Collection of questions I've been asked over the years, that are distributed throughout the book:
Page 8, Water - Why is water so important
Why is the water so cold sometimes? Have you ever stepped into the water and felt like it was so cold? Water has a high specific heat, which means it changes temperature slowly and needs to absorb a lot of energy to warm up. In addition, water takes heat away from your skin faster than air does!
Why doesn't the entire ocean evaporate? Water evaporates, forms clouds, and comes back as rain as part of the water cycle. So even if Earth gets warmer, the ocean will not disappear. However, in billions of years there could be a different story as the Sun is slowly getting hotter as it gets older.
Page 14, Ocean Literacy Principle 1
How deep is the ocean? The average depth of the ocean is 3700 meters deep, however, the Pacific Ocean is on average deeper than the other Oceans.
What is the deepest part? The valley Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench it is almost 11000m deep (10935m to be more precise), which is the deepest part of the ocean! You may be curious to see if there is anything deeper, and it is true that there are other deep trenches, but the Mariana one is the deepest!
What is the tallest mountain? The inactive volcano called “Mauna Kea” in Hawaii is the tallest mountain in the world! That is, if you measure from the bottom of the ocean. Mt. Everest rises higher into the atmosphere at 8848 meters above sea level. Yet, if you measure Mauna Kea from the seafloor it is 9330 meters tall!
Page 21, Ocean Literacy Principle 1 - Thermohaline Circulation
What is the warmest spot in the ocean? The Persian Gulf is considered the warmest spot in the ocean with Sea Surface Temperature (SST) in the summer over 32°C/90°F! In particular, surface waters are very hot near Doha.
What is the coldest spot in the ocean? In the Weddell Sea of Antarctica where Sea Surface Temperature (SST) can be less than 0°C/32°F. This very cold water is also very dense and sinks to the bottom of the ocean.
These questions are still waiting to be inserted in:
Water
Will water become a precious resource in the future?
Water cycle:
Why does it rain in some areas and not in others?
Features of seafloor - Ring of Fire
How many volcanoes are there in the ocean?
Why are there areas on the ocean floor that rise like seamounts?
How do underwater volcanoes form?
Climate:
Why is climate change occurring?
Is the ocean changing its climate?
Will the ocean be warmer in the future because of climate change?
Will the Earth overall be warmer in the future because of climate change?
In which year will the Earth be 3 times warmer than today?
How warm will the Earth be in 10 years? 20 yeas? 100 years?
What will happen to marine animals in the future because of climate change?
Will marine mammals be affected by climate change?
Will all animals die because of climate change?
Why are animals becoming extinct? Is it due to climate change?
What was the first animal killed by climate change?
Which marine animal is at risk of extinction due to climate change?
How many marine animals will live in 5 years?
Will plankton die due to climate change?
Will climate change kill humans? What will happen to humans?
Since the world is getting hotter, will this lead to the end of the world?
Will our planet turn into a planet like Mars?
Would we need to travel to another planet?
Will our planet turn into a dessert?
Is it true that in the future there will be a massive heat wave that could knock out the internet for months?
Can climate change be positive and benefitial? Is it a good thing for the future?
Due to climate change, what will happen to polar bears? Penguins? Sharks? Sea turtles? Cats? Dogs?
How are jellyfish affected by climate change?
How many marine animals are left in the ocean now compared to before?
Is climate change happening on the Moon?
Will climate change affect our sports?
Global warming
Why is the sun able to warm the Earth so much? Is the sun getting hotter?
Sea level
Is it a good idea to live near coastal areas?
What will the ocean level be like in 3 years? Will it start to decline? Will the sea level fall or rise?
Exploration
Have we been to every part of the ocean?
Which part of the ocean is the most interesting to explore?
How are submarines controlled by a joystick?
Anthropogenic impacts/pollution
What will the sea of the future be like?
Will the sea be all brown and dirty in the future?
Will the sea be cleaner in the future?
Will space be as dirty as the sea?
Will the Moon become like planet Earth because they're building on it?
Ocean jobs
What do scientist that study sea turtles do?
What tools and technologies do people use to study the ocean and climate?
How many people do research on the ocean?
Is the ocean inspirational for everyone?
Do people that work with the ocean enjoy their job?
Marine life
Where in the ocean are the most dangerous animals (sharks, jellyfish, etc.)?
What marine animals are people most afraid of?
This page still needs to be finished on the website and in the book:
I think if I don't add it in somewhere else, I want to put something about iNaturalist and onezoom and an inquiry based project they can complete.
An activity that can be done is similar to what I saw in ESA Open Day where I show a video of a whale fluke and they have to pick the correct flashcard that has the whale... an activity to practice what a reseracher does when they are monitoring whales.
The other activity is like the one for the orbits of the satellites but instead of doing satellites to do ocean currents using a similar system of pins, I show Xs where the rubber duckies were found and they have to match the strings so that the orbit goes around all Xs, just like the activity at ESA
To still do:
Collaboratori e sostenitori: (da chiedere....solo idee) AMP Capo Milazzo Comune di Milazzo Provincia di Messina Ragione di Sicilia Centro tartarughe Messina Marevivo Sicilia Ministro dell’ambiente ISPR A NOAA Accobams UN environment SPA/RAC IUCN Birdlife Medasset Tethys Pelagos Meris International Whaling Commission Oceanomare delphis Ocean care Aeolian Islands Preservation Fund - Blue Marine Foundation Healthy Seas - Ghost Diving Filicudi Wildlife Association Sea Shepherd Oceana Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn Kurma Greenpeace WWF Legambiente Rotar y Lions Diving centers? Magazzino di Mutuo Soccorso - Lipari One Ocean Foundation Mission Blue
To Do: for all habitat pages, create memory cards with Canva that can be used to study the animals, play memory or play “guess who?” - I think that’s what it’s called in English