This USGS activity leads students to an understanding of what remote sensing means and how researchers use it to study changes to the Earth’s surface, such as deforestation.
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Students explore albedo, sea ice, and the relationship between changing albedo and changing sea ice using data visualizations.
These six graphs show Ocean Chlorophyll Concentrations from 1998 - 2018 in a variety of locations: East Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska, California Coast, Southeastern US/Gulf of Mexico, Northeastern US and the Scotian Shelf, and the Hawaiian Islands.
Students observe monthly images of changing vegetation patterns, looking for seasonal changes occurring throughout 2017. These data can be used by students to develop their own models of change.
Students examine the two time series images to determine the differences between seasonal ice melt over water versus land.
Check out the Arctic and Earth SIGNs video to explore how climate models are used in climate change research.