Researchers such as paleoclimatologists or dendrochronologists use tree ring analyses as one tool to reconstruct climate information about the past. They will often reference data from other sources such as historical weather records, and ice core or ocean core samples to support their findings. In this lesson students will utilize monthly average precipitation data to strengthen conclusions about ... 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.

The Darby Creek watershed encompasses an area of approximately 550 square miles in central Ohio. The Big and Little Darby Creeks are well known for their vast diversity and abundance of aquatic and terrestrial plants and animals. They are home to eighty-six species of fish, five of which are endangered. Forty-one species of freshwater mollusks live in these waters, eight of which are on the Ohio endangered ... 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.

For this lesson, students will assume the role of an outdoor sports event planner. They will evaluate changes in air quality over a one year time frame based on a review of Air Quality-Carbon Monoxide Data and quantitative line graphs. The data will be used to make an informed decision about the best times of the year to plan for outdoor and indoor sports activities. Full description.

In this lesson, students will investigate changes in air quality due to human interaction particularly burning of fossil fuels, and crop burning which increase levels of carbon monoxide. Students will evaluate changes in air quality over a 6 month time frame using Air Quality-Carbon Monoxide Data and draw conclusions based on observing color plot comparison graphs. Full description.

In this lesson,students will play the role of a sailboat captain in The Hamptons, an upscale vacation venue, who must schedule sailing trips to amuse tourists and make money for the company. Using Monthly Wind Speed data from 1995-2005 from MyNASAData website, students will evaluate changes in the monthly wind speed, draw conclusions about how wind speed will effect their company positively or negatively, ... Full description.

This lesson will connect the idea of the tilt and orbit of the earth (changing of seasons) with monthly changes in snow/ice. Students will evaluate changes in the snow/ice cover from January 2008 to June 2008 and compare to the tilt of the Earth and position in orbit (seasonal change) using monthly Snow/Ice Data from January 2008 to June 2008 from MyNASAData website. Full description.

In this lesson,students will evaluate a location in the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere to determine the areas best for collecting solar power. Changes in surface radiation will be evaluated using Monthly Surface Radiation data from 2007 from MyNASAData website. Students will draw conclusions about how surface radiation levels will affect choice of solar power plant location selection ... Full description.

In this lesson, students will play the role of a member of an International Team of Marine Biologists tasked with predicting and monitoring possible harmful algae blooms. They will evaluate changes in the ocean's chlorophyll counts from 1997-2007 using data sets from MyNASAData website, draw conclusions about how the chlorophyll-a levels in the ocean may effect its ecological characteristics and infer ... Full description.