USING TECHNOLOGY TO STUDY MARINE ENVIRONMENT

Technology in the Environment

The Walker Schoolhttp://www.thewalkerschool.org/

Contact Information

Thomas Cooper

The Walker School, Marietta, GA

Email: coopert@thewalkerschool.org

Skype: tcooper1966

Twitter: tcooper1966

Blog: http://goapes.blogspot.com

Wiki: http://goapes.wikispaces.com

First Observing Tools

Definition of a Satellite

Although anything that is in orbit around Earth is considered a satellite, the term "satellite" is usually used to describe an object placed in orbit to perform some specific mission or task.

Current Uses

Communication

Navigation

Weather Forecasting

Environmental Monitoring

Emergency Radio Beacon Monitoring

Military Intelligence Gathering

Manned Platforms

Common Themes

Data Collection & Analysis

Human Population Growth

Biodiversity

Climate

Geology and Hydrology

Energy

Climate Change

Conservation

Stewardship

Launch Modes

Rockets

Space Shuttle

Satellite Orbital Paths

Polar

Equatorial

Inclined

Geostationary

Parts of a Satellite

Data Collection, Processing and Storage

National Environmental Satellite Data Centerhttp://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/

GOES, POES, DMSP, NPOESShttp://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/satellites.html

What is a Geographical Information System?

ESRI’s ArcView GIShttp://www.esri.com/

Geographical Information Systems (GIS)http://www.gis.com/

What Software Can Be Used to Look at Satellite Imagery and GIS

Databases?

Google Earth’s Atlas of Our Changing World

Google Earth Outreach http://www.google.com/earth/outreach/env_science.html

Microsoft Virtual Earthhttp://www.microsoft.com/virtualearth/

What It’s All About?

Connectivity

Collaboration

Discussion

Social Responsibility

Intellectual Property

MyWorld GIShttp://www.myworldgis.org/

MyWorld GIS Activity Center

Order MyWorld from Pascohttp://www.pasco.com/myworld/

ArcGIS Explorer Desktophttp://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/about/desktop_gis.html

Obtain ESRI Datahttp://www.esri.com/data/index.html

Technical Questions Before You Start

What are the computer system requirements for this software (e.g. RAM, Processor Speed, and Storage Space)?

What software will be needed to open a data set?

Is the information downloaded or served over a network?

Will your network connection handle 20 students (or more) streaming the data?

What backup plan do I have if the computers don’t work?

Using Technology to Study Marine Environments

NOAA Ocean Explorer http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/explorations.html

Ocean Observation Toolshttp://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/technology/tools/tools.html

Real-Time Data from Ocean Observing Systemshttp://marine.rutgers.edu/outreach/rtd/files/Real%20Time%20Ocean%20Data%20Resources.pdf

Remotely Operated Vehicles

Carries cameras, manipulating arms, and instruments that measure water clarity, light penetration, pressure, temperature.

Acoustic Systems and Bathymetry http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/hmrg/Arctic/Instruments/sidescan_page1.htm

Optical Systems - LSO / TOPEX Datahttp://www.soc.soton.ac.uk/lso/index.php

Exploring Polar Oceanshttp://www.pbs.org/kcet/wiredscience/video/index-69.html

AUV w/ PUMA

GAVIA Class Unit Information http://gavia.is/products/index.html

Sorcerer II Expeditionhttp://www.sorcerer2expedition.org/version1/HTML/main.htm

Students can Track Voyage

Microbial Abundance & Ocean Sampling

Microbes make up roughly ½ of the earth’s biomass

Animals make up 1/1000th of the earth’s total biomass

Each ml of sea water has one million bacteria and 10 million viruses.

A Voyage of DNAhttp://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/6

J. Craig Venter Institutehttp://www.jcvi.org/cms/research/projects/gos/overview/

Information Stored at CAMERAhttp://camera.calit2.net/

Monitoring Giant Sunfish http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/126

GPS Measurements

•Temperature•Depth•Light Intensity•Speed•Distance

Discovery Questions – Animal Movements

What is the distance traveled (range)?

What is the depth traveled over a specified time period?

Where is their home range (feeding grounds)?

What currents to they use?

What physical factors are limiting their movement (e.g. light, temperature, pressure, salinity, currents)?

Mola Track (from TED.com)

Mola Daily Life (from TED.com)

Census of Marine Lifehttp://www.coml.org

Flotsam Foundhttp://www.pbs.org/kcet/wiredscience/video/116-flotsam_found.html

NOAA OSCAR Databasehttp://www.oscar.noaa.gov/

Saving Turtleshttp://www.pbs.org/kcet/wiredscience/video/127-starving_turtles.html

Ocean Biographic Information System Databasehttp://www.iobis.org/

Possible Data Queries

Integrated with Google Scholar and Google Images

Collaborate w/ Other Teachers, Add to the Wikihttp://www.goapes.wikispaces.com

Participate in our GoAPES Bloghttp://goapes.blogspot.com