The Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program is an important part of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) strategy to understand global climate change. The ARM Program has established three outdoor research sites around the world. Scientists gather and use the data from these sites to study the effects of sunlight, radiant energy, and clouds on temperatures, weather, and climate. This site ... Full description.

This is a web-based activity using satellite images of the Gulf of Maine and the Carribean Sea. Students are asked to examine satellite data of sea surface temperatures. From this data they are to determine the temperature scale and how temperature differences are indicated. They also examine phytoplankton density images to determine where high phytoplankton densities are. Additional activities are ... Full description.

In this lesson, students focus on the tremendous public interest in the potential of extraterrestrial life. Students read and discuss an article about the search for alien life. They then divide into small groups and discuss the issues and implications of this search. Finally, they write about the complex issues involved in this search and its implications in one of several suggested genres. Full description.

This activity examines many of the reasons why it is important to construct large dams, specifically, the three major dams across the Gunnison River leading into Black Canyon (Colorado). The importance of the dams for irrigation, electrical supply and recreation throughout history is explored. Students will learn about the different types of dam constructions, with pros and cons for each. There is ... Full description.

Ships travelling between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie use the Welland Canal. Beginning with a conversation between characters Mathise, Geo, and Trig, they explain how a lock in the canal operates by gravity alone, without pumps. The characters use mathematics to solve problems such as how long the locks take to fill and how to express the volume and flow of water in more common terms (bathtubs of water ... Full description.

This is the site of a not for profit educational initiative. The site strives to promote competency in literacy and mathematics using lessons that focus on an aquaculture themes. These lessons include Understanding Percents (through the management of classroom fish), Equivalent Fractions (use food-coloring, sugar, and a dissolved oxygen tests to determine concentrations), and Japanese Garden (where ... Full description.

This 2-3 week module, based on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Cassini mission to Saturn, uses the mission as a context for learning fundamental science/math concepts. It consists of six standards-based, constructivist lessons, enrichment activities, and supplemental material such as questions and answers, a glossary, and a chart of Cassini's position in the sky. Full description.

Users download and analyze MODIS imagery from 2001 and 2003 to quantify the shrinking of the Aral Sea. The chapter steps users through downloading, installing, and measuring with ImageJ, a freely available image analysis program. Users employ the software to set the spatial calibration of an image, then select and measure distances directly from the image. Measurement results are reported in real-world ... Full description.

This on-line project is part of the Center for Improved Engineering and Science Education (CIESE) program, which has developed internet activities for the elementary, middle, and high school level student. Students measure the temperature, record the number of minutes of sunlight per day over a predetermined week, and determine their global coordinates. Each class then posts their data to this web ... Full description.

This lesson uses NASA satellite data to contrast amounts of cloud coverage over different climate regions in Africa. An an outcome of the lesson, the student will be able to explain how Earth's major air circulations affect global weather patterns and relate local weather patterns to climate as well as identify different climate regions. Students will also describe conditions for cloud formation along ... Full description.