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.This animation shows the long-term average sea surface temperature, with red and yellow depicting warmer waters and blue depicting colder waters.  

In this mini-lesson, students analyze soil moisture quantities associated with Hurricane Harvey around Houston, Texas on August 25, 2017.

Arctic sea ice is the cap of frozen seawater blanketing most of the Arctic Ocean and neighboring seas in wintertime. It follows seasonal patterns of thickening and melting. See how the quantity has changed from 1979 through 2018. 

This line graph shows how the surface temperature and air temperature values change over the course of 24 hours.

Students will explore albedo, sea ice and the relationship between changing albedo and changing sea ice.

Students will use the NASA Earth Observations analysis tool to explore changing albedo in the Arctic compared with other areas of Earth.

Conduct this EO Kids mini-lesson with your students to explore the phenomenon of Urban Heat Island Effect.

Why do you think grass feels cooler than pavement? And how are materials in a city different from those you find in rural and wild areas? The answer is that the materials in our neighborhoods retain, absorb, and radiate heat differently.

The advance-and-retreat cycle of snow cover drastically changes the whiteness and brightness of Earth. Using these two 2017 maps created using NASA satellite data, have students review the seasonal differences of snow and ice extent.