This unit consists of two parts, each with several activities which require students to participate in investigations, discussions, computer data analysis, role-playing, and research. In Part 1, students examine the roles of Earth's energy balance... (View More) and the greenhouse effect in creating and affecting climate. Part 2 focuses on the biosphere as a system. Students examine the interactions of organisms, the effects of climate change on food webs, and the importance to humans of a healthy, intact ecosystem. The unit is one of four under the Chicago Botanic Garden curriculum entitled, "Climate Change in My Backyard." (View Less)

In this video clip, see how NASA measures soil moisture from space with the Soil Moisture Active Passive Mission (SMAP). Learn to calculate soil moisture in your own backyard and discover the real world applications for this data. NASA eClips™ are... (View More) short, relevant educational video segments. These videos inspire and engage students, helping them see real world connections. The Real World series of NASA eClips™ connects classroom mathematics to 21st century careers and innovations and are designed for students to develop an appreciation for mathematics through real-world problem-solving. (View Less)

In this video clip, viewers learn about the cryosphere - all of Earth's frozen structures including sea ice, ice caps, and permafrost. Understanding changes in the cryosphere provides scientists with valuable information about the past, present, and... (View More) future of the planet. ICESat-2 is a satellite designed to help scientists learn more about Earth's ice and the role ice plays in climate. NASA eClips™ are short, relevant educational video segments. These videos inspire and engage students, helping them see real world connections. The Real World series of NASA eClips connects classroom mathematics to 21st century careers and innovations and are designed for students to develop an appreciation for mathematics through real-world problem-solving. (View Less)

Images from NASA satellites showing atmospheric phenomena such as cyclones, hurricanes, high/low pressures, clouds and the jet stream are featured in this 10-minute planetarium show.

This short (11:29 minutes) video features NASA scientists answering a set of student-designed questions related to NASA’s Global Precipitation Measurement satellite mission. The set of twelve questions were generated after students viewed... (View More) animations of GPM data; the questions centered on satellite operations, satellite data, and precipitation patterns and impacts. (View Less)

The Global Precipitation Measurement mission provides a global perspective on rain and snow, along with the storms, impacts, patterns, hazards, and changes associated with those precipitation events. Several such events, which occurred during a... (View More) one-week period in August 2014, have been compiled into this short video (5:42 minutes) which features narration by NASA scientists. (View Less)

This video explains air quality and specifically describes Earth's air pollution seen from space by satellites. As the world's largest environmental health risk, air pollution is important to understand, monitor, and reduce. Over the past 10 years,... (View More) air pollution has reached epic levels in some places in the world, even as air quality has improved in other places. ClimateBits videos are designed for Science On a Sphere (SOS) and also available on YouTube. Links are provided to more information for this topic from the main ClimateBits website (see related & supplemental resources). (View Less)

This brief (1:46) video explains the stratospheric ozone layer and its role in absorbing harmful UV radiation from the sun. The visualization shows how the thickness of the ozone layer varies with air flow aloft and seasons, and where the biggest... (View More) changes occur. The narration also explains the benefits of the ozone layer and, when depleted, its impacts. ClimateBits videos are designed for Science On a Sphere (SOS) and also available on YouTube. Links are provided to more information for this topic from the main ClimateBits website (see related & supplemental resources). (View Less)

This video features NASA scientist Claire Parkinson explaining atmospheric carbon dioxide levels seen in measurements collected at the Mauna Loa observatory since 1958 and recent global model output. The seasonal cycle of plants on land and in the... (View More) ocean explains the annual rise and fall of carbon dioxide. The long-term trend toward more CO2 in our atmosphere is largely due to human activity. We are putting CO2 into the air faster than nature can remove it. (View Less)

This brief (1:37) video explains the essential Earth science concept of solar radiation - the source of most energy on Earth. ClimateBits videos are designed for Science On a Sphere (SOS) and also available on YouTube. Links are provided to more... (View More) information for this topic from the main ClimateBits website (see related & supplemental resources). (View Less)