Science 4 Projects

Due: DEC. 2 All Projects Must Include A Bibliography.

1. Research the history and development of diving suits. Write a report of your findings.

2. Make a poster of instruments used to measure and predict weather.

Include: Anemometer, Aneroid Barometer, Mercury Barometer, Hygrometer, and Wind Vane.

On the poster draw or paste a picture of the instrument and write a short explanation of how each

instrument is used.

3. In 1803, Luke Howard used Latin terms to classify four main cloud types.

Cumulus means pile and describes heaped, lumpy clouds. Cirrus, meaning hair, describes high

level clouds that look wispy, like locks of hair. Featureless clouds that form sheets are called

Stratus, meaning layer. The term Nimbus, which means cloud, refers to low, grey rain clouds.

Make a poster using pictures or drawings showing these main cloud types.

4. Research hurricanes. Find out how they develop, their parts, how they move, tools used by

meteorologists to track them, how they are named, the damage they cause, and what you should

do if you are in a hurricane.

http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/hurr/home.rxml has excellent information on all

these points. Write a report on hurricanes. Be sure to have a creative cover for your report.

5. Research and write a report about Luke Howard, the man who named the clouds.

6. Choose one of the following marine organisms and learn about its life: flounder,

sea cucumber, jellyfish, crab, conch, skate, coral, sponge, oyster, octopus, shark, electric eel,

blowfish, seahorse, or squid. This information can be presented as a poster or a written report.

The following must be included:

Ø What special adaptations does it have?

Ø How does it reproduce?

Ø Where does it fit into the marine food web?

Ø What does it eat, and what eats it?

Ø What are its special habitat needs?

Ø How well is this species surviving?

Ø Is it endangered or threatened? If so, why?

Ø Is this life form important to people? If so, how?

Ø How do scientists study it?

7. Some marine mammals require protection under the laws of the United States.  Why are these mammals

endangered? What is being done to protect them?

Pick an animal and investigate its habitat, its life cycle, its natural predator, and how it

Reproduces. Does this animal have any contact with humans? To get a complete list of the

protected marine mammals, like some species of dolphins, whales, sea lions, and seals check out

http://www.nos.noaa.gov/ocrm/nmsp/ and http://kingfish.ssp.nmfs/gov/tmcintyr/prot_res.html

This information may be presented as a poster or a written report.

8. Research the origins of the words Pacific, Atlantic, Arctic, and Ocean. Explain how the

oceans got their names.

9. Make a poster showing the various types of organisms found in both the light and dark zones of

the ocean.

10. Write a report on El Niño and La Niña. What is El Niño? How does it affect our climate?

What is La Niña? What happens when the earth experiences either an El Niño or La Niña?

What role do ocean currents play in climate control? Begin your search at

http://www.elnino.noaa.gov

11. Build your own Jason-1 Spacecraft. See attached directions.

Write a short report explaining how Jason works and how it benefits us. For more information

see http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/students/jason1/index.html

12. Build an anemometer to measure wind speed. See attached directions. Write a short report

explaining how it works.