This lesson plan details an activity designed to put students in the role of scientists in analyzing the geological processes that occur on terrestrial planets - i.e. Earth and Mars. Students will use images from NASA?s Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) camera onboard the Mars Odyssey spacecraft to evaluate the geologic history and present conditions on Mars. This activity will enable students ... Full description.

In this lesson, students use the Live Access Server to obtain real sea surface temperature data, to create maps and line graphs, and to make comparisons and conclusions about the effects of El Nino and La Nina. Detailed Procedure and Materials, Vocabulary linked to an On-line glossary, and Teacher Notes are provided. Full description.

By matching maps of snow and ice amounts with maps of net radiation flux for the same time frame, students will use the Live Access Server to explore how the net radiation flux has affected the snow and ice amounts in the Northern Hemisphere, as well as how the presence of snow can affect the net radiation flux due to surface reflection. Detailed Procedure and Materials, Vocabulary linked to an On-line ... Full description.

In this lesson, students download cloud coverage and surface data from the NASA Clouds and Earth?s Radiant Energy System (CERES) Student?s Cloud Observations On-line (S?COOL) student observation database website, then use a spreadsheet program to develop plots of the data. Students explore the relationship between cloud coverage and humidity for low-, mid-, and high-level clouds. The lesson provides ... Full description.

This activity prepares the student to launch an investigation of the relationship between precipitation and Streamflow for a local watershed. It can enrich a study of the water cycle. Following the step-by-step instruction in this case study, students will locate, download, format, and finally graph one year of Web-based data for these two variables. Included is a graph that highlights the details ... Full description.

In this chapter, users explore relationships between air quality and population density using the image visualization tool, Google Earth. Humans discovered long ago that burning fossil fuels was a convenient way to get power. In engines for automobiles and plants that generate electricity, huge volumes of oil, gas, and coal are burned every day. Where many people live together in concentrated areas, ... Full description.

This lesson plan provides instructions for several activities for students to perform to study the relationship of temperature, pressure, relative humidity, and dew point in cloud formation. The lesson involves graphing of weather balloon data using a spreadsheet program. Full description.

In 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 ... Full description.

In this hands-on activity, students explore the relationship between angular size, actual size, and distance by using their finger, thumb and fist as a unit of angular measurement. Full description.

This lesson plan examines data in several formats in order to determine the presence or absence of seasonal variability in tropospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations. Full description.