesson 8: Ocean Chemistry
Lesson 9: Underwater Volcanoes, Hydrothermal Vents, and Cold Seeps
Lesson 10: Salinity
Quick Links:
Marine Biology 2
Marine Biology 3
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Lesson 1: Introduction to Exploration
If you love whales, seaweed, aquariums, and underwater volcanoes, and you also love to watch everything that swims, crawls, or moves in the sea, then this might be a good career for you. You’ll not only study biology and oceanography, but also chemistry, ecology, zoology, geology, meteorology, botany, and more as you decide what area to specialize within the marine biology field.
Materials:
- two 2-liter soda bottles, empty and clean
- two bottle caps
- scissors and razor with adult help
- tape
- water, soil, and plants
Here's what you do:
Lesson 2: Sonar and Radar
Scientists use two types of sonar—active and passive. Active sonar transducers emit a signal into the water, and when it hits something, it returns an “echo” to the ship. You can stick these on the keel of a ship or the hull of a submarine, or even on ROVs. Ships also throw them overboard and tow them behind the ship.
Materials:
- empty soup can
- balloon
- small mirror
- tape
- scissors
- hot glue gun
- laser or flashlight
Download your Seeing Sound Waves using Light
Lesson 3: Ocean Zones
Photosynthesis occurs in the photic zone, and is a process where light energy is changed into chemical energy.
Materials:
- candle
- lighter with adult help
- large glass jar
- stopwatch
- leafy plant (weeds work also)
Lesson 4: Pressure
We're going to do two experiments! The first one is during the presentation part, andyou'll need two identical glow sticks. The second experiment shows you how to boil room temperature water by changing the pressure.
Materials:
- syringe without needle
Lesson 5: Temperature
There are tiny air bubbles trapped inside the water, and you can see this when you boil a pot of water on the stove. The experimental setup shown in the video illustrates how a completely sealed tube of water can be heated… and then bubbles come out one end BEFORE the water reaches a boiling point. The tiny bubbles smoosh together to form a larger bubble, showing you that air is dissolved in the water. (If you don't have the materials for this setup, just use a pot of water and the stove.)
Materials:
- test tube clamp
- test tube
- lighter (with adult help)
- alcohol burner or votive candle
- right-angle glass tube inserted into a single-hole stopper
- regular tap water
Download Student Worksheet & Exercises
Lesson 6: Waves
There are tiny air bubbles trapped inside the water, and you can see this when you boil a pot of water on the stove. The experimental setup shown in the video illustrates how a completely sealed tube of water can be heated… and then bubbles come out one end BEFORE the water reaches a boiling point. The tiny bubbles smoosh together to form a larger bubble, showing you that air is dissolved in the water. (If you don't have the materials for this setup, just use a pot of water and the stove.)
Materials:
- a radio or some sort of music player
- a balloon
- a mixing bowl
- water
- your parent's permission
Lesson 7: Currents and Tides
Have you ever noticed you how float a lot easier in the ocean than the lake? If so, then you already know how salt can affect the density of the water. Saltwater is more dense that regular water, and your body tissues contain water (among other things).
Materials:
- hard-boiled egg
- glass
- water
- salt
Lesson 8: Ocean Chemistry
Scientists use the pH (power of hydrogen, or potential hydrogen) scale to measure how acidic or basic something is. Hydrochloric acid registers at a 1, sodium hydroxide (drain cleaner) is a 14. Water is about a 7. pH levels tell you how acidic or alkaline (basic) something is, like dirt. If your soil is too acidic, your plants won’t attract enough hydrogen, and too alkaline attracts too many hydrogen ions. The right balance is usually somewhere in the middle (called ‘pH neutral’). Some plants change color depending on the level of acidity in the soil – hydrangeas turn pink in acidic soil and blue in alkaline soil.
Materials:
- Litmus paper or pH paper (you can cut into strips)
- apple
- lemon
- vinegar
- baking soda
- cup with water
- (Advanced Students only: make your own sodium hydroxide here)
Lesson 9: Underwater Volcanoes, Hydrothermal Vents, and Cold Seeps
Hydrothermal vents are surrounded by thriving communities of organisms that use energy from the vents for chemosynthesis. Cold seeps are places in the ocean floor where methane gas bubbles up and bacteria use this energy for chemosynthesis as well.
Materials:
- hydrogen peroxide
- yeast (the kind you'd use for baking bread)
- liquid soap
- shallow dish
- water or soda bottle
Lesson 10: Salinity
Have you ever taken a gulp of the ocean? Seawater can be extremely salty! There are large quantities of salt dissolved into the water as it rolled across the land and into the sea. Drinking ocean water will actually make you thirstier (think of eating a lot of pretzels). So what can you do if you’re deserted on an island with only your chemistry set?
Materials:
- salt
- water
- alcohol burner
- flask with one-hole stopper
- stand with wire mesh screen
- two 90-degree glass pipes
- flexible tubing
- ring stand with clamp
- lighter with adult help
When you've completed all the lessons on this page, you're ready for Marine Biology 2!
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