This site is a joint effort of NOAA Research and the College of Education at the University of South Alabama. The goal of the site is to provide middle school science students and teachers with research and investigation experiences using on-line resources. In this unit students explore what El Nino is, where it is located, how it is created, and weather changes that El Nino causes. Students analyze ... Full description.

This page provides an overview of the role of plate tectonics in the generation of earthquakes. It provides a map of plate locations and figures that illustrate fault types and tectonic environments (extensional, transform, and compressional). Examples of surface features in the Pacific Northwest, Nevada, Indonesia, the San Andreas Fault, the Red Sea, the Zagoros Mountains in Iran, and on the planet ... Full description.

This website contains class notes from part of a Geology 101 (physical geology) course. It describes the Richter scale, and how it measures the magnitude of an earthquake by expressing the seismic energy released. The site discusses the properties of seismic waves, mathematical equations used to help determine magnitude, and how seismographs work. Full description.

Alfred Wegener, the German scientist who proposed the idea of continental drift, had always been interested in geophysics and also became fascinated with the developing fields of meteorology and climatology. During his life, Wegener made several key contributions to meteorology: he pioneered the use of balloons to track air circulation and wrote a textbook that became standard throughout Germany. ... Full description.

This table provides a quick reference to cloud types. Clouds are divided into groups mainly based on the height of the cloud's base above the Earth's surface. The table further divides the types according to group, atmospheric layer, and base height. Links to additional information are embedded in the text, and users can select beginner, intermediate, or advanced levels of difficulty. A Spanish translation ... Full description.

This report reviews two methods of earthquake prediction: statistical analysis and observation of geophysical precursors of earthquakes. Statistical analysis involves observing the history of earthquake occurrences in a given region to see whether there are patterns or cycles; two case studies are provided as examples: Friuli, Italy and Parkfield, California. Five geophysical precursors, changes in ... Full description.

These Frequently-Asked-Questions and answers describe some of the effects of earthquakes. Some of the topics covered include ground shaking, surface faulting, ground failure, and tsunamis. Full description.

This article provides a brief discussion of the issues surrounding global warming. Topics include greenhouse gas emissions, the possible consequences of global warming, and debates among proponents and opponents about whether global warming is indeed happening and whether it represents a danger to the planet. Full description.

This tutorial provides instruction on the use of a field notebook. Topics include setting-up the book before fieldwork begins, daily information to be included, specific information to be included for every site, and post-field work review. Full description.

This news article describes how mountain lakes in Nepal and Bhutan have become so overfilled by water from melting glaciers that they are in danger of overflowing. Scientists from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), along with remote-sensing experts from the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), predict that in the next half decade or so, the Himalayas could ... Full description.