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.

The seasons on Earth are caused by the tilt of the Earth on its axis as it revolves around the Sun. The differences in climate along similar latitudes can be explained by local variations in heat transfer, such as sea and land breezes. The absorption of solar radiation by different surface materials also contributes to variations in temperature along similar latitudes. Students will learn to correlate ... 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.

The seasons on Earth are caused by the tilt of the Earth as it rotates on its axis and revolves around the Sun. Students will correlate surface radiation with mean surface temperature of several geographic regions. By observing the graphs of these parameters, students will construct an understanding of the reason for the seasons. Full description.

GIS enables students to geo-reference multiple data sets creating layers. This essentially becomes a vertical profile of data, information, photographs etc. that when viewed as a body of information can present a fairly comprehensive view of that location. Based on data associated with latitude and longitude, students now have the ability to examine geo-referenced data sets derived on Earth, and from ... Full description.

There are many factors that affect an area?s climate. By understanding these factors, someone could predict the average temperature, temperature range, and precipitation patterns of an area. They could also predict the type of vegetation likely to grow in an area based on these atmospheric conditions. In this activity, students will work in groups of three. Each group will be assigned one of six sets ... 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.

In this lesson, students will examine authentic NASA satellite data to explore how hurricanes extract heat energy from the ocean surface. They will practice finding data via the Internet and make line plots and data maps. Students will understand how hurricanes gain energy from the ocean surface. They will form a hypothesis, compare data parameters and draw conclusions. 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.

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.