Primary Production and Upwelling in the Ocean

This lesson consists of three activities in which students explore the resources phytoplankton need to grow. Students recognize the dilemma in the ocean: one resource (sunlight) is found at the surface, the other (nutrients) is found at the bottom. Students then explore how upwelling brings colder, nutrient-rich waters to the surface, and they connect upwelling to plankton blooms and increased activity in the food web at higher trophic levels.

Concepts and learning outcomes	Students will understand that: Abiotic cycles drive biotic cycles in marine ecosystems. Colder, nutrient-rich waters are denser than warmer surface waters. Displacement of warmer surface water causes colder subsurface water to rise, bearing nutrients from the bottom. The presence of colder, nutrient-rich water on the surface stimulates photosynthesis in phytoplankton. The number of organisms a marine ecosystem can support depends on the food resources available and abiotic factors, such as quantity of light and dissolved nutrients. Successful phytoplankton reproduction requires a source of sunlight and a source of nutrients.
Time requirements	Three 50-minute class periods
Vocabulary	euphotic zone, twilight (disphotic) zone, midnight (aphotic) zone, upwelling
Background information for teachers	The Marine Ecology site contains excellent background information for a teacher about marine ecology, trophic relationships and zonation. You may also want to read the transcript of this Pulse of the Planet radio broadcast.
Activities	1. Phytoplankton and Primary Production in the Ocean 2. Colorful Convection Currents 3. Upwelling & wind patterns

Resources used

Marine Ecology
http://www.teachingboxes.org/catalog.jsp?id=DLESE-000-000-008-939

Primary Production and Upwelling in the Ocean

Concepts and learning outcomes

Time requirements

Vocabulary

Background information for teachers

Activities

Resources used

Concepts and
learning outcomes