Ocean Currents and Weather | Science Project

Areas of Science	Weather & Atmosphere
Difficulty
Time Required	Long (2-4 weeks)

*Note: For this science project you will need to develop your own experimental procedure. Use the information in the summary tab as a starting place. If you would like to discuss your ideas or need help troubleshooting, use the Ask An Expert forum. Our Experts won't do the work for you, but they will make suggestions and offer guidance if you come to them with specific questions.

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Abstract

Ocean currents have a huge impact on our weather. If not for the ocean currents, the global climate would be similar to an ice age. Do you live near the coast? Find out which currents are near your coastline. How do they affect your climate? Where do they come from? Do they bring colder or warmer water to your area? Are they seasonal? What do you think your area would be like without them? Every three to seven years there is a weather phenomenon called El Niño, which is caused by a shift in ocean currents. Are there weather patterns that can be attributed to El Niño? Do weather histories reflect an increase in blizzard/hurricane/flooding frequencies during El Niño years? What about before or after El Niño Years? (FI, 2006; GLOBE, 2006; NCAR, 2006; NOAA, 2006; Unisys, 2006; Weather Underground, 2006; WMO, 2006)

Bibliography

FI, 2006. "Franklin's Forecast," The Franklin Institute. Retrieved March 1, 2006, from http://www.fi.edu/weather/.
GLOBE, 2006. "The GLOBE Program: Measurements: Protocols," GLOBE, managed jointly by UCAR and CSU. Retrieved March 1, 2006, from http://www.globe.gov/do-globe/globe-teachers-guide
NCAR, 2006. "NCAR Science and Education Outreach Page," National Center for Atmospheric Research. Retrieved March 1, 2006, from https://scied.ucar.edu/.
NOAA, 2006. "NOAA Homepage," National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. Retrieved March 1, 2006, from http://www.noaa.gov/.
Unisys Corp, 2006. "Unisys Weather," Blue Bell, PA. Retrieved March 9, 2006, from http://weather.unisys.com/.
The Weather Underground, Inc, 2005. "The Weather Underground," Ann Arbor, MI. Retrieved December 13, 2005, from http://www.wunderground.com/.
WMO, 2006. "World Meteorological Organization," WMO, United Nations. Retrieved March 1, 2006, from https://public.wmo.int/en.

Cite This Page

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MLA Style

Science Buddies Staff. "Ocean Currents and Weather." Science Buddies, 28 July 2017, https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Weather_p023/weather-atmosphere/ocean-currents-and-weather. Accessed 3 June 2020.

APA Style

Science Buddies Staff. (2017, July 28). Ocean Currents and Weather. Retrieved from https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Weather_p023/weather-atmosphere/ocean-currents-and-weather

Last edit date: 2017-07-28

Experimental Procedure

For this science project you will need to develop your own experimental procedure. Use the information in the summary tab as a starting place. If you would like to discuss your ideas or need help troubleshooting, use the Ask An Expert forum. Our Experts won't do the work for you, but they will make suggestions and offer guidance if you come to them with specific questions.

If you want a Project Idea with full instructions, please pick one without an asterisk (*) at the end of the title.

Ask an Expert

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Ask an Expert

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Abstract

Bibliography