Assuming the role of a meteorologist, students will proclaim one month as "Thunderstorm season" for their chosen study area. This decision will be based on analysis of deep convective cloud data downloaded from the Live Access Server. This lesson... (View More) uses student- and citizen science-friendly microsets of authentic NASA Earth system science data from the MY NASA DATA project. It also includes related links, extensions, and an online glossary. (View Less)

The strength of the historic 1997-1999 El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event was captured and recorded by NASA Earth observing satellites. By downloading and plotting that satellite data, students will observe and analyze El Niño's effect on... (View More) sea level height and sea surface temperatures. Students will then determine the effects of that same El Niño event on their local environment by downloading and plotting precipitation data for their latitude and longitude. Researching data from beyond the 1997-99 period will also allow students to study the subsequent La Niña. This lesson uses student- and citizen science-friendly microsets of authentic NASA Earth system science data from the MY NASA DATA project. It also includes related links, extensions, an online glossary and a list of related AP Environmental Science topics. (View Less)

In this data analysis activity, students will obtain snow cover and surface temperature data for a locale in Alaska, plot the data, investigate seasonal trends in snow cover, and the relationship between snow cover and surface temperature at that... (View More) locale. Step-by-step instructions for use of the MY NASA DATA Live Access Server (LAS) guide students through selecting a data set, importing the data into a spreadsheet, creating graphs, and analyzing data plots. The lesson provides detailed procedures, related links and sample graphs, follow-up questions, extensions, and teacher notes. Designed for student use, MY NASA DATA LAS samples micro datasets from large scientific data archives, and provides structured investigations engaging students in exploration of real data to answer real world questions. (View Less)

This lesson consists of three activities. Students will discover the effect of temperature and pressure on cloud formation, analyze weather balloon data, and interpret a graph created from the synthesis of data sets on temperature, relative humidity... (View More) and dew point. This lesson uses student- and citizen science-friendly microsets of authentic NASA Earth system science data from the MY NASA DATA project. It includes related links. (View Less)

Accessing, graphing and analyzing data are skills emphasized in this lesson. Using the S'COOL (Students' Cloud Observations On-Line) website, students will download NASA data on cloud cover, temperature, pressure, and relative humidity to generate a... (View More) series of graphs. Those graphs will then be used by students to analyze data trends and answer accompanying questions. Three examples of graphed data are included as a reference. This lesson uses student- and citizen science-friendly microsets of authentic NASA Earth system science data from the MY NASA DATA project. It also includes related links and lesson extensions. (View Less)