Students will use NASA Satellite data to analyze and understand ways of studying photosynthesis from space. They will assume the role of a park ranger at Shenandoah National Park and determine when the plants and trees at their top efficiency by analyzing when the plants are absorbing a majority of the light hitting them (within the photosynthetic range.) 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.

GIS enables students to geo-reference multiple data sets creating layers. This essentially becomes a vertical profile of data, information, photographs etc. that when viewed as a body of information can present a fairly comprehensive view of that location. Based on data associated with latitude and longitude, students now have the ability to examine geo-referenced data sets derived on Earth, and from ... Full description.

There are many factors that affect an area?s climate. By understanding these factors, someone could predict the average temperature, temperature range, and precipitation patterns of an area. They could also predict the type of vegetation likely to grow in an area based on these atmospheric conditions. In this activity, students will work in groups of three. Each group will be assigned one of six sets ... Full description.

This lesson explores El Nino by looking at sea surface temperature, sea surface height, and wind vectors in order to seek out any correlations there may be among these three variables. It employs group work where different teams work together to analyze a single variable, and then get together in different groups to compare all three variables. The lesson will guide students through data representing ... Full description.

No study of Maine weather would be complete without analysis of the year of 1816 - the year with no summer in an area from western Pennsylvania and New York, up through Quebec and across to Maine and the Canadian maritimes. In this five-unit lesson, students will investigate the causes and effects of the Fabled Maine Winter by exploring a variety of data sources. They will locate, graph, and analyze ... 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.

The depletion of the ozone layer is recognized as one of the Earth's most important environmental issues. The Antarctic ozone hole is recognized as one of the most striking indicators of ozone depletion. The location of the ozone hole is generally confined to the latitudes over Antarctica, although there are occasions when the ozone hole can move over lower latitudes locations such as South America. ... Full description.

Solar energy is radiant energy that is produced by the Sun. Every day the Sun radiates an enormous amount of energy. How much solar energy a place on Earth receives depends on several conditions. In this lesson, students will explore real NASA satellite data for energy from the Sun and cloud cover for their area to determine if they can harness this solar energy, a renewable energy source, by using ... Full description.

In this lesson students will build on knowledge gained in the Hurricane Research lesson and the Hurricane Frequency and Intensity Lesson. Specifically, they will discuss the interaction (pathway) between a specific 'sphere' and the 'event' (hurricane). Working in groups, students will be assigned a specific sphere to look at more closely in relation to hurricanes. When all groups are finished, each ... Full description.