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)

Through a series of interactive multimedia activities, animations, videos, and online lessons, students develop an understanding of permafrost and its connections to climate change. NASA data from space, suborbital, and ground platforms are... (View More) included, along with tutorials on using related data analysis tools such as Google Earth, ImageJ, and NASA’s GIOVANNI. An indigenous knowledge database is also included as a resource. (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)

This chapter describes the technique of preparing GIS-ready data and shows how to map that data and conduct basic analyses using a geographic information system (GIS). First, the user will download and format near real-time and historical earthquake... (View More) data from the USGS. Using latitude and longitude fields, they will then plot these data in a GIS. Next, they will analyze patterns by querying records and overlaying datasets. Finally, they will examine earthquake distributions, monitor current earthquake activity, and try to predict where the next big earthquake will occur on Earth. Includes teaching notes, step-by-step instructions, case study, tools and data, and going further. 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)

This chapter walks users through a technique for documenting change in before-and-after sets of satellite images. The technique can be used for any set of time-series images that are spatially registered to show the exact same area at the same... (View More) scale. In the chapter, users examine three Landsat images of the Pearl River delta in southeastern China. In these images, users observe changes in land use, then identify and outline areas of new land that were created by dredging sediments from the river bottom. The final product is an annotated image that highlights new land and indicates when it was created. The 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)

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)