This visualization from NASA shows global rainfall patterns over a 22-year span. It incorporates data from a combination of remote-sensing and ground-based sources.
As the carbon dioxide concentration of our atmosphere increases and our climate warms, the hay fever season seems to be getting longer and more severe. In this case study, students assume the a role of a public relations specialist contracted to communicate the link between climate change and pollen allergies. The activity focuses on the importance of scientific skills to careers outside science, and is most suitable for a lower-level introductory biology, human health, or environmental science course.
One of the most rewarding and challenging aspects of teaching an advanced placement environmental science course is finding enriching field and lab activities for your students. These labs have been developed by an experienced team of environmental science educators in partnership with the Environmental Literacy Council. Each lab has been the subject of an extensive peer review by a number of experienced environmental science educators. The content of this initial collection is varied, and APES teachers and students in different areas around the country should be able to complete each of the labs. These initial labs are not typical cookbook variety. They each contain an inquiry-based component. Over time, additional labs and tools for new and experienced teachers will be added to the collection.
Interactive animation showing the changes occurring to an ice-shelf in relation to the temperature of the surrounding water.
The animation has been created on the basis of the most recent models created by the modelling team of the antarctic research called ANDRILL.
A comprehensive treatment of the advanced methods of applied mathematics. Designed to strengthen the mathematical abilities of graduate students and train them to think on their own. Review of elementary methods in complex analysis, ordinary differential equations, and partial differential equations. Expansions around regular and irregular singular points; asymptotic evaluation of integrals, regular perturbations; WKB method; multiple scale method; boundary-layer techniques.
As the aerosol content and solar heating change with time, the atmosphere and the Earths surface experience different warming and cooling. This animation displays a time series of the INDOEX region with 8-day averages showing aerosol and solar reflectance (albedo) data from the Terra satellite. From these, we see how these inputs generate warming of the atmosphere (Atmospheric Forcing - red regions) and cooling of the surface (Surface Forcing - dark regions). Areas of missing data (due to clouds, etc.) are either black or transparent.
The Horn of Africa has been experiencing exceptional droughts over the last decade. Using data collected from the NOAA POES satellite, changes in the severity of the drought conditions in the Horn and around the world are shown.
Explores the changing roles, ethical conflicts, and public perceptions of science and scientists in American society from World War II to the present. Studies specific historical episodes focusing on debates between scientists and the contextual factors influencing their opinions and decisions. Topics include the atomic bomb project, environmental controversies, the Challenger disaster, biomedical research, genetic engineering, (mis)use of human subjects, scientific misconduct and whistleblowing.
What would happen if a portion of the Antarctic Ice Sheet were to melt? This video segment adapted from NOVA uses animations to show the effect of a 6-meter sea-level rise on coastal cities across the world.
This video, adapted from material provided by the ECHO partners, describes how global climate change is affecting Barrow, Alaska.
Learn how the Arctic is a part of a global climate system in this video segment adapted from the National Film Board of Canada.
In this interactive activity produced for Teachers' Domain, learn how Arctic sea ice has changed over the past 25 years in terms of maximum winter extent, concentration, and the timing of breakup each spring.
We will explore areas of the world and see their weather and how it effects us.
This site offers a searchable collection of answers to questions about global warming, ozone depletion, greenhouse gases, and other issues related to climate change. Students can also submit questions of their own and explore related links.
At the end of 2003, there were 2600 known Near Earth Asteroids (NEAs), and of these 691 are brighter than absolute magnitude, which is taken to correspond to a diameter of 1 kilometer or more. Of these, 131 are classed as PHAs (potentially hazardous asteroids) larger than 1 km. This site describes the potentially devastating effects of a collision between Earth and a large meteor or asteroid. It also describes the Spaceguard Survey, which is an initiative to locate and catalog as many potentially hazardous NEAs as possible. Other parts of the site include: a news archive, bibliography, catalog of near earth objects, image gallery, and links to related sites.
This site includes simulations of more than 40 phenomena: sea ice and CO2, climate change (230-year period), clouds and precipitation, coral reef evolution (starting 21,000 years ago), universal fire shape, fire twirl and burst behavior, tornadoes, thunderstorms, typhoons, El Niño events, greenhouse gases and sulfate aerosols, polar vortex breakdown, CO2 and temperature, CFCs in the ocean, cloud evolution (7-day period), daily weather in the U.S., and more.
In this lesson students will compare and make distinctions among 5 alternative fuels. They will understand the impact of different types of fuel on: a. the environment b. lifestyle c. the economy/personal finances of car choices. They will also use critical thinking skills to support multi-step decision-making for buying a car.
The Bering Sea Climate website contains time series data that measures climate and ecosystem status in the Bering Sea. The site presents data, metadata, and graphics by allowing the user to select categories and then click a button for the desired function. Data can be displayed as a list, a time series plot, or in terms of recent trends, relevance, and correlation. Measured parameters include weather, oceanographic and climate data, sea ice data, and fisheries and other biological data. The site also offers professional essays about the Bering Sea ecosystem and industry reports on climatic conditions and trends for the North Pacific in general and the Bering Sea in particular. Further information is available through links to additional data resources, communication, organizations, maps, ecosystem information, and a photo gallery. This resource is part of the Using Data collection. http://serc.carleton.edu/usingdata/
Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle is an online professional development magazine which focuses on preparing elementary teachers to teach climate science concepts while also integrating inquiry-based science and literacy instruction. The project draws on research showing that an integrated approach can improve student achievement in science, as well as in reading comprehension and oral and written discourse abilities. Through the Beyond Weather and Water Cycle project, we propose to increase elementary teachers’ understanding of climate and climate change, increase the amount and quality of science taught in elementary classrooms, and build a virtual professional learning community of practice around the teaching of climate and climate change.
A thick chunk of Arctic sea ice the size of two states has disappeared. Is it global warming or normal causes? For more information visit: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/videos/earth/earth20071001/
