In this lesson, students will use NASA satellite measurements of atmospheric pressure to learn that pressure decreases with height in the atmosphere. Full description.

Solar cells have varying amounts of effectiveness depending on factors such as latitude and cloud coverage. For example, locations with more cloud coverage will produce less solar energy. By comparing the monthly averages of surface downward radiation in various locations around the United States, students can analyze areas that would be more or less beneficial to having solar panels per month. This ... Full description.

Line plots are a useful way to display data especially change over time. During this lesson, students will view NASA data displaying the amount of the Sun's energy absorbed throughout one calendar year during clear and cloudy sky conditions. 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.

Line plots are a useful way to display data especially change over time. In this lesson, students learn basic line plot analysis using authentic NASA wind speed data from two locations. In the extensions sections, there is an opportunity to build upon basic line plot analysis skills and opportunities for further assessment. Full description.

Over the past several decades, the levels of ozone in the atmosphere have received a lot of media and government attention. Major focus has centered on the hole or area of depletion of the ozone layer over the Arctic and Antarctic poles in winter months, which has been found to be due to human emissions of chlorofluorocarbons. This lesson uses SAGE III satellite data and ozonesonde data captured over ... 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.

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.

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.

Snow and ice are both precipitation, that is, the processes that remove water from clouds. Clouds, regions of the atmosphere with high relative humidity, are made of droplets of water and perhaps bits of ice. Even though water is much denser than air, these droplets and ice crystals are small enough to be suspended by random upward air motion. When these droplets or crystals join together, gravity ... Full description.