Overview of Hydrosphere Lessons and Investigations
Learners will explore on-line resources that provide hydrosphere information including current ground water, stream current, and oceanography data. The emphasis of these activities is on using information to investigate scientific questions, creating models, and making predictions. Several activities require learners to record electronic information over several days, share data with learners at remote locations, and conduct analysis using image processing technology. Activites have clearly defined learning outcomes and are segregated into four levels: novice, intermediate, advanced, and expert. For a preview, go to a Quick Tour of the hydrosphere activities.
Novice Level
The Water Cycle - Students make a human model of the Water Cycle by playing the role of water droplets moving through the hydrosphere at varying rates and use spreadsheets to analyze the data. Results can be compared with remote schools participating in the activity.
Measuring Global Sea Surface Temperatures - Student use NASA satellite data to analyze real sea surface temperature data using image processing techniques.
Strategic Sailboat Racing - Students use current satellite and buoy data to plan the most efficient path to sail through the Gulf of Mexico.
Graphing Ocean Surface Temperatures - Students convert digital images into numerical data to conduct graphical analyses of ocean remote sensing images.
El Nino- Students observe El Nino and non-El Nino events and use current satellite and buoy data to predict the likelihood of an upcoming El Nino.
Exploring Phytoplankton Pigment Concentrations - Learners use NASA Ocean Color images to determine phytoplankton abundance and estimate the total biomass for particular geographic locations in this extensive activity.
The Red River of the North: The Flood of 1997 - Students investigate the causes of the flood, find out the size of the flood in both area affected and volume of water, and learn how to prepare for and clean up after a flood.
