This activity prepares the student to launch an investigation of the relationship between precipitation and Streamflow for a local watershed. It can enrich a study of the water cycle. Following the step-by-step instruction in this case study,... (View More) students will locate, download, format, and finally graph one year of Web-based data for these two variables. Included is a graph that highlights the details of this often-complex precipitation-streamflow relationship and provides a context for launching a classroom discussion of the balance between surface runoff and infiltration during and after a rain event, soil porosity, soil saturate level, the influence of impervious surfaces in the basin, the impact of slope, wind and air temperature on watershed hydrology, and the influence of high or low vegetation. 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 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)

This activity's storyline is built around the real-life case study of Dr. Walt Meier, a Sea Ice Scientist from Boulder, Colorado. In the fictional story, the students of Churchill become concerned about wildlife in their region because polar bears... (View More) have become a nuisance in the town. According to the local elders, the sea ice patterns have changed. The students turn to Dr. Meier for his expertise in sea ice analysis. Dr. Meier then instructs the students in the use of ImageJ and guides them through the research process. 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)

This self-paced, interactive tutorial guides learners through the decision-making process in locating data that will enable the identification of tabular icebergs, including: selecting the appropriate satellite orbit, and identifying the optimal... (View More) solar and infrared wavelength values to discriminate between water and ice in remotely-sensed images. This resource is part of the tutorial series, Satellite Observations in Science Education, and is the first of three modules in the tutorial, Hunting Icebergs. (Note: requires Java plug-in) (View Less)