This mini lesson focuses on the 2015-2016 El Niño event and how its weather conditions triggered regional disease outbreaks throughout the world. Students will review a NASA article and watch the associated video to use as a tool to compare with maps related to 2015-2016 rainfall and elevated disease risk, and answer the questions.

Students compare climographs for two locations to determine the most likely months to expect the emergence of mosquitoes in each location.

Students interpret a double bar/column chart comparing the number of tropical cyclones in different locations.

By investigating the data presented in a model that displays extreme summer air temperatures, students explain energy transfer in the Earth system and consider the impact of excessive heat on local communities.

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

Students analyze two North Pole orthographic data visualizations produced from soil moisture data. After describing trends in the seasonal thaw of land surfaces, students demonstrate their understanding of Earth’s energy budget by explaining relationships and make predictions about the dataset.

This mini lesson engages students with answering questions on cause and effect relationships by watching a NASA video related to changing forests in the Pacific Northwest from 1984 to 2011.

Students connect day/night and seasonal cycles with albedo in the Arctic region. 

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

Students explore the spatial patterns observed in meteorological data and learn how this information is used to predict weather and understand climate behavior.