Ocean Virtual Laboratory

European Space Agency

This virtual ocean lab allows you to explore ocean currents, sea ice concentration, temperature, and other variables in the ocean and how they interact. The resource uses real-time data (back to 2010) that students can analyze and interpret.

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Notes from our reviewers

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This is pretty advanced for middle school students and possibly for high school students as well if they are not used to working with real-time interactive models. Though an amazing resource that should be utilized, a teacher should make sure their students are ready for this interactive map before letting them loose on it. YouTube videos are provided to help with the tutorial of the website. This is a great way for students to explore and have self-guided learning of ocean currents and temperature.
This is an extremely high-resolution model of ocean dynamics with many ways for students to experiment with various impacts on oceans and ways of looking at maps to decipher information. It does require a fair amount of prior knowledge, so it should be used near the middle or end of a curriculum on climate change. The lab is interesting for students, especially because of the real-world application that it provides. There is no lesson plan to help describe projects or other questions that may be helpful to lead students to certain outcomes. There could be an excellent lesson plan developed with this tool, as well as an opportunity for students to explore on their own to learn more about the ocean, but teachers would need to put in some work to develop this lesson plan from the YouTube tutorials shared.
Guidance for teachers is included, but more on technical than pedagogical aspects. If a teacher lacks a strong background in ocean dynamics and graphical representations, it may be difficult for that teacher to use this resource. It does provide an excellent way for educators to brush up on this topic, however, before using it with students. Helpful tip videos are provided via the ocean virtual lab YouTube channel, which could serve as a teacher guide. The website is intuitive and helpful in working with datasets and learning how to use tools that scientists use.