NeMO studies the dynamic interactions between submarine volcanic activity and seafloor hotsprings at an observatory called Axial Seamount. The research activities at NeMO provide an extraordinary educational opportunity, both from the daily reports from expeditions at sea and from creative learning materials based on NeMO results. The site features curriculum materials designed for high school and ... Full description.

Climate is the long-term weather conditions for a region, generally determined by 30 or more years of records. Climate zones can be defined using parameters such as temperature and rainfall. In this lesson, students will make climatic diagrams called climographs which will relate weather and climate for a particular location. Monthly average values of weather data such as temperature and precipitation ... Full description.

In developing models for climate change and weather prediction, the measurements of surface and near-surface temperature are an important factor in the modeling process. As the Sun heats the Earth's surface, the atmosphere is warmed from below by the processes of conduction and convection from the surface. However, near-surface air temperature (approximately 10 meters above the surface) is often different ... Full description.

The onset of winter in higher latitude regions of North America brings snow to the area around the Great Lakes. The amount of snow is dependent on many variables. One of the most significant factors determining snowfall amount in the Great Lakes drainage basin is the surface temperature of the lakes. In this lesson, students will extrapolate information from selected MY NASA DATA and NOAA websites ... Full description.

In this lesson, students will examine a historical Category 5 hurricane, Hurricane Rita, that crossed the Gulf of Mexico during September 18-24, 2005. First, they will use the MY NASA DATA Live Access Server to obtain sea surface temperature (SST) data maps of the Gulf of Mexico. Then, they will construct a time series of SST data (line plot) for a location within the path of the hurricane where a ... Full description.

Clouds are a collection of water droplets and small ice crystals that are suspended in an atmosphere. Clouds form when moisture rises, cools, and changes to water or ice. It is important to take into consideration exactly how clouds affect the world around us. Clouds are an important determining factor in climate in any region around the globe. In this lesson, students will plot and analyze data for ... Full description.

There are many factors that affect an area's near surface temperature. One factor is the tilt of Earth's axis relative to the sun as it moves in its orbit around the Sun. These changes are due to the orientation of the tilted rotation axis with respect to the Sun. In this lesson, students will compare near surface temperature at the time of the solstices, the astronomical beginning for either summer ... Full description.

The type of climate present in a particular location depends on several variables, including surface temperature and annual precipitation. One indicator of a locale' s climate is the vegetation present, a relationship used by the Koeppen system of climate classification. Using a microset of satellite data to investigate vegetation of a particular climate zone, students will identify factors that influence ... Full description.

Phytoplankton, microscopic floating plant-like marine organisms (plankton means wanderer) are at the bottom of the marine food chain. They perform photosynthesis using water, carbon dioxide, and sunlight to produce glucose for their own use, as well as oxygen. Humans and all land animals and sea creatures are dependent on phytoplankton. The chlorophyll in phytoplankton can be observed by remote sensing ... Full description.

The seasons on Earth are caused by the tilt of the Earth on its axis as it revolves around the Sun. The differences in climate along similar latitudes can be explained by local variations in heat transfer, such as sea and land breezes. The absorption of solar radiation by different surface materials also contributes to variations in temperature along similar latitudes. Students will learn to correlate ... Full description.