Life in the Water
This collection of resources was developed for GCSE courses by Cape Farewell in partnership with the Nuffield Curriculum Programme. The Cape Farewell expedition has carried out a series of voyages of discovery in a sailing schooner to Svalbard in the Norwegian Arctic. In one voyage scientists and teachers collaborated with a film maker to create these resources aimed at enhancing the teaching about aspects of climate change and its implications.
Life in the Water examines the crucial place of plankton as part of the Arctic food chain, and as indicators of global warming. The video clips tell a story about a group of scientists as they collect plankton in the Arctic and return to the laboratory in Southampton where they record and analyse the data. The scientists discuss their work with teachers. The videos not only explore the biology and the topic of climate change but also illustrate how scientist collect and interpret data with a view to testing an hypothesis.
Video clips originally supplied on a DVD
Clip 1: The voyages
Clip 2: Life in the water
Clip 3: The hypothesis
Clip 4: Measuring the oceans
Clip 5: Analysis
Clip 6: Recording plankton data
Clip 7: Plankton and global warming
Clip 8: Science – the Big Questions
HEALTH and SAFETY
Any use of a resource that includes a practical activity must include a risk assessment.
Please note that collections may contain ARCHIVE resources, which were developed at a much earlier date.
Since that time there have been significant changes in the rules and guidance affecting laboratory practical work.
Further information is provided in our Health and Safety guidance.
Life in the Water: Teacher Guidance
These teachers’ notes were produced to support the use of the series of video clips and activities about a Cape Farewell expedition to the Norwegian Arctic. The notes provide detailed guidance on each of the video clips and activities. They also suggest a series of six lessons based on the resources. The version of the notes…
The Voyages
This Cape Farewell video clip provides a general introduction to the voyage of The Noorderlicht to Svalbard and to the Cape Farewell scientists Simon, Val and Sarah. The scientists discuss their work with two teachers, Mike and Subathra. The presentation called Setting the Scene complements the first video clip by providing a…
Life in the Water
This Cape Farewell video clip shows that phytoplankton and zooplankton have a crucial place in the Arctic food chain which is highly sensitive to change. The Cape Farewell scientists need to study plankton to understand how they respond to global climate change. Activity A - Food chains uses the Arctic food chains to show why…
The Hypothesis
This Cape Farewell video clip explains that phytoplankton absorb carbon dioxide and can act as indicators of global warming. The video clip includes a discussion about a hypothesis that increasing phytoplankton could balance the effects of global warming. Activity C - Making and testing hypotheses follows up the video with some…
Measuring the Oceans
This Cape Farewell video clip explains that scientists use satellite images and optical measurements to detect phytoplankton in the oceans and that they use various methods to capture their samples. Scientists are shown looking at some of the plankton samples they have captured. Activity E - Collecting and checking is based on…
Analysis
This Cape Farewell video clip shows scientists back at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, analysing the samples of phytoplankton and zooplankton taken in the Arctic, identifying species and counting their abundance. Activity G - Plankton analysis is based on the images provided in the presentation. This presentation…
Recording Plankton Data
This Cape Farewell video clip shows how plankton data is recorded and used as evidence in scientific research. Activity H - Plankton data is based on a spreadsheet which students used to answer questions and look for patterns in data about plankton. The activity is designed to consolidate, practice and develop the students’…
Plankton and Global Warming
This Cape Farewell video clip features a discussion about the three important carbon cycles at work in the oceans and their place in global warming. In Activity I - Carbon cycle, students use the video to build up diagrams of the three carbon cycles. Teachers can use the carbon cycle sequence images to follow up the work by students…
Science – the Big Questions
This Cape Farewell video features a conversation at the National Oceanography Centre about how scientists from different disciplines work together to answer the big questions. This can be used to review some of the ways that scientists have arrived at their ideas about global climate change. It offers a way of summing up what students…
Collection author
Resource by: Cape Farewell
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