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Sea Surface Temperature, Salinity, and Density
Source: WGBH
[24-Aug-2022] Sea for yourself! Explore patterns in sea surface temperature, salinity, and density in these images adapted from data collected by NASA's earth-observing satellites. Ocean water properties are influenced by many factors, such as heating from the Sun, Earth's rotation, currents, winds, rainfall, rivers, and sea ice. The first image shows the long-term average of sea surface temperature, with red representing warmer temperatures and blue representing colder temperatures. The second image shows the long-term average of sea surface salinity, with white representing higher salinity and dark regions representing lower salinity. The third image shows the long-term average of sea surface density, with light blue representing lower density and dark blue representing higher density.

This resource was developed through WGBH's Bringing the Universe to America's Classrooms project, in collaboration with NASA. Background Essay, Teaching Tips, and NGSS Standards for this media gallery are available in the Support Materials (sidebar). For more resources in this collection: Resources For Lesson Plan For Science | PBS LearningMedia .

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