Students will analyze a pie chart (circle graph) showing the distribution of different parts of the Earth system's absorption and reflection of energy. 

Students move through a series of short activities to explore and evaluate global solar radiation data from NASA satellites.  In this process, students make qualitative and quantitative observations about seasonal variations in net energy input to the Earth System.

Students review a video showing how the ocean is warmed by solar energy. This is the first video of a four-part series on the water cycle, which follows the journey of water from the ocean to the atmosphere, to the land, and back again to the ocean.

 Air, Water, Land, & Life: A Global Perspective

Students identify patterns and describe the relationship between chlorophyll concentration and incoming shortwave radiation. 

My NASA Data has recently released several new resources, StoryMaps, for use in educational settings.

Explore the energy and matter cycles found within the Earth System. 

Earth is a system of systems.

NASA visualizers take data – numbers, codes – and turn them into animations people can see and quickly understand.

This lesson is taken from NASA's Phytopia: Discovery of the Marine Ecosystem written in partnership with Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Science with funding from the National Science Foundation.