Tsu, Nami and Sting Tell About Oceans

by Group G7 Tim Wilde, Jennifer Smith, Susan Robinson and Angela Pieniaszek

Sting, Tsu and Nami

I am Sting! I am a Jellyfish.

I am Tsu! I am a Bottlenose Dolphin.

I am Nami! I am a Sea Turtle.

We like to learn about the Ocean together! The ocean is our habitat.

I met you last week when you were talking about the salinity of the ocean. Today I would like to learn about waves, currents, tides, and sea level changes, asks Sting.

We would love to share what we know about Waves, currents, tides, and sea level changes! Dolphins and Turtles are some of the smartest animals, you know. Lets learn! says Tsu and Nami.

Sting! Where did you go? Im ready to talk about waves! exclaimed Tsu.

Im over here! Im in the middle of a wave. I love being tossed to and fro in the waves. It is totally cool! replied Sting.

I cant wait to learn more about waves from you, Tsu. said Sting.

Look at the pictures and diagram of waves while I tell you about waves. I think youll find theres so much to know! responded Tsu.

The size of a wave depends on how fast, how far, and how long the wind blows. Even gentle breezes make ripples in the water. Strong winds from long distances can create very large waves. Even if you cannot feel wind, large waves can be produced by distant storms, like the one in the picture. explained Tsu.

What is the crest, trough, wave length, and wave height, like the diagram shows? Asked Sting.

Tsu explains, The highest point of the wave is the crest. The lowest point of a wave is the trough. The wavelength is the horizontal distance between two adjacent wave crests. The wave height is the vertical distance from the bottom of a trough to the top of a crest.

I dont know which I like better, floating in the wavelength or the wave height. I think I like being in the bottom of a wave, or the trough the best. Now I can tell my friends I am in the trough of the wave or the crest of the wave. They will be so impressed! said Sting.

I like jumping from the trough of a wave and out of the water and over the crest of waves! exclaimed Tsu.

Hey, Sting! I heard you and Tsu talking about waves. I know how you love waves. I have seen you bob up and down in the waves. I can explain to you why you bob up and down when you are floating in the waves, said Nami.

Okay, lets hear it! exclaimed Sting.

You bob up and down while you are floating, because waves are caused by energy traveling through the water, and the waves move the water along with them. The water moves forward and then down and back. This makes a circular motion. The water below moves in circular motions, explained Nami.

Wow! Now I know why I bob up and down as I am floating, said Sting. Look at me bob up and down, Nami! exclaimed Sting.

Sting, do you see those jetties over there? asked Tsu.

Yes, I think that is where I usually see the Sea Lions playing, said Sting.

Sea lions love jetties!

Do you know how those jetties got in the ocean, Sting? asked Tsu.

I guess the Sea Lions brought them, replied Sting.

Actually, no they did not, said Tsu.

Well, can you tell me about the jetties, Tsu? asked Sting.

Humans built the jetties in the ocean. said Tsu.

Who are humans? Oh, I remember, humans are the ones who scream whenever they see me or my family and friends and they yell, look out, there are jellyfish! said Sting.

Humans actually built the jetties to stop coastal erosion said Tsu.

Why do they want to wash away the beach our home? asked Sting.

They dont build the jetties to cause the coastal erosion. They actually build the jetties to stop coastal erosion, said Tsu. However human activity such as building jetties sometimes causes the erosion to happen faster. The waves have energy, but the sand is trapped, so the wave energy erodes more sand. Sometimes, the structures that are built by humans cause erosion instead of stopping it, said Tsu.

The last type of wave that we are going to tell you about, Sting is called a Tsunami, said Nami.

That sounds familiarTsunami! Where have I heard that before? asked Sting.

Maybe Sting will figure it out eventually Said Nami.

A Tsunami is a wave caused by an earthquake under the water. Tsunamis are huge waves and are sometimes caused by volcanoes too, explained Nami.

Waves cause a lot of changes in land forms too. There are many depositional features formed by waves, said Tsu.

The depositional features that are made by waves include the following Spits, Bay-mouth bars and barrier islands, said Nami. Look at the diagram below, and you will see what I mean!

See the picture of the current down there? asked Tsu.

What is a current? asked Sting.

An ocean current is the movement of the water constantly created by forces such as wind, waves, and temperature. Ocean currents can be caused by the friction between the water and the wind, answered Nami.

Ocean Currents

Tidal currents is a special type of ocean current. Tidal currents are caused by gravitational pull of celestial bodies continued Nami.

The moon is closer to the Earth than the sun is, so the moons gravitational pull causes the ocean to bulge outwardly on both sides. The water rides. This is what causes a tidal current, added Tsu. Below is a picture of a tidal current.

Now we are going to talk about rip currents. The rip currents happen when waves come up to the coast at an angle. The water rushes straight back to the ocean along the coastline. The waters that wash back to the ocean are in narrow spaces. The water can reach several miles per hour, explained Nami.

Is that how humans drown when swimming in the ocean? asked Sting.

Yes, it is, Sting. Even the best swimmers cannot get out of a rip current when they get pulled out by the current, said Nami.

Sometimes the swimmers can go parallel to the shore and get out of the rip current, said Tsu. There is a picture of a rip current below.

Rip Current

I am ready to hear about tides now! said Sting.

Ooh, I will tell about tides. Next to waves, I like tides the best! exclaimed Nami. Gravity is one of the major forces that cause tides. Another cause is inertia. Gravity and inertia work together to create two major bulges on the Earth, explained Nami.

