Anita Yasuda - Oceans and Seas!: With 25 Science Projects for Kids

Titles in the Explore Waterways Set Check out more titles at www.nomadpress.net Nomad Press A division of Nomad Communications 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Copyright 2018 by Nomad Press. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from
the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review or for limited educational use . The trademark Nomad Press and the Nomad Press logo are trademarks of Nomad Communications, Inc. Educational Consultant, Marla Conn Questions regarding the ordering of this book should be addressed to Nomad Press 2456 Christian St. White River Junction, VT 05001 www.nomadpress.net Many plants and animals make their homes in oceans and seas.

Here is a glimpse of just a fewyoull meet many more in the pages of this book! Imagine piloting your own submarine. Youre eager to grab the control stick. You push it forward, and the bright yellow sub picks up speed. Your heart races as you plunge into the largest ecosystem on Earththe ocean ! There is no turning back now! Outside the large glass window, a school of blue striped fish swirls past. Leaf-like creatures are beating their fins like birds. And are those balls of dancing jelly? You steer the sub past towering rocks covered with blankets of orange sponges.

WORDS TO KNOW ecosystem: a community of living and nonliving things and their environment. Living things are plants, animals, and insects. Nonliving things are soil, rocks, and water. ocean: a large body of salt water that surrounds the earths continents. salt water: water with a large amount of salt in it. continent: one of the earths largest land areas, including Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America.

Down, down you go, until youre nearly at the bottom of the ocean. What could that noise be? You peer into the inky blackness. Is that an eye the size of a dinner plate looking back at you? Your adventure in the ocean has begun! WHAT IS THE OCEAN? Salt water covers 75 percent of the earths surface. This water is contained in the earths huge global ocean. The ocean is so big that it wraps all the way around our planet! Whether you splash in the waves off Maine, surf in Australia, or hike along a coastline in the Arctic, youre in the same world ocean. A PICTURE OF EARTH FROM SPACE IN 1972 CREDIT: NASA/APOLLO 17 CREW When you look at a world map, you see seven large continents . A PICTURE OF EARTH FROM SPACE IN 1972 CREDIT: NASA/APOLLO 17 CREW When you look at a world map, you see seven large continents .

The continents divide the ocean into five main areas of salt water. These are the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Southern Oceans. WORDS TO KNOW port: a place where ships can load and unload. monsoon: a wind system in Asia that brings heavy rains for one part of the year and almost no rain the rest of the year. weather: the temperature, rain, and wind conditions of an area, which change daily. The largest of the five oceans is the Pacific Ocean.

It covers more than 60 million square miles. Thats enormous! If the continents were puzzle pieces, they could all fit in the Pacific Ocean. An area around the Pacific Ocean is famous for volcanoes and earthquakes. Its called the Ring of Fire. There are more than 450 active volcanoes here. The Pacific Ocean has more volcanoes than anywhere else.

The second-largest ocean is the Atlantic Ocean. It flows between the icy North and South Poles and covers 31 million square miles. The Atlantic Ocean coastline zigs and zags, forming many natural harbors and ports . The Atlantic is the busiest ocean. DID YOU KNOW? The Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans are home to the biggest fish in the worldthe whale shark. It can weigh up to 75,000 pounds and is covered with tooth-like scales.

The warm waters of the Indian Ocean flow past more than 37 countries. This ocean takes its name from one of these countriesIndia. The Indian Ocean covers slightly more than 28 million square miles. In the winter, monsoon winds bring warm, dry weather across the Indian Ocean. If you sail these waters in the summer, you will find wet and stormy weather. WORDS TO KNOW constellation: a group of stars that form a pattern.

Northern Hemisphere: the half of the earth north of the equator . equator: an invisible line around the earth that is an equal distance from the North and South Poles. The icy-cold Arctic Ocean is at the northernmost tip of the world. Its named after the great bear constellation , Ursa Major, in the Northern Hemisphere . The word arktos means bear in Greek. The Arctic Ocean covers 5 million square miles.

If you ever visit, youll see ice floating on the ocean for most of the year. The Southern Ocean surrounds the continent of Antarctica like a giant donut. Its waters flow across 7 million square miles. This ocean is freezing. With temperatures between 28 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit (2 to 10 degrees Celsius), the Southern Ocean is the coldest ocean in the world. WORDS TO KNOW technology: the tools, methods, and systems used to solve a problem or do work. WORDS TO KNOW technology: the tools, methods, and systems used to solve a problem or do work.

Norse: people from Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. mythology: a collection of traditional stories, either truthful or exaggerated, that are often focused on historical events. OCEAN STORIES Have you heard the story about the sea monster? It reared its terrible head above the waves and then... snap! The sailor was gone, disappeared without a trace. People have been telling tall tales about the ocean for hundreds of years. These stories were exciting to hear, but they werent true.

People could only guess what was in the ocean because they did not have the technology to explore it. To explain what they couldnt see or understand, people told stories. Can you think of other stories that were created to explain strange things? These stories described sunken cities and sea gods. Some storytellers frightened audiences with tales of wicked mermaids and sailor-eating serpents.