In this video segment adapted from KUAC, find out why the horizon in Alaska is sometimes shrouded in pollution and what it means for climate change in the Arctic.
This resource developed from KQED's QUEST, uses California’s delicately balanced watershed as an example of how the water cycle operates.
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.
Demonstrate and explain evaporation as part of the water cycle.
Here you will find animations of how Global Warming occurs and how it is linked to the Carbon and Water cycles.
This video segment adapted from NOVA explains the difference between weather and climate and features groundbreaking analysis revealing that Earth's climate has changed much faster than previously believed.
The research-based Arctic Climate Modeling Program (ACMP) is funded by NSF ITEST. Curriculum based resources were designed with input from 21 scientists from the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute. Resources include K-12 inquiry-based classroom lessons, a student network for observing arctic weather, digital lectures, and an interactive multimedia learning system (on DVD).
This visualization from McDougal Littell/TERC visualizes the movement of warm and cold fronts and the cloud types that are generated as a result.
A Day in the Life of a Drop is a set of activities designed to help students in grades 3-5 understand the connections between the source of the water they use and the ways their water use habits affect the environment and human health. Students also learn how to reduce their impacts and engage family members. After completing the worksheets provided, students and families take the Pledge to Filter Out Bad Water Habits to demonstrate their commitment to saving water for the future.
Learn about the different features of snow and ice in Antarctica using satellite imagery in this video segment adapted from NASA.
In this video from Common Ground and Cleaner Water, Tribby Vice, a Kentucky farmer, talks about the changes he has made on his farm to protect the water quality of the stream running through his property and the watershed in which he lives.
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.
Let your students “Ride the Water Cycle” with the following activity. It will help them understand the role of reservoirs in maintaining a reliable supply of drinking water.
In this interactive activity adapted from Texas A&M University, a block of melting ice simulates ice shelves and ice sheets and their differing effects on global sea level.
Hands-on group activity in where children go outside to find clouds, document with pictures, and identify them.
This activity casts students as interns in a state climatology office. Their assignment: to investigate how clouds form, how they're classified, and their role in heating and cooling the earth. This 30-page guide also helps students understand why clouds (and the study of them) are important.
This video from a WPSU documentary Liquid Assets shows the transformation of Las Vegas’ water infrastructure. A desert community, Las Vegas is reducing water consumption and re-using wastewater, making optimal use of limited water resources.
Students will identify water sources in the school environment in order to understand the origins of our water and to gain perspective about the students' place in the water cycle. Students will learn about the water cycle using a variety of resources and discover connections between the water cycle and the water that they use every day.
In a class demonstration, students observe a simple water cycle model to better understand its role in pollutant transport. This activity shows one way in which pollution is affected by the water cycle; it simulates a point source of pollution in a lake and the resulting environmental consequences.
Aquarius is a focused satellite mission to measure global sea surface salinity. Launching in 2009, this mission will provide the first global map of sea surface salinity with unprecedented accuracy, resolution and coverage. The importance of salinity measurements in understanding coastal ocean processes is critical. Because of its dynamic range in the coastal oceans, salinity is a critical factor in understanding and predicting biological and physical processes and their interactions with the food Web, climate, and global water cycle. Aquarius's pioneering efforts to deliver the "missing pieces of the climate puzzle" will undoubtedly intrigue informal audiences via the activities and information contained in this Website. Moreover, climate and its influence on humankind is an integral part of K-16 formal education and common to national learning standards. The goal of the Education and Outreach component of Aquarius is to teach fundamental concepts about salinity variations and the role these changes play in controlling global ocean circulation and Earth's climate. Education products will appear as modules addressing the mission's goals and purpose, augment existing El Nino/La Nina materials with salinity based content, provide on-line interactive tools demonstrating environmental change through data sets and in situ time-series analysis, and engage students in activities designed to demonstrate salt-water interactions.
