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.

No study of Maine weather would be complete without analysis of the year of 1816 - the year with no summer in an area from western Pennsylvania and New York, up through Quebec and across to Maine and the Canadian maritimes. In this five-unit lesson, students will investigate the causes and effects of the Fabled Maine Winter by exploring a variety of data sources. They will locate, graph, and analyze ... 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.

In this lesson, students will investigate the relationship between atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and chlorophyll-a measurements in a local watershed. They will compare two data sets to find correlations and explain the importance of carbon dioxide and photosynthetic plants in the carbon cycle. At the end of the lesson, students will be able to relate global climate change to local effects. Full description.

This lesson will guide students to an understanding of the appearance of graphed data, allowing them to determine how two parameters are correlated to one another. Full description.

The Deep Biosphere Laboratory at Goteborg University consists of about 10 people whose unifying interest is in microbial life in underground and sub-seafloor environments. Visitors to the site can access summaries of research projects, personnel information, and links to publications on the topic of underground and sub-seafloor microbes. Research topics include microbes in deep Swedish and Finnish ... Full description.

Follow the adventures of a single raindrop character through the water cycle. The text is written at an appropriate level for primary students, and the illustrations will be compelling for young learners. A diagram the last page serves as a review of the raindrop's travels. Full description.

In this investigation, students examine Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. After becoming familiar with a bathymetric/topographic map of the area, students select a transect along the seafloor to study some of the geological, biological, and physical features that are present. In this activity students use a bathymetric/topographic map as a tool for recognizing geobiological features of the sanctuary, ... Full description.

Students in this lesson will be introduced to the concept of tides and tidal forces. By viewing a related applet which visualizes the relationship between the Earth, moon and tides, students will gain an understanding of why the Earth experiences tides. In the process they are asked to observe and explain how the relative positions of Earth, the moon, and the sun are responsible for the moon phases, ... Full description.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) deals with natural hazards such as hurricanes, floods, national security matters, winter storms, etc. in a non-threatening scientifc and fun manner for children. The site includes animations, videos, games, quizzes and questions areas that address hazardous situations that children may face at any given time. Full description.