Wow! I never knew the Earth bulged, said Sting. Can you explain the bulges more? asked Sting.

On the side of Earth that is facing the moon, a tidal bulge occurs. On the opposite side of Earth from the moon, the gravitational pull from the moon is less because it is farther away. The force of inertia is stronger than the gravitational force. Water tries to keep moving in a straight line, moving away from Earth. This causes a bulge also, continued Nami.

The combination of gravity and inertia make two tidal bulges of water on Earth. One bulge is where the moon is closest and the other is where they are furthest away. The rest of the Earth, inertia and gravity are in relative balance. Since water is liquid the two bulges stay aligned with the moon as Earth rotates, said Nami. Look at the picture I found of Earth with the bulges illustrated.

Thanks for showing me! said Sting.

One more thing about tides! The shape of bays along the coastline can make the tides intensified. The Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia is an example of this effect. Below are pictures of the Bay of Fundy, said Nami.

Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia, Canada

Hey, Sting, I wanted to tell you about Sea Level. Sea level is how high the oceans surface remains. Sea level is changed by certain factors. Sea level can change with climatic changes, such as global warming and global cooling. Global warming causes the glaciers to melt which causes sea levels to rise. Sea levels are rising because of global warming. Sea levels rising has serious impacts on our beaches. If the sea level continues to rise, the loss of beaches due to coastal erosion will increase, explained Tsu.

Thanks for telling me about Sea levels, said Sting.

Sure. Look at the pictures below, said Tsu. They help illustrate what I was explaining.

Glaciers

How Sea Levels Rise

Thank you, Tsu and Nami for teaching me all about the ocean. Now, I know all about waves, currents, tides and sea level changes, said Sting.

We had fun teaching you about the ocean. After all we do live in the Atlantic Ocean, said Tsu and Nami.

Bye, Tsu and Nami! exclaimed Sting.

We will see you later, Sting, said Tsu and Nami.

Definitions
Habitat: the place where a given animal lives. Example in a sentence: The habitat of jellyfish, dolphins, and sea turtles is the ocean. Back to story Salinity: Saltiness of the ocean. Salinity is due to the presence of a high concentration of dissolved inorganic solids in water, primarily sodium and chloride, which are the components of table salt. Example in a question: What is the salinity of ocean water? Waves: movement in the ocean caused by wind blowing over the surface of the water. Example in a sentence: The waves are really big today! Currents: horizontal, unidirectional flow of water Example in sentence: The currents are really strong today. Tides: the vertical rise and fall in sea level, of approximately one meter or more, once or twice a day. Example in a sentence: The water level is low at low tide. Sea level: the level of the surface of the sea especially at its mean position midway between mean high and low water changes. Back to story Example in a sentence: Mountains are high above sea level. Horizontal: side to side Example in a sentence: The horizontal line goes from side to side. Vertical: Up and down Example in sentence: The vertical line is the line that goes up and down. Adjacent: nearby; not too distant back to story Example in sentence: The two lines are adjacent. Costal erosion: washing away of the beach by wind or water back to story Example in a sentence: The storm caused some costal erosion because of the strong winds. Tsunami: Sometimes called a tidal wave. A huge wave caused by an earthquake under the water. Back to story Example in a sentence: the Tsunami destroyed the island.

Definitions continued
Depositional features: material is moved from one place and deposited in another place Example in a sentence: The earth has many depositional features caused by water. Spits: sand pit deposition found off coasts Example in a sentence: The spits off the coast of Nova Scotia are huge! Bay-mouth Bars: accumulated sand or gravel that is deposited somewhere else at a less rough part of the current Example in a sentence: That bay-mouth bar is huge! Barrier islands: a type of barrier system that runs parallel to the beach. They run in chains. Back to story Example in a sentence: Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina have many barrier islands.

Ocean current: the movement of water constantly created by forces such as wind, waves, and temperatures. Example in a sentence: The currents are strong in the ocean. Friction: the rubbing of one thing against another thing back to story Example in a sentence: The friction of two sticks sometimes causes fire. Celestial Bodies: natural objects seen in the sky back to story Example in a sentence: The celestial bodies are popular in ancient myths. Rip currents: an extremely strong surface current that forms on occasion Example in a sentence: Rip currents are very dangerous for swimmers. Narrow: thin Example in a sentence: Paper is thin. Drown: get pulled under the water and die. Back to story Example: The boy died in the rip current.

Definitions Continued.
Gravity: a physical force that is responsible for interactions which occur because of mass between particles. Example in a sentence: Einstein first wrote about the affects of gravity. Inertia: the force that acts to counterbalance gravity Example in a sentence: Inertia works against gravity. Bulges: to become swollen; to jut out or bend outward back to story Example in a sentence: After eating a huge meal, my stomach bulges. Aligned: to fall into line Example in a sentence: The earth and moon were aligned. Rotates: to move and turn about on the axis back to story The merry-go-round rotates 10 times before it stops. Bays: bodies of water from the ocean that form an indention in the coastline Example in a sentence: The bays along the coast protect animals from the elements. Intensified: larger back to story The effects of the wind are intensified by the rain. Global warming: a warming of the earths atmosphere and oceans. Example in a sentence: Global warming is causing glaciers to melt. Global Cooling: a cooling of the Earths atmosphere and oceans. Example in a sentence: Global cooling is bad for animal habitats. Erosion: breaking down parts of the Earth. Back to story Example in a sentence: The beach erosion caused the park to close.