Digital Library for Earth System Education
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All About Frozen Ground
No full textThis resource, developed by the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), focuses on the impact of permafrost and frozen ground on climate, ecological adaptations, and global populations. Classroom activities, scientific interviews and animations provide additional support for the key concepts. Educational levels: Middle school, High school
Comment on Mechanical Weathering
No full textEasy activity. I would change the word weight to mass in the data table.
Coral Science from Outer Space to Inner Space
No full textThe International Year of the Reef 2008 is an effort, sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to bring attention to issues affecting coral reef health. This animation details some of the threats to coral reefs, the science being conducted to monitor and improve reef areas, and information on how people can help ensure reef survival. The animation was originally produced as an exhibit for Science on a Sphere installations across the country, you can find a museum or science center using the SOS at www.sos.noaa.gov. A text script may be downloaded from http://www.nnvl.noaa.gov/education/animations/Coral-Script.rtf Educational levels: Middle school, High school, Undergraduate lower division
Elementary GLOBE: We all need soil!
Get PDFA learning activity for the Scoop on Soils book in the Elementary GLOBE Series. Each student will explore three activities that promote understanding of and respect for soil. They will generate responses to the following questions: "What makes up soil?" and "What lives in the soil?" Next the students will watch a demonstration of how much soil there is on Earth that is available for human use. Last they will create their own soil connection sentences. The purpose of this activity is to introduce students to the importance of soil and why it needs to be studied, to help students understand how much soil is available on Earth for human use, and to help students understand the connection between soil and how it is used by living things. After completing this activity, students will understand the importance of soil science, comprehend the relative amounts of usable soil that exists on Earth, and learn the function of soil as it pertains to animals, plants and humans. Educational levels: Primary elementary, Intermediate elementary
The Rock Cycle
No full textThis interactive website explains rock cycle processes including igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary. Students can view an animated version of the rock cycle, learn about each step in the process, and take an online quiz to test their knowledge for each section. Understanding earth's deep past through the process that recycles rocks can help students develop concepts of the world in three dimensions and grasp the time-scale of geological changes. Educational levels: Middle school
MY NASA DATA: Does Cloud Type Affect Rainfall?
No full textIn this lesson, students hypothesize what types of clouds they believe will create the most precipitation (rainfall) over Nashville, TN. Scientists have studied the physical properties of clouds and have developed instruments onboard satellites to characterize the types of clouds they see below. Some satellites have instruments that allow them to measure rainfall as well. Students use the Live Access Server (LAS) to obtain Cloud Coverage data that represents what percentage of the sky is covered by a certain type of cloud. They then compare the cloud coverage data to precipitation data provided by the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center. The lesson provides detailed procedure, related links, sample graphs, follow-up questions, extensions, and teacher notes. Educational levels: Middle school, High school
Exploring the Edge of Our Solar System: IBEX Mission (Poster)
Get PDFThis poster outlines the major mission highlights of the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission, a Small Explorer Earth-orbiting spacecraft that is designed to map the distant boundary between the solar wind from our Sun and the interstellar medium. This poster supports a full-length planetarium show about the IBEX mission and the boundary of the Solar System. Each short activity/product helps to build awareness and engagement in the science and engineering aspects of the mission that are reinforced as visitors choose to participate in more activities, including viewing the show and mission website.
GLAST Launch Lithograph
Get PDFThis one-page lithograph describes the science of NASA’s GLAST mission and includes a student activity on the back. It is also available for download in PDF format. Note: In 2008, the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) was renamed Fermi, for the physicist Enrico Fermi. Educational levels: General public
Comment on Tsunami!
No full textAdditional information about the damage caused by tsunamis is required to understand how terrible they are.
La Nina
No full textThe La Niña is the climatic antithesis of El Niño. Whereas El Niño created equatorial Pacific warming due to weak surface winds, La Niña arises from very strong easterly winds that promote the upwelling of deep, cold waters to the surface of the ocean. These colder than average waters are visible in the animation as blue and purple colors. Like El Niño, the La Niña also alters global precipitations, ocean and atmospheric circulation. These climatic changes differ depending on the region examined. Educational levels: Middle school, High school, Undergraduate lower division