Today in
class we discussed water temperature and upwelling. For notes we
continued talking about water movement and addressed ocean temperature
and location. Areas near the equator are considered tropical, but do not
always have warm water. The same is true for temperate areas between 30
and 60* latitude. Water at the poles is always cold though.
Upwelling is when cold nutrient-rich water comes up to the surface. It is fed by deepwater currents hitting land and rising to the surface. These areas have cold water that is full of nutrients, so there is heaps of plankton, and as a result lots of fish and other marine life.
There are two known upwelling spots in California on either side of Monterrey Bay, shown in blue and purple on the map. There are elephant seal and sea lion rookeries (hang outs) at both of these spots because there is plenty of food for the seals and sea lions and their babies to eat.
Students are working on mapping upwelling and then answering questions about the data gathered from a particular day. If this is not finished in class tomorrow, then it will be homework for the students.
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