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The Habitable Planet: A Systems Approach to Environmental Science is a course for high school teachers and undergraduate students in environmental science. The content course will help teachers of biology, chemistry, and Earth science provide more content in their classes. Course components include 13 half-hour video programs, a coordinated Web site which includes the streamed video programs, the course text online, five interactive simulations, background on the scientists who created the content and those whose research is documented, a professional development guide (also available in print form), and additional resources. Graduate credit is available for the course through Colorado State University. This course begins with an overview of the Earth's systems - geophysical, atmospheric, oceanic, and ecosystems - as they exist independently of human influence. Following this introduction, the course explores the effect that human activities have on the different natural systems. Topics include human population growth and resource use, increasing competition for fresh water, and climate change. Each of the 13 programs features two case studies following top scientists in the field. Grade level: 9-College. LINK >> |
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In this lesson, students build upon their previous investigations of water and its different forms by learning about the water cycle. Students begin by reviewing previous knowledge about water and how it can freeze or turn into a gas depending on how low or high temperatures become. They then learn about the water cycle and its key processes that affect our lands, oceans, and atmosphere. The ongoing need for fresh-water conservation is also highlighted. Grade level: 3-5. LINK >>
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Students will use a lab activity to describe the change in water level when the water is exposed to heat, differentiate between thermal expansion and melting snow and ice fields as they relate to sea level rise, and predict the impact of rising sea level on coastal areas. Grade level: 5-9. LINK >>
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The Tides and Waters Levels Tutorial is an overview of the complex systems that govern the movement of tides and water levels. It is made up of 11 "chapters" or pages (plus a reference page) that can be read in sequence by clicking on the arrows at the top or bottom of each chapter page. The tutorial includes many illustrative and interactive graphics to visually enhance the text. Grade level: 7-College. LINK >>
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From this web page you can access graphic presentations of predicted and observed water levels, air and water temperatures, wind speed and direction, and air pressure in real time from U.S. coastal and territorial waters. After clicking on a state, select a tidal monitoring station and click on it. Predicted readings for an area will appear in blue, and actual observations will appear in red. To view a good example of a diurnal tidal cycle, select a tidal station in Louisiana, Mississippi or Alabama. To see semi-diurnal tides, select a coastal monitoring station from a northeastern state such as Delaware or Maine. Note that the tidal range increases as you move further north. To observe mixed semidiurnal tides, select any one of the tidal stations on the west coast. Grade level: 8-College. LINK >>
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