Aqua, Latin for water, is a NASA Earth Science satellite mission named for the large amount of information that the mission is collecting about the Earth's water cycle, including evaporation from the oceans, water vapor in the atmosphere, clouds, precipitation, soil moisture, sea ice, land ice, and snow cover on the land and ice. Additional variables also measured by Aqua include radiative energy fluxes, aerosols, vegetation cover on the land, phytoplankton and dissolved organic matter in the oceans, and air, land, and water temperatures. This brochure provides a comprehensive overview of the Aqua spacecraft, instruments, science, and data products.

This is part of the U.S. Geologic Survey's Water Science for Schools website. It consists of a set of links to other parts of the site dealing with groundwater-related topics such as groundwater flow and distribution, trends in groundwater use, importance of groundwater, and groundwater quality. Graphic illustrations and photographs are provided.

" We will cover fundamentals of ecology, considering Earth as an integrated dynamic system. Topics include coevolution of the biosphere, geosphere, atmosphere and oceans; photosynthesis and respiration; the hydrologic, carbon and nitrogen cycles. We will examine the flow of energy and materials through ecosystems; regulation of the distribution and abundance of organisms; structure and function of ecosystems, including evolution and natural selection; metabolic diversity; productivity; trophic dynamics; models of population growth, competition, mutualism and predation. This course is designated as Communication-Intensive; instruction and practice in oral and written communication provided. Biology is a recommended prerequisite."

This lesson focuses upon the scientific phenomenon of El Nino. Learners will also explore the possible link between human-induced global warming, and El Nino as a possible distributor of global warming's extra energy. Links to related sites are included.

Students learn about energy and nutrient flow in various biosphere climates and environments. They learn about herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, food chains and food webs, seeing the interdependence between producers, consumers and decomposers. Students are introduced to the roles of the hydrologic (water), carbon, and nitrogen cycles in sustaining the worlds' ecosystems so living organisms survive. This lesson is part of a series of six lessons in which students use their growing understanding of various environments and the engineering design process, to design and create their own model biodome ecosystems.

This description of a ground-water aquifer has a graphic representation to accompany it. It is part of the U.S. Geologic Survey's Water Science for Schools website. Links to other parts of the site, such as definitions and types of wells, are included.

This site features Flash animations that illustrate how seasons impact various Earth systems, including surface temperature, latent heat flux, air temperature, net radiation, precipitation, runoff, and soil moisture. These resources are suitable for use in lectures, labs, or other teaching activities.

This series of five problem-based learning modules is designed to bring NASA Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) science into the middle school classroom. Modules for grades 5-8 include Clouds, Precipitation, Weather and Winds; the fifth module, Energy, was developed for high school-level audiences. The modules use role-playing scenarios to help students discover real-world applications of data. While these modules were developed under one series title, they were designed so that each module could be used independently.

The hydrologic cycle is the process, powered by the sun, which identifies the constant, endless movement of water from the atmosphere to the earth to the ground water, to the rivers to the oceans and back into the atmosphere. This experimental lab lesson will show the process of the hydrologic cycle as it relates to the earth's atmosphere by showing three different scenarios, the first scenario (the control), container A, shows the hydrologic cycle with no contaminates. The second scenario, container B, shows the hydrologic cycle with the earth's soil contaminated. The third scenario, container C, demonstrates the hydrologic cycle with the air polluted. These three situations will give the student an idea of how the atmosphere and the growth of plant life are affected by different contaminants in the earth. This lesson will, in fact, investigate the hydrologic cycle experimentally.

The Aqua Science Writers Guide provides a comprehensive overview of the Aqua mission, instruments, research, science teams, Aqua website, and public affairs contacts. All information is provided to aid the professional science writer in writing stories and articles related to the Aqua mission.

This activity teaches the water cycle using song and movement.

This site provides background information about the relationship between ocean currents and surface winds. There are links to images, JPL missions and instruments, and an El Nino site.

The purpose of this activity is to measure the total precipitable water vapor (column water vapor) in the atmosphere above an observer's site. Students point a GLOBE/GIFTS water vapor instrument at the sun and record the voltage readings from a digital voltmeter. They observe sky conditions near the Sun and perform the Cloud Protocols. Intended outcomes are that students understand the concept that the atmosphere prevents some of the sun's light from reaching Earth's surface, how water vapor measurements relate to the hydrologic cycle, and how greenhouse gases, such as water vapor, play an important role in weather and climate. Supporting background materials for both student and teacher are included.