Browse Water Cycle Resources

Sea Level Rise iQuest

Illustration of sea level rise and building sea walls.

Primary Topic:

Water Cycle

Subtopics:

Earth Systems, Weather and Climate, Climate, Human Impact, Satellites

Type:

Interactive

Audience:

Informal, Formal, General

Standards:

ESS3.B, ESS3.C

Summary:

In this IQuest, you will explore resources to help you learn about the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite, the science behind sea level rise, and the STEM related careers of several of the scientists and engineers involved with this effort.

My NASA Data - A Map of Freshwater

Primary Topic:

Water Cycle

Subtopics:

Weather, Climate, Freshwater Resources

Type:

Lesson Plan

Audience:

Informal, Formal, 9 - 12, 6 - 8, General

Keywords:

freshwater, GRACE, watershed, hydrosphere

Summary:

This My NASA Data lesson plan takes students through data from the GRACE satellite mission to help them understand where regions around the globe may experience a change in their freshwater availability.

Earth's Water Globe Activity

Primary Topic:

Water Cycle

Type:

Interactive

Audience:

Outreach, Informal, General

Summary:

This interactive lesson uses a blow-up globe and a kinesthetic activity to help participants gain an understanding of how much water is on Earth’s surface.

Living in a Freshwater World

Primary Topic:

Water Cycle

Subtopics:

Precipitation, Water & Life, Weather, Climate, Tropical Cyclones, Floods, World Health

Type:

Interactive

Audience:

Outreach, Informal, General

Standards:

ESS2.A, ESS3.A, ETS2.A

Summary:

This interactive lesson will allow you to explore Earth’s freshwater resources. You will learn how NASA's Global Precipitation Measurement mission is helping us better understand our most valuable natural resource.

Water Cycle Dice Game

Primary Topic:

Water Cycle

Subtopics:

Hydrologic Cycle, Precipitation, Earth Systems

Type:

Audience:

Standards:

Keywords:

Summary:

The water cycle may seem simple on the surface, but there are many different ways to move through the process. This page has a few different versions of a Water Cycle Dice game to teach students about the complexities of water in Earth's system.

GPM Gets Flake-y

GPM Project Scientist Gail Skofronick-Jackson explains why all snowflakes have six sides and how the Global Precipitation Measurement Mission can measure falling snow from space.

Primary Topic:

Water Cycle

Subtopics:

Precipitation, Water Properties, Remote Sensing

Type:

Video

Audience:

Outreach, Informal, 9 - 12, 6 - 8, K - 5, General

Standards:

ESS2.C

Keywords:

snowflakes, snow

Summary:

GPM Project Scientist Gail Skofronick-Jackson explains why all snowflakes have six sides and how the Global Precipitation Measurement Mission can measure falling snow from space.

Understanding Earth: Whats Up With Precipitation?

Primary Topic:

Water Cycle

Subtopics:

Hydrologic Cycle, Precipitation, Earth Systems, Water & Life, Weather, Climate, Freshwater Resources

Type:

Article

Audience:

Outreach, 9 - 12, 6 - 8, General

Standards:

ESS2.A, ESS2.C, ESS3.A

Summary:

An educational brochure which explores the importance of fresh water to life on Earth and how NASA is monitoring and studying precipitation using satellites like GPM.

Size Matters: Measuring Raindrop Sizes from Space

Size Matters: NASA Measures Raindrop Sizes From Space to Understand Storms

Primary Topic:

Water Cycle

Subtopics:

Precipitation, Water Properties, Technology, Remote Sensing

Type:

Video

Audience:

Outreach, Informal, Formal, General

Standards:

ESS2.A

Keywords:

DPR, radar, drop sizes, drop distribution

Summary:

This video explains why the size and shape of raindrops in a cloud matters to scientists, and how the Global Precipitation Measurement Mission is able to provide these measurements from space.

Precipitation Towers Lesson Plan

Primary Topic:

Water Cycle

Subtopics:

Precipitation, Earth Systems, Weather, Climate, Data, Freshwater Resources

Type:

Lesson Plan

Audience:

Formal, 6 - 8, K - 5

Standards:

ESS2.A, ESS2.D

Keywords:

seasonal patterns, average precipitation, graphing

Summary:

This lesson uses cubes as a way to graph precipitation data to compare the precipitation averages and seasonal patterns for several different locations. There are several variations to accommodate various ages and ability levels.