This concentrated, in-depth resource provides access to recent information on El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and La Nina in the Pacific Ocean, including data, graphics, forecasts, historical perspectives, in-depth analyses, prediction benefits, impacts on human life, and information on the 1997/1999 El Nino and La Nina events. Links to relevant data include Tropical Atmosphere Ocean Project (TAO) ... Full description.

The National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) is part of the Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service (NESDIS) and is the world's largest active archive of weather data. NCDC produces numerous climate publications and responds to data requests from all over the world. NCDC archives 99 percent of ... Full description.

This database and accompanying report demonstrate the potential of combining observed river discharge information with a climate-driven Water Balance Model in order to develop composite runoff fields that are consistent with observed discharges. This combination preserves the accuracy of discharge measurements as well as the spatial and temporal distribution of simulated runoff, providing a 'best ... Full description.

The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) is an information and referral center supporting polar and cryospheric research. Through its Data Catalog, NSIDC archives and distributes digital and analog data on snow cover, avalanches, glaciers, ice sheets, freshwater ice, sea ice, ground ice, permafrost, atmospheric ice, paleoglaciology, and ice cores. Users may browse their entire data collection ... Full description.

This Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) site focuses on the science and impacts of global warming or climate change, and on actions that help address global warming. It features games, events, and links to other relevant sites for kids and educators, including activities on climate and weather and the greenhouse effect. Full description.

In this lesson plan students will learn the basics about how tornadoes are formed, and where and when they are most likely to occur. They will then study the current research on tornadoes and explore how scientists are trying to predict them. They will learn about the equipment storm chasers use to study tornadoes and will develop their own research plans. Full description.

This activity allows students to explore the roles of oil and water in the Middle East, especially in Iraq. Students will use maps to look at the distribution of oil in the Middle East and discuss what it means for the different countries in the region. They will also examine how water has influenced the region historically and politically. Finally, they will study specific aspects of Iraq's struggles ... Full description.

In this lesson plan students will speculate on various scenarios of future world climates if the greenhouse effect increases. Upon completing this lesson, students should be familiar with carbon dioxide (CO2) and theories about its role in the greenhouse effect; the global conference that was held in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997 to set international limits on CO2 emissions; leading producers of CO2 emissions; ... Full description.

This activity explores the potential for climate variability and change to trigger more frequent occurrences of El Nino, and the impacts that could result. Designed to teach through scientific inquiry, the activity seeks to stimulate thought about the long-term impacts of a warmer planet. Through their participation in this activity, students will access information at remote sites using telecommunications, ... Full description.

This El Nino site explains the abnormal warming of surface ocean waters in the eastern tropical Pacific and how it affects global weather, ocean circulation, and coral reef ecosystems. The activities involve wind direction and the Coriolis effect, global wind patterns, and cloud formation. There are sections comparing normal conditions to El Nino conditions and a video clip of the 1982-1983 El Nino ... Full description.