This interactive site features games, animations, and teachers' materials intended to introduce younger students to climate change. There is information about what climate change is, the difference between weather and climate, and the greenhouse effect. There are also materials on the climate system, ancient climates, and how scientists investigate climate. Other topics include discussions of whether ... Full description.

This lesson plan uses NASA satellite data to correlate cloud cover over Africa to the solar declination. The four seasons on Earth have a scientific basis. The Earth is tilted 23.5 degrees from vertical. This tilt and the Earth's orbit around the sun are the reasons for the seasons. Earth's tilt and orbital position cause differing angles at which the sun's rays hit the surface of the Earth. As Earth ... Full description.

This lesson plan uses NASA satellite data to contrast amounts of cloud coverage over different climate regions in Africa. It introduces the circulation pattern of Hadley Cells and the band of convergence and convection called the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). The lesson also discusses how frequent cloud cover and precipitation occur along the ITCZ and how climate affects the people living ... Full description.

In this unit, students learn about the scientific factors contributing to the global warming debate. Students act as advisors to the heads of state of several nations and explore the issues as they respond to the various questions and concerns of these leaders. Activities include a combination of physical labs and investigations using World Watcher software, a geographic data visualization tool developed ... Full description.

This resource consists of four modules with teachers? guides: 1) Temperature Variations and Habitability, 2) Modeling Hot and Cold Planets, 3) Using Mathematical Models to Investigate Planetary Habitability, and 4) How Do Atmospheres Affect Planetary Atmospheres. Scientific inquiry and the research tools used to do research play a major role in these modules. Presented with a science problem, students ... Full description.

The site focuses on the responses of Antarctica and its sea ice to climate changes. Two experiments help illustrate what happens as water warms and how this warming could affect sea levels and low-lying coastal areas. Links to more detailed information are also provided. Full description.

Until recently, the total energy imparted to the oceans from the moon's gravitational pull has not been fully accounted for: about 30 percent had seemingly vanished without mathematical explanation. The total energy dissipating along the world's shallow areas and coasts don't add up to the expected total. However, data collected by the U.S./French satellite called TOPEX/Poseidon may provide the answer. ... Full description.

This site uses Virtual Reality field trips in the Alvin submarine to the East Pacific Rise to explore hydrothermal vents. The education activites focus on 4 activities: Exploration, Observing (actual video from the seafloor), Mapping, and Collecting a Water Sample. Teaching materials for each of the explorations have been provided, each with two levels of assessment (basic and advanced). Full description.

Sound Health 2001 highlights water quality conditions, the status of living organisms, trends in land use and development, and other indicators of environmental health for Long Island Sound. Materials presented here address the following questions: Are the waters and sediments getting cleaner?, Are fish and wildlife populations more abundant?, Are fish and wildlife habitats being protected and restored?, ... Full description.

This article discusses the necessity of locating water ice as astronauts explore the solar system, for oxygen and fuel as well as for drinking. Topics include the possible occurrence of ice at the lunar poles and in comets, and some of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) missions to locate it. Full description.