For over 20 years, satellite instruments have measured the sea surface height of our ever-changing oceans.  This visualization of images shows the complicated patterns of rising and falling ocean levels across the globe from 1993 to 2015.

Use the Data Literacy Cubes to guide students’ exploration of data to enrich their observations and inferences.  This is a flexible resource that may be used with a variety of data, whether the data originates from students' investigations with personally-collected data or data that they have acc

The Earth's system is characterized by the interaction of processes that take place on molecular (very small) and planetary (very large) spatial scales, as well as on short and long time scales. Scientific visualizations allow us to experience Earth processes at faster speeds, and on manageable smaller scales, facilitating data analysis and enhancing understanding. Explore the visualizations below to see the new benchmark map scientists can use to study the extent and speed of changes to the largest ice sheet in the world.

Examine a model and answer questions about dust transport around the world.

Teachers, these mini lessons/student activities are perfect "warm up" tasks that can be used as a hook, bellringer, exit slip, etc.

Exploring salinity patterns is a great way to better understand the relationships between the water cycle, ocean circulation, and climate. Explore sea surface salinity mapped plots created from the Earth System Data Explorer, paired with questions (and answers) from the Aquarius Mission. Credit: Aquarius Education

Watch NASA videos about aerosols and volcanic ash and answer questions.

Analyze the first of three graphs of historical ocean data in this series; this mini lesson features salinity values using the interactive tool, FlatMap, created by NASA's Aquarius Mission.