Digital Library for Earth System Education
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Differentiating Science from Opinion
Full text linkThis small collection of teaching activities and discussion prompts seeks to convey to students the difference between legitimate debate regarding climate change and debate which is meant to sway public opinion to protect lucrative industries. Specific examples are employed to illustrate how various conclusions can be derived. Educational levels: Middle school, High school
Penny Plop: An Exploration of Surface Tension
No full textOcean FEST is a program of hands-on, ocean-themed science activities for students in grades 3-6 and/or their families. Its goals are to: (1) educate participants about ocean and earth science issues that are relevant to their communities; and (2) inspire students--especially those from underrepresented groups--to pursue careers in the ocean and earth sciences. This activity explores the concept of surface tension using water droplets on pennies. Educational levels: Intermediate elementary, Middle school
Oil and Water Tubes: An Illustration of Ocean Properties
No full textOcean FEST is a program of hands-on, ocean-themed science activities for students in grades 3-6 and/or their families. Our goals are to: (1) educate participants about ocean and earth science issues that are relevant to their communities; and (2) inspire students--especially those from underrepresented groups--to pursue careers in the ocean and earth sciences. This activity, which involves pouring oil and water into a tube and then adding splash dye tablets, can be used to discuss a variety of important science concepts that are relevant to the environment. Educational levels: Intermediate elementary, Middle school
2011 Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
No full textThe purpose of this site is to provide access to teaching materials to respond to sudden hazard events, specifically the 2011 Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, in the classroom as well as more generalized materials that will help educators teach about hazards either before or soon after such an event. Resource includes images, videos and visualizations, classroom activities as well as current informational blogs and news reports. Educational levels: Middle school, High school, General public
Bytesize Science: Chemistry On Mars: The Curiosity Rover's Mission to Uncover Martian Habitability
No full textNASA's Jet Propulsion and Mars Science Laboratories provide a detailed look "under the hood" of the Mars Curiosity Rover, explaining the role of the analytical chemistry instruments found onboard Curiosity. Curiosity's primary mission goal is to determine the habitability of the Gale Crater, which scientists believe was once filled with water. Curiosity is basically an entire chemistry lab packed into a one mobile unit, equipped with the tools necessary to test the chemical composition of soil. Experiments to determine mineralogy and chemical composition of Mars are explained. Educational levels: Intermediate elementary, Middle school, High school, General public
Comment on Bad Meteorology: Bad Clouds
No full textI was a little confused by the academic language. Maybe put in a more easy-to-follow, kid-friendly language. But overall, very informative.
Community Tsunami Preparedness - 2nd Edition
No full textThis module is designed to help emergency managers prepare their communities for tsunamis. Lessons include basic tsunami science, hazards produced by tsunamis, the tsunami warning system, the importance of public education activities, and how to craft good emergency messages and develop tsunami response plans. The module also contains links to extensive Reference and Resources sections. Educational levels: Middle school, High school, General public
Avalanche Weather Forecasting
No full textAvalanches form through the interaction of snowpack, terrain, and weather, the latter being the focus of this module. The module begins with basic information about avalanches, highlighting weather's role in their development. The rest of the module teaches weather forecasters how to make an avalanche weather forecast, that is, one in which key weather parameters are evaluated for their impact on avalanche potential. The forecasts are used primarily by avalanche forecasters, who integrate them with other information to determine when to issue avalanche hazard warnings. The module contains five cases that let users apply the avalanche weather forecast process to different combinations of snowpack, terrain, and weather conditions. It is a companion to the COMET module "Snowpack and Its Assessment," which describes snowpack development and various assessment techniques. Educational levels: Middle school, High school, Undergraduate lower division
Optimizing the Use of Model Data Products
No full textEach model forecast tells a story about the weather events to unfold. As a forecaster, you employ diagnostics to understand and interpret that story, in order to modify it, blend it with other stories, and generate your own forecast. This lesson will help you sift through the abundance of model data so you can understand and interpret the model's story. Other lessons cover evaluating the model’s story against observations and against your conceptual models of the evolving situation, blending the stories, and adjusting the forecast to add value over an objective forecast. The diagnostic approaches in this lesson can be used in any of the first three steps in the forecast process. Since the model's story may provide insight into the forecast problem of the day, diagnostics may identify the key processes resulting in the model's forecast, and your understanding of the model forecast can help you assess its plausibility. Educational levels: Graduate or professional
Earth Exploration Toolbook Chapter: Measuring Distance and Area in Satellite Images
No full textThis chapter describes how to set a scale and measure distances and areas on satellite images. Using ImageJ, a freely available image analysis program that runs on most operating systems, users set the spatial calibration of an image, then select and measure distances and areas on it. The measurement results are reported in real-world units. The technique is most useful and accurate for nadir view (straight down) images. In this chapter, users examine satellite images of the Aral Sea, which has shrunk dramatically since 1960 because the rivers that flow into it have been tapped for irrigation. Users access satellite images of the region, then set a scale and measure the width of the sea each year. On another set of images, they highlight areas that represent water and measure them to see how these areas of the sea changed. Educational levels: Middle school, High school, Undergraduate lower division, Undergraduate upper division