Weather Water Tanks: Fronts and Thermoclines Lab Activity

What happens when warm ocean water and cold ocean water meet?

This easy-to-perform, hands-on lab is a great way for students to see and remember how fluids of different temperatures and densities interact. This activity simulates weather fronts and oceanography (thermoclines), making it a useful tool for the study of these phenomena.

In the first part of the activity, each group of students places two different colors of hot and cold water into a divided tank. When they remove the barrier, students are amazed to see the cold water sliding below the hot water while the hot water moves up and over the cold water. As students continue the activity, they find that not only do hot and cold water form distinct layers but also that adding warm water to these layers results in a third layer between the first two. This activity employs the Framework Science Standard ESS2: Earth's Systems. It is aligned with all published National Standards. Pre and post-laboratory assessments and vocabulary words target specific Science and Engineering Practices and Common Core standards. The teacher guide also contains specific "Did You Know" concepts that link the real world with the scientific standards explored. This kit contains a student copymaster and enough materials for six groups of four to five students. This lab activity takes approximately 45 minutes to complete.