The energy budget diagram on the front shows our best understanding of energy flows into and away from the Earth.
Earth as a System - Maps, Data, and Models
My NASA Data (MND) provides online resources to help teachers and students access NASA data in a variety of formats. MND offers pre-generated graphs, mapped visualizations, animations, and processed data based on NGSS phenomena, providing the learner with the opportunity to explore concepts without being encumbered by visualization interfaces. These flexible resources provide guiding questions and other teacher tools so you can use them to open or close your class activity.
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Featured Maps, Data, and Models
Earth's Energy Budget
The energy budget diagram on the front shows our best understanding of energy flows into and away from the Earth.
Energy and Matter: North Atlantic Chlorophyll (1997-2006)
The Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS) instrument aboard the Seastar satellite collected ocean data for more than a decade.
Energy and Matter: Shortwave Radiation (2012)
CERES (Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System) is one of the highest priority scientific satellite instruments developed for NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS).
Energy and Matter: Longwave Radiation (2012)
CERES (Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System) is one of the highest priority scientific satellite instruments developed for NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS).
Energy and Matter: Aquarius Sea Surface Salinity (2011-2014)
Salinity is key to studying the water cycle and ocean circulation, both of which are related to climate. Over decades, the amount of salt in ocean basins has been fairly stable. The water cycle operates on much faster time scales, however, causing changes in salinity patterns.
Energy and Matter: Super Blooms (2003-2006)
Turbulent storms churn the ocean in winter, adding nutrients to sunlit waters near the surface. Each spring this gives rise to massive blooms of phytoplankton. These microscopic plants harvest vital energy from sunlight through photosynthesis.
Energy and Matter: Water Cycle: Heating the Ocean (2012)
The Earth acts as a giant engine that uses solar power to move air in the atmosphere and water in the ocean.
Energy and Matter: Dust Crossing (2015)
The Sahara Desert is a near-uninterrupted brown band of sand and scrub across the northern third of Africa. The Amazon rain forest is a dense green mass of humid jungle that covers northeast South America.
Energy and Matter: Sea Surface Temperature
The world's ocean is heated at the surface by the sun, and this heating is uneven for many reasons. Earth's rotation, revolution around the sun, and tilt all play a role, as do the wind-driven ocean surface currents.
The Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS) instrument aboard the Seastar satellite collected ocean data for more than a decade.
CERES (Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System) is one of the highest priority scientific satellite instruments developed for NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS).
CERES (Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System) is one of the highest priority scientific satellite instruments developed for NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS).
Salinity is key to studying the water cycle and ocean circulation, both of which are related to climate. Over decades, the amount of salt in ocean basins has been fairly stable. The water cycle operates on much faster time scales, however, causing changes in salinity patterns.
Turbulent storms churn the ocean in winter, adding nutrients to sunlit waters near the surface. Each spring this gives rise to massive blooms of phytoplankton. These microscopic plants harvest vital energy from sunlight through photosynthesis.
The Earth acts as a giant engine that uses solar power to move air in the atmosphere and water in the ocean.
The Sahara Desert is a near-uninterrupted brown band of sand and scrub across the northern third of Africa. The Amazon rain forest is a dense green mass of humid jungle that covers northeast South America.
The world's ocean is heated at the surface by the sun, and this heating is uneven for many reasons. Earth's rotation, revolution around the sun, and tilt all play a role, as do the wind-driven ocean surface currents.
News and Events
MND wants you to check out the new MND lesson plan, An Earth System View of Earthrise. Teachers who conduct the lesson in their classrooms and upload evidence of student work to our
My NASA Data
Sponsored by:
NASA Official: Jessica Taylor
Site Curator: Ashwinraj Ravindran
