In this web-based, interactive story, Tutangiaq (Too-tang-geye-ack - nicknamed 2T), a Canada Goose, flies across Alaska looking for his family. As he flies, he tells children about the fascinating 49th state. Children learn how Alaska was purchased from the Russians, and other facts about the state. They can also compare the size of Alaska to other states. 2T takes a flight across the volcanic chain in Alaska and helps the students to interactively explore how scientists monitor volcanoes from satellite images in near-real time. At the coast, the bird also meets his Walrus friend who shows him how the sea ice edge has receded and gives an example of an adverse effect on marine life. Finally, 2T arrives in Fairbanks where children use satellite imagery to help 2T find and unite with his family.

This collection consists of approximately 4,500 photographs documenting natural environments, ecologies, and plant communities in the United States at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century. Produced between 1891 and 1936 by a group of American botanists generally regarded as one of the most influential in the development of modern ecological studies, these photographs provide an overview of important representative natural landscapes across the nation. They demonstrate the character of a wide range of American topography, its forestation, aridity, shifting coastal dune complexes, and watercourses. Comparison of early photographs with later views highlights changes resulting from natural alterations of the landscape, disturbances from industry and development, and effective natural resource usage. The photographs were taken by Henry Chandler Cowles (1869-1939), George Damon Fuller (1869-1961), and other Chicago ecologists on field trips across the North American continent.

Among the natural features these images document are ecological settings such as dunes, bogs, forests, and deserts; individual plants from the Ponderosa pine and birch to grasses and mosses; landscape features like the Grand Canyon, Lake Superior, and the Sierra Nevada; and the consequences of natural and human changes to the environment ranging from erosion and floods to irrigation and lumbering. The collection also includes photographs of University of Chicago botanists as they conducted field research, led students on summer field classes, and traveled across the North American continent on tours including the International Phytogeographic Excursion of 1913.

In this interactive atlas adapted from UNEP/GRID-Arendal, explore different environmental features of the Arctic. Select from a list of themes to customize your map, then zoom in to take a closer look at one of six featured regions.

A flyby of Atlanta, from Landsat imagery draped over elevation data

Students construct a three-dimensional model of a water catchment basin using everyday objects to create hills, mountains, valleys and water sources. They experiment to see where rain travels and collects, and survey water pathways to see how they can be altered by natural and human-made activities. Students discuss how engineers design structures that impact water collection, and systems that clean and distribute water.

This is one of a series of visualizations showing false-colored renderings of the Martian topography measured by MOLA in the vicinity of the Mars Polar Lander landing site. Blue tones represent elevations of less than 2 kilometers, while reddish tones are greater than about 2.8 kilometers, relative to the mean equatorial height of Mars. The elevation of the landing site is about 2.4 km, midway into the polar layered terrain. The 400 meters (1-4 mile) resolution of the MOLA data gives a smoothed but vertically exaggerated view of the topography. At this scale it is impossible to ascertain the actual roughness at the landers destination, forcing project directors to make their best guesses based on available data.

This is one of a series of visualizations showing false-colored renderings of the Martian topography measured by MOLA in the vicinity of the Mars Polar Lander landing site. Blue tones represent elevations of less than 2 kilometers, while reddish tones are greater than about 2.8 kilometers, relative to the mean equatorial height of Mars. The elevation of the landing site is about 2.4 km, midway into the polar layered terrain. The 400 meters (1-4 mile) resolution of the MOLA data gives a smoothed but vertically exaggerated view of the topography. At this scale it is impossible to ascertain the actual roughness at the landers destination, forcing project directors to make their best guesses based on available data.

This is one of a series of visualizations showing false-colored renderings of the Martian topography measured by MOLA in the vicinity of the Mars Polar Lander landing site. Blue tones represent elevations of less than 2 kilometers, while reddish tones are greater than about 2.8 kilometers, relative to the mean equatorial height of Mars. The elevation of the landing site is about 2.4 km, midway into the polar layered terrain. The 400 meters (1-4 mile) resolution of the MOLA data gives a smoothed but vertically exaggerated view of the topography. At this scale it is impossible to ascertain the actual roughness at the landers destination, forcing project directors to make their best guesses based on available data.

Earth and all the other planets and moons of our Solar System have been continuously pelted by asteroids and comets ever since their formation. On Earth, wind and water have eroded away most of the evidence; various other geologic processes have concealed it; oceans and vegetation now cover much of the rest. This activity will help your students understand how NASA scientists are discovering evidence of impact craters through satellite images and technology, which enables us to see landforms that we can't see with our eyes alone. Students consider the sudden release of a tremendous amount of kinetic energy when an extraterrestrial object strikes the Earth. They write about the effects that such a collision might have on the land, atmosphere, water, and living things. Students then read descriptions of the actual effects of impact events and the evidence these leave behind. In small groups, they study satellite images that show possible evidence of impact events. They select one or two of these images to interpret for the class. In their interpretations, they explain how the image does or does not show evidence of an impact event. To demonstrate their understanding of the role of impact events in shaping the Earth, students write a series of guidance questions for a field expedition to determine whether or not a given landform is an impact crater.

A flyby of the Washington-Baltimore corridor, from Landsat imagery draped over elevation data

Mechanics of deformation of the crust and mantle, with emphasis on the importance of different rheological descriptions: brittle, elastic, linear and nonlinear fluids, and viscoelastic.

This CD-ROM is a reproduction of the out-of-print textbook by the same name developed for the undergraduate to graduate level Earth systems science major to study landforms and landscapes. It presents in-depth coverage of geomorphology as a discipline and the use of satellite imagery in observation, study, and interpretation. It contains a gallery of 237 color and black and white plates of space imagery, primarily of Earth, each treating a geographic region where a particular landform theme is exemplified. Each image is paired with a detailed scientific description of its features; some images are accompanied by line drawings, locater maps, geologic maps, and on-the-ground photographs of the landform.

This site allows users to browse Earth science-themed photographs including 3-D images, historic NASA photographs, and images from satellites and manned space missions.

This animation is match-moved to animation #581.

The largest decrease in ice elevation occurred on Greenlands east coast. Dark blue indicates the area of largest ice loss. This animation is match-moved to animation #585 and the reverse of #588.

Dark blue indicates large amounts of ice loss, and light blue indicates lesser amounts of ice loss. This animation is match-moved to animation #587.

This animation shows the ice concentration in Greenland. The ice has decreased significantly (~50 cm-year) along the coast and increased slightly in the center (+2 cm-year). Researchers view this as yet another serious warning sign of the threat of global warming.

This animation shows the ice concentration in Greenland. The ice has decreased significantly (~50 cm-year) along the coast and increased slightly in the center (+2 cm-year). Researchers view this as yet another serious warning sign of the threat of global warming.

This animation shows ice loss on Greenland via interpolated laser altimeter data. This animation has been match-moved to animations #583 and #582.