Information on wind direction and strength is gathered from buoys placed in the Pacific Ocean. The shift or cessation of the trade winds allows the tongue of warm water to move towards the United States. Orient students to the different scales used in the satellite images. Give students two different years of data from the buoys in the Pacific Ocean and ask them to characterize each one in terms of average wind speed and direction.
Fisheries depend on upwelling conditions to provide food for the fish they are collecting.
Research the locations and types of fisheries in the Pacific Ocean. For comparison, geologist Ken Fink averaged data from most of the 20th century for Portland, Maine. The average elevation of water above the national geodetic vertical data established in 1929 for a 100-year storm is 2.92 meters. For a 50-year storm it is 2.86 meters and for a 10 year storm it is 2.60 meters. Mark these heights on a stake or pole and hold it vertically against the school building to envision the effect of those storms.