In this StoryMap students will learn about what air pollution is, its environmental impact, the standards used to describe air quality as defined by the Clean Air Act, and the Earth System interactions that drive the transport of air pollution.

In this activity, students explore three indicators of drought are: soil moisture, lack of precipitation, and decreased streamflows. Students investigate each of these parameters develop a sense for the effects of drought on land.

Students observe the surface temperatures of a variety of surface types found in a suburban environment.

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. 

Students analyze Landsat images of Atlanta, Georgia to explore the relationship between surface temperature and vegetation.

Students examine the two time series images to determine the differences between seasonal ice melt over water versus land.

Students review Earth System phenomena that are affected by soil moisture.  They analyze and evaluate maps of seasonal global surface air temperature and soil moisture data from NASA satellites. Building from their observations, students will select a location in the U.S.

The purpose of this activity is for students to create a desktop soil profile based on the biome region of the United States where your school is located.

Students explore albedo, sea ice, and the relationship between changing albedo and changing sea ice using data visualizations. 

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.