Browse ESS2.C Resources

Subtopics:

Hydrologic Cycle, Precipitation, Water & Life, Energy Cycle

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Keywords:

energy budget, radiation budget, oceans, atmosphere

Summary:

Explore how water moves across land and returns to the ocean in the final installment of the water cycle series. The visualizations illustrate the movement of water on land—from storage of precipitation in soil layers, to its transport via rivers.

The Water Cycle: Watering the Land

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Subtopics:

Hydrologic Cycle, Precipitation, Weather, Energy Cycle

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Keywords:

energy cycle, energy budget, radiation budget, water cycle, ocean, atmosphere, water vapor, condensation, clouds

Summary:

Explore how water droplets form and fall from the sky in part three of the water cycle series. Watch how water vapor moves through the atmosphere and returns to Earth as rain and snow.

The Water Cycle: Steaming the Air

Primary Topic:

Hydrologic Cycle, Earth Systems, Weather and Climate, Energy Cycle

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Keywords:

energy cycle, energy budget, radiation budget, water cycle, ocean, evaporation, atmosphere, water vapor

Summary:

Explore water vapor in the air in part two of the water cycle series. This second part of our series on the water cycle illustrates the way in which evaporation and winds combine to move water from the ocean to the land.

The Water Cycle: Heating the Ocean

Multiple Earth's showing different heat visualizations

Primary Topic:

Subtopics:

Earth Systems, Weather and Climate, Climate, Energy Cycle

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Audience:

Informal, Formal, 9 - 12, 6 - 8

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Keywords:

cryosphere, ice, permafrost, sea ice, ocean currents, glaciers, satellites

Summary:

Explore the solar heating of the ocean in part one of a series on the water cycle. The animations show multiple views of the solar heating of the oceans, a picture of this first stage of water's cyclical journey from sea to air to land, and back again.

Animated Water Cycle

Primary Topic:

Hydrologic Cycle, Precipitation

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Type:

Interactive

Audience:

Outreach, Informal, Formal, K - 5

Standards:

ESS2.C

Keywords:

rain, water storage, clouds, vapor

Summary:

This flash animation takes viewers through four aspects of the water cycle: rain, water storage, vapor, and clouds.

A Tour of the Cryosphere 2009

Primary Topic:

Hydrologic Cycle, Earth Systems, Weather and Climate, Energy Cycle

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Audience:

Informal, Formal, 9 - 12, 6 - 8

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Keywords:

cryosphere, ice, permafrost, sea ice, ocean currents, glaciers, satellites

Summary:

The cryosphere consists of those parts of the Earth's surface where water is found in solid form, including areas of snow, sea ice, glaciers, permafrost, ice sheets, and icebergs. This animation shows fluctuations in the cryosphere.

Listening to Water: Using Underwater Microphones to Measure Ocean Rainfall

Primary Topic:

Hydrologic Cycle, Technology

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Website

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Keywords:

atmosphere, oceans, raindrops

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Summary:

Find out how scientists use the distinct sounds made underwater by different size raindrops to measure rainfall.

NASA S'COOL: Students' Cloud Observations On-Line

Primary Topic:

Hydrologic Cycle, Weather and Climate, Weather

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Type:

Website

Audience:

Informal, Formal, K - 5, General

Keywords:

clouds, atmosphere, water vapor, evaporation, condensation, CERES

Standards:

ESS2.C, ESS2.D

Summary:

The S'COOL Project involves students (ages 5 - 20+) in real science, making and reporting ground truth observations of clouds to assist in the validation of NASA's CERES satellite instruments. Includes lesson plans and other related materials.

NASA Our World: What is a Cloud?

Primary Topic:

Weather and Climate, Weather

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Audience:

Informal, Formal, K - 5

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