Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hi,

Please Help!!!

I am looking for quantitative data which proves that the global conveyor belt is slowing down. Could you please let me know of resources where I could find this information for my study?

Thank you,
RMLD

Hi rmld!

This sounds like an exciting project you're working on. What I would suggest you do is check out this link at Science Buddies to see if you can use the resources posted:

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... p012.shtml
The objective of this ocean science fair project is to make a model of ocean currents and measure how the heat input affects velocity of the currents. There are also sources online that can help you find information on your the global conveyor belt topic.

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... p002.shtml
The goal of this project is to investigate what happens to layers of water with different densities. You will investigate density differences caused by both temperature and salinity. This is slightly related to a project studing the factors that affect the mechanics behind the global conveyor belt such as thermohaline circulation.

You can also find more quantitative data on the global conveyor belt by doing a search on Google for academic sources (such data is generally harder to find, but it's not impossible!). You can also visit great academic resource sites like http://www.schoolr.com and The National Science Digital Library at http://nsdl.org/ or Scirus at http://www.scirus.com/srsapp/. These are all great places to start to find the data you're looking for.

Good luck with your research and project!

Thank you, I was able to find some information and data that I was looking for but I am still researching.

I am looking for a format for a science study. I have my purpose and hypothesis, but don't know how to format a study. Please help! Thanks,

RMLD

Hello rmld,

That's fantastic to hear you have a purpose and hypothesis ready to go! Now to format a study or experiment, I'd recommend checking out these Science Buddies links to get you started:

Developing an Experimental Procedure: http://www.sciencebuddies.com/science-f ... dure.shtml
Preparing a Materials List: http://www.sciencebuddies.com/science-f ... list.shtml
Conducting an Experiment: http://www.sciencebuddies.com/science-f ... ment.shtml

When considering your studies/experiments, use your hypothesis to write a project outline much like an outline you would for a essay or report you're writing for your literature arts or english class. This should include your ideas, questions, experimental priorities and a "to-do list" in one document so that you continue to evaluate and improve your study. As you continue to work with designing it, get feedback from your mentor or science teacher to strengthen the procedures and gain additional insight.

Think about the following questions in designing the steps you need to take to prove or disprove your hypothesis:

* When and where the research will take place?
* How long each experiment will take?
* What materials and equipment you'll need? Describe exactly what you need or used to do your research.
* What the controls are for each experiment? What are the variables you'll be testing?

- Independent Variable – is what is manipulated or the treatment in an experiment.
- Dependent Variable – is what is observed from the effects of the treatment in an experiment.
- Controlled Variables – are factors that remain constant throughout an experiment.
- Extraneous Variables – influence the relationship between the independent and dependent variables of an experiment, which you have no control over. These are variables that influence the outcome of an experiment and are undesirable because they add error to an experiment.

"Once you've written the methods section, make sure to go back and determine whether all the methods are feasible and whether the experiments will adequately answer your research question."

Hope this helps--good luck with designing your study/experiment!

Thank you for the links. I will check them out.

RMLD