|  Have
you ever jumped into the surf during the summer and been surprised
to find that the water is too cold to swim?
Wouldn’t it be nice to know the water temperature of the
ocean before you even left for the beach? What if you could predict
the water temperature a few days into the future?
 
In this project, you will study data from satellite temperature
images and underwater sensors (CTDs) to look for evidence of an
upwelling off the coast of New Jersey. Based on your new knowledge,
you will use real-time ocean data from the COOLroom to create
your own "Ocean Weather Forecast" for the local newspaper.
 Using
the same satellite, CTD, and meteorological data that you will
learn about, scientists at the COOLroom are learning how to forecast
the "ocean weather". These ocean forecasts are much
like the weather forecasts you see every day on the news for the
atmosphere. The ability to forecast conditions in the ocean is
very important to oceanographers that are studying an event that
happens in the ocean called upwelling. During an upwelling, cold
water from the bottom of the ocean moves up to the surface, carrying
with it nutrients needed to support the plants and animals in
the ocean. Although an upwelling event can be good news for fish
(and for fisherman), it’s usually not great news for swimmers.
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