This site has something for everyone, from glaciologists to grade school students. It explores nearly all aspects of glaciers and includes data and science, facts, a gallery, and a glossary. Full description.

In this chapter, users explore relationships between air quality and population density using the image visualization tool, Google Earth. Humans discovered long ago that burning fossil fuels was a convenient way to get power. In engines for automobiles and plants that generate electricity, huge volumes of oil, gas, and coal are burned every day. Where many people live together in concentrated areas, ... Full description.

This activity is designed to introduce students to geologic processes on Earth and how to identify geologic features in images. It also introduces students to how scientists use Earth to gain a better understanding of other planetary bodies in the solar system. Full description.

In this lesson, students will examine a historical Category 5 hurricane, Hurricane Rita, that crossed the Gulf of Mexico during September 18-24, 2005. First, they will use the MY NASA DATA Live Access Server to obtain sea surface temperature (SST) data maps of the Gulf of Mexico. Then, they will construct a time series of SST data (line plot) for a location within the path of the hurricane where a ... Full description.

The depletion of the ozone layer is recognized as one of the Earth's most important environmental issues. The Antarctic ozone hole is recognized as one of the most striking indicators of ozone depletion. The location of the ozone hole is generally confined to the latitudes over Antarctica, although there are occasions when the ozone hole can move over lower latitudes locations such as South America. ... Full description.

Solar energy is radiant energy that is produced by the Sun. Every day the Sun radiates an enormous amount of energy. How much solar energy a place on Earth receives depends on several conditions. In this lesson, students will explore real NASA satellite data for energy from the Sun and cloud cover for their area to determine if they can harness this solar energy, a renewable energy source, by using ... Full description.

In this lesson students will build on knowledge gained in the Hurricane Research lesson and the Hurricane Frequency and Intensity Lesson. Specifically, they will discuss the interaction (pathway) between a specific 'sphere' and the 'event' (hurricane). Working in groups, students will be assigned a specific sphere to look at more closely in relation to hurricanes. When all groups are finished, each ... Full description.

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the US. Eleven rivers empty into the bay creating the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. From urban areas and cultivated fields in which wetlands were not preserved, runoff can run into the rivers unfiltered. This runoff can include nutrients that can cause uncontrolled growth of an abundance of algae which can eventually increase the turbidity of the river, not ... Full description.

Several research studies have suggested that contrails (condensation trails from aircraft) can alter the radiative budget of the Earth by increasing the cloud cover at high altitudes. The tragic events of September 11, 2001, caused virtually all air traffic to be grounded over the US for nearly three days. The absence of contrails over the United States during this time gave scientists a unique opportunity ... Full description.

A learning activity for the "Do You Know That Clouds Have Names?" book in the Elementary GLOBE series. Using information from the book and their observations, students construct a sky scene with trees and buildings as reference points on the ground and cloud types ordered by altitude in the sky. Students will describe clouds using their own vocabulary and will then correlate their descriptions with ... Full description.