Surface and Wind Currents

This experiment is based on one my mom saw at the blog, All Things Beautiful (http://homeschooljournal-bergblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/ocean-currents-part-i-surface-currents.html). 

First I gathered my materials which included:
   food coloring
   straws
   9x13 pyrex dish
   2 large rocks
   

Then I put 4 drops of the red, 4 drops of green, 4 drops of blue and 8 drops of yellow in the four corners of the 9x13 pyrex food dish. (one color per corner) 

The colors spread out a little, but not much happened.

Then I put an ice cube in one corner. The food coloring spread out lots and swirled due to the temperature change.

Next I blew through a straw between the rocks and the water traveled around each rock. One side went clockwise around its rock and the other went counter clockwise around the rock. This was like the winds that blow along our equator causing clockwise currents in the northern hemisphere and counterclockwise currents in the southern hemisphere. 

When I blew towards a rock it messed up the pattern. The landmass caused interference with the normal pattern. 

Eventually all of the colors blended which shows that pollution from any one part of the world can spread throughout the oceans.

(Or maybe if I put a message in a bottle to Kendra's boys it could get there. ;) Or it might end up in Japan.) 

 Professionally removing the wrapper from a straw. ;)