Over a four year period we offered teacher professional development on a new ocean and climate topic each year, accompanied by related lectures delivered by scientists on their cutting edge research. The focus of Exploring Connections between the Global Oceans and the Inland Southwest series was to illustrate the importance of the ocean to our region’s weather and climate, as well as to explore how inland populations affect the global oceans. 

Module 2, Oceans and the Earth’s Energy Balance, was related to the central concept of the “Ocean/Sun connection”. The Earth has one big ocean that is interconnected. The temperature, salinity, and density of ocean water, and air temperatures and wind, are caused by the Sun and geologic processes. These factors cause ocean water to circulate on small and large scales and to interact with the atmosphere.