SCIENCE

. . and why did it take us so long to find out? Nat Geo Explorer Robert Ballard explains. (Nat Geo News)

Build your own ocean with our fun matching game!

Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers’ Toolkit—and a round-up of other interesting reads this week.

Note: Current Event Connections is slowing down for the summer. Our column will continue to appear once or twice a week until mid-August. If you have an idea for a Current Event Connection, a recommendation for a good read, or want to share one of your MapMaker Interactive maps, let us know in the comments!

Discussion Ideas

• Watch the super-short, delightful “Campfire Story” with Nat Geo Explorer-in-Residence Robert Ballard. So, how did the ocean get so salty?
  • The ocean’s chemistry (including its salinity) is due to the weird and wonderful workings of hydrothermal vents.
    • Hydrothermal vents eject chemicals from deep beneath the Earth’s surface to the surrounding seawater. In particular, Ballard points to beautiful “black smokers,” a type of hydrothermal vent that ejects what looks like billows of black smoke—in fact, he explains, the dark “smoke” is actually “microcrystals of minerals.” (Salt is a mineral!)

• Before the discovery of black smokers in 1979, how did oceanographers like Robert Ballard think the ocean’s chemistry developed?
  • Rivers. Oceanographers thought that “rivers were the obvious culprit, bringing all this stuff in” as they emptied into the sea. (“Stuff” being chemically rich sediments eroded from continental landforms.)

• Why didn’t oceanographers realize the impact of black smokers until 1979?
  • Deep-sea hydrothermal vents were only discovered in 1977! Watch this video to learn how Ballard and his crew discovered these portals to the underworld.

TEACHERS’ TOOLKIT

Nat Geo: Why is the Ocean Salty? video

Nat Geo: My Ocean game

Nat Geo: Ocean Explorer: Robert Ballard article

Nat Geo: Deep Sea Hydrothermal Vents video

THIS WEEK AROUND NAT GEO . . .

• The Little Boy Who Should’ve Vanished, But Didn’t. Best story you’ll read this week—racism, class rivalry, academic jealousy. Anything but vanilla.
• A Quick Guide to Spotting Graphics That Lie. Fantastic reminder that “figures lie, but liars sure can figure.”

THIS WEEK AROUND THE WEB . . .

• Zookeepers Audition as Raptor Trainers. I’m very disappointed that my favorite aquarium is not in on this trend—cephalopods are clever girls, guys.
  • and A Public Assembly Facilities Manager Considers Jurassic World. When you lack “responsible waste diversion program with clearly marked receptacles” you’re just asking for trouble.
• On Planet in Distress, a Papal Call to Action. A graphic guide to understanding Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment.
• The Increasing Scarcity of Helium. The U.S. had a Cold War “strategic helium reserve”? That party balloon should really cost $100?
• Astronauts Have Done So, So Much With Duct Tape And Electrical Tape. Astronauts are awesome.
• Disappearing Porpoise: Down to 97 and Dropping Fast. Hope is vanishing for the vaquita, the world’s smallest porpoise . . .
• The SeaQualizer. . . . but hope is rising for deep-ocean bycatch.
• Charleston reignites debate over Confederate flag. Should the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia fly in front of the South Carolina capitol building? (The Confederacy didn’t have a flag—states’ rights, remember?)
• The Wetsuitman. It’s translated from Norwegian, so the grammar can be a little tricky at times, but this will be one of the freshest reads you’ll find about the immigration issue in Europe. And one of the best examples of investigative reporting you’ll read all year.