This set of three videos illustrates how math is used in satellite data analysis. NASA climate scientist Claire Parkinson explains how the Arctic and Antarctic sea ice covers are measured from satellite data and how math is used to determine trends... (View More) in the data. In the first video, she leads viewers from satellite data collection through obtaining a time series of monthly Arctic and Antarctic average sea ice extents for November 1978-December 2012. In the second video, she begins with the time series from the first video, removes the seasonal cycle by calculating yearly averages, and proceeds to calculate the slopes of the lines to get trends in the data, revealing decreasing sea ice coverage in the Arctic and increasing sea ice coverage in the Antarctic. In the third video, she uses a more advanced technique to remove the seasonal cycle and shows that the trends are close to the same, whichever method is used. She emphasizes the power of math and that the techniques shown for satellite sea ice data can also be applied to a wide range of data sets. Note: See Related & Supplemental Resources for the maps and data files (1978-2015) that will allow you to do the calculations shown in the video. These also include data for different regions of the Arctic and Antarctic, enabling learners to do additional calculations beyond those shown in the videos. (View Less)

These e-training resources from the GLOBE Program consist of three modules for teachers and one for scientists: Introduction to GLOBE; Introduction to GLOBE for Scientists; Introduction to the Atmosphere Investigation Area, and Clouds Protocols. The... (View More) modules can be used as a review for current GLOBE teachers; additional training material for GLOBE trainers to use before, during, or after GLOBE trainings; and an introduction to GLOBE for Scientists. GLOBE (Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment) is a worldwide, hands-on, K-12 school-based science education program. (View Less)

This chapter describes how to set a scale and measure distances and areas on satellite images. Using ImageJ, a freely available image analysis program that runs on most operating systems, users set the spatial calibration of an image, then select... (View More) and measure distances and areas on it. The measurement results are reported in real-world units. The technique is most useful and accurate for nadir view (straight down) images. In this chapter, users examine satellite images of the Aral Sea, which has shrunk dramatically since 1960 because the rivers that flow into it have been tapped for irrigation. Users access satellite images of the region, then set a scale and measure the width of the sea each year. On another set of images, they highlight areas that represent water and measure them to see how these areas of the sea changed. This chapter is part of the Earth Exploration Toolbook, which provides teachers and/or students with direct practice for using scientific tools to analyze Earth science data. Students should begin on the Case Study page. (View Less)

In this activity, users download and graph modeled climate data to explore variability in climate change. Most people know that climate changes are predicted over the next hundred years, but they may not be aware that these changes are likely to... (View More) vary from region to region. Using data from the University of New Hampshire's EOS-WEBSTER, a digital library of Earth Science data, users will obtain annual predictions for minimum temperature, maximum temperature, precipitation, and solar radiation for each of these 5 states: New York, Georgia, Colorado, Minnesota, and California. Data will span the years 2000 through 2100. Users will import the data into Excel and analyze it to see what, if any, regional variability exists. Finally, they will download data for their own state, compare these results with the results from the other 5 states and use their results to answer questions related to climate change. This chapter is part of the Earth Exploration Toolbook (EET). Each EET chapter provides teachers and/or students with direct practice for using scientific tools to analyze Earth science data. Students should begin on the Case Study page. (View Less)

In this self-paced, interactive tutorial, learners become familiar with basic concepts related to remote sensing of the Earth by satellites. Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, as well as different types of onboard... (View More) sensors, are examined for their applicability to various real-world data collection and research applications. This resource is part of the tutorial series, Satellite Observations in Science Education, and is the first of three modules in the tutorial, Principles in Remote Sensing. (Note: requires Java plug-in). (View Less)

This self-paced, interactive tutorial explores the use of remote sensing to monitor the weather and climate of the Great Lakes. Learners apply NASA satellite data as they examine the on-the-ground impact of seasonal changes in weather, including the... (View More) movement of storm tracks, lake-effect and lake-enhanced weather events, and become more familiar with the weather and climate of the Great Lakes region. This resource is part of the tutorial series, Satellite Observations in Science Education, and is the second of three modules in the tutorial, Great Lakes Weather and Climate. (Note: requires Java plug-in). (View Less)

This self-paced, interactive tutorial incorporates data sets from a variety of sources to investigate coastal oceanographic processes and their connections to climate and biology. Learners will predict coastal upwelling events based on prevailing... (View More) physical conditions, and become familiar with how upwelling and bloom events in the ocean can be detected using satellite imagery, and make connections between local ocean conditions and global consequences. This resource is part of the tutorial series, Satellite Observations in Science Education, and is the second of three modules in the tutorial, Coastal Upwelling. (Note: requires Java plug-in) (View Less)

This is a self-paced, on-line tutorial where learners can identify and analyze jet streams using water vapor imagery from weather satellites. Learners are introduced to the concept and function of the water vapor channel and how these images compare... (View More) with weather models. An optional embedded refresher tutorial with providing meteorological background information about jet streams supports student-centered investigations in three learning scenarios: a jet stream tracking challenge made by a TV meteorologist, analyzing data in a in-air turbulence scenario involving an airline pilot, and a decision-making challenge involving the launching and tracking of a weather balloon. This resource is part of the tutorial series, Satellite Observations in Science Education, and is the third of three modules in the tutorial, Water Vapor Imagery. (Note: requires Java plug-in) (View Less)

This self-paced, interactive tutorial enables learners to identify and measure iceberg size from remotely-sensed satellite images. Two techniques are explored: the geometric shape method, which provides a rapid rough estimate of area; and the pixel... (View More) count method, which employs special software to measure the size more accurately. This resource is part of the tutorial series, Satellite Observations in Science Education, and is the second of three modules in the tutorial, Hunting Icebergs. (Note: requires Java plug-in) (View Less)

This self-paced, interactive tutorial provides learners with an opportunity to learn about remote sensors, and the role remote-sensing instruments play in our understanding of the Earth system. Activities within the tutorial allow learners to... (View More) demonstrate for themselves how atmospheric absorption and the signal-to-noise ratio determine the spectral resolution of a remotely-sensed image. A culminating simulation activity shows learners how engineers must consider design tradeoffs between quality and quantity of data produced. This resource is part of the tutorial series, Satellite Observations in Science Education, and is the second of three modules in the tutorial, Principles in Remote Sensing. (Note: requires Java plug-in) (View Less)