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.

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.

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.

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 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.

Solar radiation (light) strikes Earth's surface throughout the daylight hours. Radiation (heat or infrared) also leaves the Earth during daylight and at night. Averaged over time and space, these downward and upward energy fluxes are equal. If they were not, our planet would gradually heat up or gradually cool down. But the surface of our planet is not simply a mirror for radiation. Some of the incoming ... Full description.

Weather involves the daily fluctuations in temperature, humidity, clouds, winds, etc. By contrast, climate is the long term weather patterns in a region. Therefore, to assess changes in climate, one has to look at average changes over long periods of time. Students will use long wave radiation data to determine whether the climate has changed in Portland, Oregon over a 20 year time span. They will ... 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.