This animated model shows the predicted effects of glacial melting and changes in vegetation patterns in the Blackfoot-Jackson Glacier Basin of Glacier National Park, Montana. The scenario incorporated in the model consists of a predicted exponential rise in atmospheric CO2 concentrations, a 2xCO2 global warming scenario, with a concurrent warming of 2-3 degrees centigrade (4-5 degrees Fahrenheit) ... Full description.

LEARN was created to increase middle school science teacher knowledge of and interest in the atmospheric sciences. The original project began in 1991 with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Much of the instructional and science content foundation for the LEARN workshops came from the teaching modules developed by LEARN teachers in collaboration with more than 60 National Center for ... Full description.

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 lab activity is part of the Starting Point collection. In this short, serial basic-meteorology lab, students identify different cloud types and estimate cloud cover over a period of several days. This website details learning goals, context for the lab, and teaching notes. A list of teaching materials and links to further resources are also provided. Full description.

This collection of basic definitions and answers to questions about hurricanes and tropical cyclones includes how they form, how they are named, how intensities are measured, and how storms are forecast. Historical information, information on myths surrounding these storms, links to sites displaying real-time storm information, and safety tips are also included. Full description.

In this activity, students investigate and compare seasonal precipitation patterns in the San Francisco Bay area with locations at similar latitudes and geographic situations in the southern hemisphere. They will also characterize the pattern of annual average precipitation versus latitude for the earth as a whole. They must understand the concept of latitude, know the names of latitude zones used ... 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.

In this exercise, students observe simulations of melting sea ice and a melting continental ice sheet in order to investigate the relationship between the melting of the ice and the water level in the tank. The water tanks simulate the world oceans. In the first example, the ice is floating in water. This would be an example of icebergs or Arctic ice floating on the ocean. In the second example the ... Full description.

This interactive, animated globe allows users to rotate it and change the virtual sea level by up to 200 meters, observing which areas are inundated. 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.