Use the imbedded sliding scale to observe changes in sea ice distribution, carbon emission levels and average global temperatures over time, as well as the effects of variations in sea level rise along coastal regions. This interactive is part of... (View More) the Climate Kids website, a NASA education resource featuring articles, videos, images and games focused on the science of climate change. (View Less)

Some bird species appear to respond to extreme weather changes in their native habitat by moving to more hospitable environments. This article discusses the role of NASA satellites, along with field and citizen scientists, in studying that movement.... (View More) The article also includes an activity on constructing a bird feeder. The Climate Kids website is a NASA education resource featuring articles, videos, images and games focused on the science of climate change. (View Less)

In this kinesthetic activity, students take on roles of either photons or gas molecules. Photons signal a change from visible light to infrared with a piece of folded construction paper, simulating absorption by the Earth's surface and reradiation... (View More) to space. The play is guided by flipping a coin, and students see how stochastic processes result in 70% of visible protons being absorbed and reradiated as infrared. This activity is supported by a textbook chapter, What is the Greenhouse Effect?, part of the unit, Climate Change, in Global Systems Science (GSS), an interdisciplinary course for high school students that emphasizes how scientists from a wide variety of fields work together to understand significant problems of global impact. (View Less)

In this investigation, students discover the spatial relationship between recent earthquakes, volcanoes, and the Earth's plates through visual inspection of tectonic activity plots on world maps, and by comparing the position of recent tectonic... (View More) events with the position of the Earth's plates. Summary background information, data and images supporting the activity are available on the Earth Update data site. To complete the activity, students will need to access the Space Update multimedia collection, which is available for download and purchase for use in the classroom. (View Less)

Students are presented with a graph of atmospheric becomes CO² values from Mauna Loa Observatory, and are asked to explore the data by creating a trend line using the linear equation, and then use the equation to predict future becomes CO² levels.... (View More) Students are asked to describe qualitatively what they have determined mathematically, and suggest reasons for the patterns they observe in the data. A clue to the reason for the data patterning can be deduced by students by following up this activity with the resource, Seasonal Vegetation Changes. The data graph and a student worksheet is included with this activity. This is an activity from Space Update, a collection of resources and activities provided to teach about Earth and space. Summary background information, data and images supporting the activity are available on the Earth Update data site. (View Less)

In this activity, students learn about the changing configuration of the continents over geological time resulting from plate tectonics. Using a map pair, students measure the difference in distance between continents 94 million years ago and today,... (View More) and calculate the speed at which the plates have moved. The resource includes the images and a student worksheet. This is an activity from Space Update, a collection of resources and activities provided to teach about Earth and space. Summary background information, data and images supporting the activity are available on the Earth Update data site. (View Less)

In this activity, students investigate sea level change during glacial maxima during the Ice Ages, and learn how lowered sea level presented additional routes for intercontinental human migration. Summary background information, data and images... (View More) supporting the activity are available on the Earth Update data site. To complete the activity, students will need to access the Space Update multimedia collection, which is available for download and purchase for use in the classroom. (View Less)

In this activity, students examine a pair of satellite images of the ocean and determine whether there is a relationship between the height of ocean waves and the sea level. Data from the two images are plotted side by side and students discuss the... (View More) reasons for their findings. The resource includes the images and a student worksheet. Summary background information, data and images supporting the activity are available on the Earth Update data site. To complete the activity, students will need to access the Space Update multimedia collection, which is available for download and purchase for use in the classroom. (View Less)

Students examine graphical and tabular data to determine whether the evidence suggests that becomes CO² concentrations and temperature rise can be linked causally. The resource provides graphs and tabular data for student investigation and a... (View More) student worksheet. This is an activity from Space Update, a collection of resources and activities provided to teach about Earth and space. Summary background information, data and images supporting the activity are available on the Earth Update data site. (View Less)

In this video-based activity, students learn that sea level is an average measurement of the height of the ocean, and sea level changes with the seasons and over time. El Niño and La Ninña events are compared, demonstrating that sea height is a... (View More) function of temperature.Summary background information, data and images supporting the activity are available on the Earth Update data site. To complete the activity, students will need to access the Space Update multimedia collection, which is available for download and purchase for use in the classroom. (View Less)