Digital Library for Earth System Education
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Bytesize Science: The Chemistry of Snowflakes
No full textThis video tracks formation of snowflakes from their origins in bits of dust in clouds that become droplets of water falling to Earth. When the droplets cool, six crystal faces form because water molecules bond in hexagonal networks when they freeze. It explains that ice crystals grow fastest at the corners between the faces, fostering development of the six branches that exist in most snowflakes. As snowflakes continue to develop, the branches can spread, grow long and pointy, or branch off into new arms. As each snowflake rises and falls through warmer and cooler air, it thus develops its own distinctive shape. Educational levels: Intermediate elementary, Middle school, High school, General public
Bytesize Science: Super-Small "Microsubmarines" Could Help Clean Up Oil
No full textThis video describes the process scientists are recently engaged in creating tiny "microsubmarines" a reality. Scientists have created the first self-propelled "microsubmarines", able to pick up and transport droplets of oil from contaminated waters. These tiny machines could play an important role in cleaning up oil spills, like the 2010 Deepwater Horizon incident in the Gulf of Mexico. Educational levels: Intermediate elementary, Middle school, High school, General public
FAQs About Ocean Acidification
No full textThis website provides a FAQ in a concise, readable summary of the current state of ocean acidification knowledge to support the scientific research community and educators. It is maintained by the OCB Project Office, with oversight from the Ocean Acidification Subcommittee of the Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry (OCB) program. Featured items include a primer to offer the foundational basics of ocean acidification and its impact on humans, Earth systems and marine life. Educational levels: Middle school, High school, General public
Introduction to Ocean Acoustics
No full textThis module explores ocean acoustics, focusing on the propagation and detection of sound in the marine environment. Sound propagation strongly depends on refraction caused by variations in sound speed, and reflection off the seafloor and sea surface. Detection of sound subsequently depends on its propagation path, background noise from human and natural sources, and the sensors used for detection. Educational levels: Undergraduate lower division, Undergraduate upper division, Graduate or professional
Quantifying Marine Microbes: A Simulation to Introduce Random Sampling
No full textThis lesson introduces random sampling, one of the key concepts employed by scientists to study the natural environment, including microbial communities. Students first learn about the abundance and diversity of marine microbes. Colored beads in a bag are then used to represent different types of microbes, with the bag itself representing the ocean. Working in groups, each student randomly samples ten "microbes" from the "ocean", and records the data. To learn about the inherent variability of random sampling, the students then compare the composition of their individual samples, their group's pooled sample data, and that of the entire population. Educational levels: Middle school, High school
Coastal Change Hazards: Hurricanes and Extreme Storms - Hurricane Sandy
No full textThis resource from the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program, depicts the likelihood of a range of coastal change impacts resulting from Hurricane Sandy on the US eastern coastline. Through a complex modeling process that uses coastal elevations, wave forecasts, and potential storm surge, they predict coastal change hazards, such as shoreline and dune erosion, that might be expected during a Sandy landfall. Pre-landfall and post-landfall comparison images, maps, lidar topography and coastal changes are available for review. Preliminary results from field surveys illustrate the environmental impact and societal implications related to natural hazards, resource sustainability, and environmental change of this hurricane. Educational levels: Middle school, High school, Undergraduate lower division, General public
Climate Science
No full textThis unit was created for a specific population of middle school students in a small school for students with emotional disorders. The intention was to teach science standards and to re-teach related science concepts that were not mastered in elementary school, while preparing students to have a conversation about climate change using scientific information. With the seven principles of climate literacy in mind, seven lessons taking multiple class periods were designed to allow students to explore what climate is, how it is studied, how it changes through natural and man-made processes, how it affects humans, and what they can do to influence future climate. Educational levels: Middle school
Understand Climate Change Through Investigation of the Spheres
No full textThis 3-week module examines concepts of climate change through investigation of the spheres. It includes a wide range of hands-on activities such as vocabulary and concept maps, assessments and performance tasks. Alinement to AP Standards. Educational levels: Middle school, High school
Key Concepts in Microbial Oceanography
No full text"Key concepts in microbial oceanography" was developed by scientists and educators at the National Science Foundation-sponsored Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education (C-MORE). It is intended to convey the key concepts in microbial oceanography in jargon-free language for a variety of formal and informal audiences. Educational levels: Middle school, High school, Undergraduate lower division, Undergraduate upper division, General public
Modeling Earth's Climate: A Global Climate Change Module
No full textThis module is designed to be a 2 week long investigation into the modeling process in science, specifically applied to global climate models. It consists of a variety of activities aimed at building students understanding of how climate models work and are used to project future global temperature changes. Students create and analyze simple physical, mathematical, and visual models in an effort to solidify their understanding of the fundamentals of creating and using a model. Students will use Excel to work with real NCAR model data to create and analyze visualizations and graphs of global temperature to help them understand how models are tested and used. The culminating activity is aimed at exposing students to the IPCC SRES projections in hopes that with a solid background in global climate modeling, they will be better armed to understand how the projections are created and what each scenario actually means. Upon completion students will investigate a series of visualizations produced by NOAA's Science on a Sphere® program to help solidify what global climate models are currently telling scientists. Educational levels: Middle school, High school