Students observe how air quality changes over time, for a selected location, using data from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Students examine satellite images of a recently formed island to identify areas of erosion and deposition.

Students review a video that models the global impact of smoke from fires to develop an understanding of how models can be used to interpret and forecast phenomena in the Earth System. 

Use the AirNow.gov website to determine current air quality in US locations, as well as other information.

Students examine satellite images of an island before and after a volcanic eruption to determine the impact of the eruption.

Compare images from two volcanic eruptions in the Kuril Islands which occurred ten years apart and complete a graphic organizer for impacts on different Earth spheres. 

Students will synthesize information from maps that show population, concentrations of PM_2.5, and PM_2.5-attributable mortality across the globe in order to draw conclusions about the relationship between particulate pollution and human health. 

Students will describe the changes in a newly-formed volcanic island over the first three years of its life.  

Watch NASA videos about aerosols and volcanic ash.

Learn about volcanic ash and watch a visualization of the Calbuco volcano to see how ash travels around the world.