In this lesson, students use the Live Access Server to obtain real sea surface temperature data, to create maps and line graphs, and to make comparisons and conclusions about the effects of El Nino and La Nina. Detailed Procedure and Materials, Vocabulary linked to an On-line glossary, and Teacher Notes are provided. Full description.

In this lesson, students use the Live Access Server to explore data from the Arctic, develop relationships between parameters and make conclusions based on the collected evidence. Detailed procedure, materials list, vocabulary linked to an online glossary, and Teachers Notes are provided. Full description.

This portal provides information on how we use water on an everyday basis. Users can choose from some general water-use topics on the left side of the graphic, or from the categories of water use on the right side. A text menu of the topics is provided below the graphic. Topics include groundwater, surface water, domestic versus commercial consumption, irrigation and livestock, and industrial uses. ... Full description.

This collection of lesson plans was developed by educators who participated in the Commission's Teaching Environmental Science (TES) course. The lessons are intended to promote awareness of environmental sciences through simple activities, and can be adapted to meet the needs of particular students. They are listed by grade level and subject (water, waste, air, etc.), and have been correlated to the ... Full description.

The purpose of this activity is to observe the type and cover of clouds including contrails. Students observe which of ten types of clouds and how many of three types of contrails are visible and how much of the sky is covered by clouds (other than contrails) and how much is covered by contrails. Intended outcomes are that students learn how to make estimates from observations and how to categorize ... Full description.

The Antarctic ice sheet changes in size over the course of a year. When it is summer in the southern hemisphere, the ice sheet decreases in size. As the ice sheet melts, it releases fresh water into the ocean. In the southern winter (our summer), the ice refreezes, drawing fresh water out of the surrounding ocean, leaving the salt behind. These seasonal changes in the ice sheet are examined in this ... Full description.

By matching maps of snow and ice amounts with maps of net radiation flux for the same time frame, students will use the Live Access Server to explore how the net radiation flux has affected the snow and ice amounts in the Northern Hemisphere, as well as how the presence of snow can affect the net radiation flux due to surface reflection. Detailed Procedure and Materials, Vocabulary linked to an On-line ... Full description.

This lesson uses NASA satellite data to contrast amounts of cloud coverage over different climate regions in Africa. An an outcome of the lesson, the student will be able to explain how Earth's major air circulations affect global weather patterns and relate local weather patterns to climate as well as identify different climate regions. Students will also describe conditions for cloud formation along ... Full description.

This activity of the Earth Exploration Toolbook walks users through a technique for documenting change in before-and-after sets of satellite images. The technique can be used for any set of time-series images that are spatially registered to show the exact same area at the same scale. In the chapter, users examine three Landsat images of the Pearl River delta in southeastern China. In the images, ... Full description.

Surf Your Watershed is the Environmental Protection Agency's effort to provide a comprehensive center for geographically relevant information about drinking water regulations, drinking water publications, public water systems, ground water, and water quality and pollution issues. Resources include how to locate your watershed anywhere in the United States, state and tribal information, an index of ... Full description.