Mapping the Atmosphere Activity Source: American Meteorological Society. Adapted with permission. A map can represent data from an area on a flat surface. The part of our Earth system most frequently mapped is the atmosphere. Weather—the state of the atmosphere at a particular place and time—needs constant monitoring because it perpetually changes as weather systems evolve and move. Awareness of what the weather is and is likely to be has numerous benefits. [Read More]

Measuring Glacial Retreat Activity Source: Adapted with permission by U.S. Geological Survey. The USGS has been studying glaciers in Glacier National Park since 1850. It is estimated that there were 150 glaciers in the park back then, and when the national park was established in 1910. Today only 25 glaciers remain. Scientists go back every year to repeat photographs, as well as to examine the ice and the ecology of the landscape to see how glacial retreat is affecting plant and animal species that live there. [Read More]

Modeling Oil and Gas Reservoirs Activity Source: Adapted with permission by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists from AGI’s EarthComm, Earth’s Natural Resources, pp. R65-R66. This activity will help you to understand some of the factors that petroleum geologists need to consider when deciding where to recommend drilling for oil. Since people use petroleum products for energy and as source materials for petrochemicals, it is important as citizen scientists to understand the science and technology behind the search for oil and natural gas. [Read More]

Mystery Mollusc Activity Source: “Problem- Based Career Activity for the Mystery Mollusc NOAA Explore Poster” Written by Joyce E. Patterson Stark, NOAA Office of Education and Sustainable Development Problem-based learning is an inquiry technique that involves students working cooperatively in groups solving real-world problems. Students learn how to assess what they know, identify what they need to know, gather information and come to a conclusion. The teachers are the coaches or facilitators who give only guidance on how to approach the problem. [Read More]

Parks Past, Present, and Future Activity Source: Adapted with permission by National Park Service. Over Earth’s 4.5 billion-year history, tectonic upheavals and colliding plates formed mountain ranges and carved out basins. Forces of erosion and weathering have been at work to break down these landforms. Records of these processes are imprinted on the land and define distinctive landscapes around the United States and in its national parks. The dynamic processes that formed the spectacular landscapes of many national parks remain active today. [Read More]

Plant an Ozone Monitoring Garden Activity Source: Adapted with permission from NASA Aura Education and Public Outreach. To measure ozone in the Earth’s atmosphere, NASA built the approximately 6,500-pound Aura satellite. The spacecraft carries four high-tech instruments that scan the globe from more than 700 kilometers above the planet. For students, there is an easy way to investigate ozone in their own neighborhood. It’s as simple as growing a few carefully selected plants. [Read More]

Reclaiming a Mine Site Activity Source: Adapted with permission by Minerals Education Coalition. Mined land is reclaimed for future use. The objective of this activity is to investigate how plants will grow on a reclaimed landscape. Over a period of days, you will learn how overburden is incorporated into the landscape after it has been removed during the mining process.Before beginning, discuss vocabulary terms: overburden, stockpile, grading, soil types, seeding, stability, seed germination, nutrients, closure planning, and reclamation. [Read More]

Sea Level and the Terrapin Activity Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Adapted with permission. The diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) is the only North American turtle fully adapted to life in brackish water (mix of saltwater and freshwater). Its home is in coastal salt marshes of estuaries along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. Although they can live 40 years or more, most turtles do not make it to their first birthday, because they are prey for foxes, otters, raccoons, skunks, and birds. [Read More]

Soil, the Forgotten Resource Activity Source: Adapted with permission by Ward’s Natural Science. Soil is often overlooked as a natural resource. Like fossil fuels, we depend on it for energy in the form of foods. And, like fossil fuels, it is nonrenewable. Soil is a delicate balance of inorganic minerals, organic matter, living organisms, soil water, and soil atmosphere. The natural development of soil is an exceedingly slow process. In a few hours, a heavy rain falling on exposed soil can remove inches of what took hundreds of years to form. [Read More]

The EarthTrek Gravestone Project Activity Source: Geological Society of America. Adapted with permission. Raindrops contain more than just water. In addition to the small particles of dust around which water drops form, raindrops can contain chemicals found in the atmosphere. Often rain is slightly acidic. This “acid rain” can chemically affect (weather) materials it touches. The amount of weathering differs from place to place and changes over time. Marble, a stone commonly used to make gravestones, is mostly made up of the mineral calcite. [Read More]