Flow: Currents and Climate

Science On a Sphere, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

This video introduces viewers to oceanic thermohaline circulation - the system of global ocean currents that cycle warm and cold water across the planet.

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Notes from our reviewers

The CLEAN collection is hand-picked and rigorously reviewed for scientific accuracy and classroom effectiveness. Read what our review team had to say about this resource below or learn more about how CLEAN reviews teaching materials.

This is a stand-alone video that could be used with other ideas such as El Niño, climate change, convections, etc. Teachers may consider creating a listening guide and drawing to further understanding of the concept.
This resource focuses on the role oceans and currents play in distributing heat around the globe, and how that affects climate. The video explains the system of global ocean currents that cycle warm and cold water across the planet, including the story of Benjamin Franklin discovering the gulf stream. The video was created by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Science on a Sphere. Passed initial science review - expert science review pending.
This video uses Science on a Sphere animations, showing data on a global scale. This is a 2D version of animations that are typically shown on spherical surfaces, allowing people that don't have spherical screens (such as classrooms) to visualize global climate patterns. The video uses fun stories, actors, and other visualizations to illustrate the information.