Scale Model of Ocean Zones Activity

In this activity you will be creating a scale model of the ocean and labeling each of the ocean zones we talked about in class.

For this activity you will be given

• 1 strip of paper that is 38 inches long
• Colored pencils

Information

• For this activity we will use the average depth of the ocean, which is 12,000 feet
• The Littoral zone goes down to a depth of 33 feet
• The Epipelagic zone goes down to a depth of 660 feet
• The Mesopelagic zone goes from the end of the epipelagic zone down to a depth of 3,300 feet
• The Bathypelagic zone is everything deeper than 3,300 feet

Instructions

1. Take your strip of paper, measure 1 inch down from the top of the strip of paper and draw a line across the strip of paper.  This line represents the surface of the ocean
2. Measure 1 inch from the bottom of your piece of paper and draw a line across the strip of paper.  This line represents the bottom of the ocean
3. The distance between the two lines you just drew should be 36 inches, this 36 inches represents 12,000 feet of ocean
4. Calculate how many feet of water each inch on your scale model represents by dividing the depth we are using for the ocean (12,000) by the length of your model (36)
5. Figure out how many inches each of the ocean zones will take up on your model by dividing how many feet are covered by that zone by how many feet each inch on your model represents
6. Starting at the line you drew representing the surface of the ocean, measure down and mark on your strip of paper where each of the ocean zones begins and ends
7. Draw a line across your strip of paper 1 inch above the line you drew representing the ocean floor.  Label the space between the ocean floor and the line you just drew the Benthic Zone.
8. Clearly label each of the ocean zones on your model
9. Using the colored pencils, shade in each of the different zones with a different shade of blue.  The zones closer to the surface should be a lighter shade of blue, zones that are deeper should be a darker shade of blue.
10. Click on the link below to answer some questions about your mode
11. Write your names on the back of your model and hang your model up on one of the whiteboards.

LINK TO DATA FORM