Exploring Geoheritage From Space Activity Source: Adapted with permission by NASA. Great images of geoheritage sites can be found everywhere. But no one holding a camera on Earth can “back away” far enough to get the extraordinary perspective captured by NASA satellites. In celebration of Earth Science Week 2016, NASA’s Earth Observatory has created a special collection of images and articles showcasing geoheritage sites in America’s National Parks. Two such sites are Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming/Montana/Idaho) and Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas). [Read More]

Greenhouse in a Beaker Activity Source: Adapted with permission by The NEED Project. Carbon is naturally found in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide, or CO2, itself is not considered a pollutant. The CO2 being released from burning fossil fuels was part of the atmosphere hundreds of millions of years ago before being captured by plants and sea organisms. Carbon atoms naturally cycle through the biosphere, the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, and the lithosphere in process known as the carbon cycle. [Read More]

It’s the “Rain,” Man Activity Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Adapted with permission. People find inspiration in many different places and things. Among them is taking joy in sensing the Earth around you. Feel the breeze on your face. Take in the fresh smell of the air after a spring rain. Use your hands to build something. Wherever you live you can get outside, savor your surroundings and observe what makes up the rhythms of the place you live. [Read More]

Temperature and Precipitation Connections Activity Source: Adapted with permission by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. No matter where we are on Earth, we can observe changes in vegetation. Some changes are drastic, such as going from dormant to full growth during a temperate winter. Vegetative growth is dependent on both surface temperature (which influences soil temperature) and precipitation (which influences soil moisture). Together these environmental variables help determine the beginning, duration, and end of the growing season; the latter marked by leaf senescence, when leaves of deciduous trees die and turn colors. [Read More]

Tree Rings and Ancient Climatic Conditions Activity Source: Adapted with permission by Archaeological Institute of America. How do archaeologists learn about climatic conditions and their effects on people in the past? In 1815, Mount Tambora in Indonesia erupted so violently that the sound of the eruption could be heard 1,600 miles away. Gases from the volcano shot into the stratosphere almost six miles above the Earth’s surface and lingered for years. [Read More]

Tropical Atlantic Aerosols Activity Source: Adapted with permission by National Aeronautics and Space Administration. MY NASA DATA (http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov) makes NASA Earth science data accessible to K-12 teachers and students, as well as citizen scientists. You can use the data and lessons with your existing science curriculum. The investigations will help you to practice science inquiry and math or technology skills using real measurements of Earth system variables and processes. MY NASA DATA microsets are created using data from NASA Earth science satellite missions. [Read More]