Climate Change
Resources for teaching about climate change and climate change modeling.
Global Precipitation Measurement mission
This resource packet has been developed by the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission Outreach Team to provide educational resources to formal and informal educators and others interested in teaching others about climate change.
To adequately understand climate change and climate modeling, it is helpful to first differentiate between weather and climate.
Weather versus Climate
The difference between weather and climate is a measure of time. Weather is what conditions of the atmosphere are over a short period of time, and climate is how the atmosphere "behaves" over relatively long periods of time.
We created a "one-pager" which can be given to students to help them begin to understand the differences between weather and climate.
Below is an article written by NASA science communicators that digs deeper into the differences and similarities between weather and climate.
The NASA " Global Climate Change " website has a wealth of fabulous resources to use to explore climate change. Below is the link to information specifically about the difference between weather and climate.
There is also a very nice elementary aged website entitled " Climate Kids " that explains the differences between weather and climate.
As you might imagine, NASA researchers are doing incredible work to better understand both weather and climate. Here are a few really good sites to learn about some of the research being done below.
Climate Change
Earth's climate has changed throughout history. Just in the last 650,000 years there have been seven cycles of glacial advance and retreat, with the abrupt end of the last ice age about 11,700 years ago marking the beginning of the modern climate era — and of human civilization. Most of these climate changes are attributed to very small variations in Earth’s orbit that change the amount of solar energy our planet receives.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change. The article below summarizes some of the key findings from a report released in 2021.
The Sixth Assessment Report has many results on the impacts of climate change. Visit the IPCC site below to explore the most recent findings.
The current warming trend is of particular significance because most of it is extremely likely (greater than 95% probability) to be the result of human activity since the mid-20th century and proceeding at a rate that is unprecedented over millennia.
For the United States, the National Climate Assessment (NCA) assesses the science of climate change and variability and its impacts across the United States.
Ever wonder about the relationship of extreme weather event, such as torrential rainfall or droughts, and climate change? Watch this recent ABC news interview with chief meteorologist, Ginger Zee, talks with Gavin Schmidt, senior advisor on climate at NASA, about the science behind amplifying extreme weather events and why we all need to be paying attention.
NASA's Earth-observing satellites
Earth-orbiting satellites and other technological advances have enabled scientists to see the big picture, collecting many different types of information about our planet and its climate on a global scale. This body of data, collected over many years, reveals the signals of a changing climate.
On Sept. 13, 2021, three climate change experts were interviewed by Elite Daily. See their responses below.
There are not enough positive attributes to say to adequately describe NASA's " Global Climate Change " website! Do take some time to explore the various features and consider the many ways in which it can be used with students.
The GPM Outreach team developed a lesson plan that might be useful for helping students to understand and interact with the "vital signs" below.
As you explore the site, look under the "Explore" tab and find the " Earth Minute Videos ". These are very clever and might be a nice addition to your teaching tool belt.
Remote Sensing
Understanding how NASA satellites are able to use "remote sensing" to collect data about Earth is also important for students.
Remote sensing is the acquiring of information from a distance. NASA observes Earth and other planetary bodies via remote sensors on satellites and aircraft that detect and record reflected or emitted energy. Remote sensors, which provide a global perspective and a wealth of data about Earth systems, enable data-informed decision making based on the current and future state of our planet.
The link below has a lot of very good information about remote sensing, how it uses the electromagnetic spectrum to guide the type of instrumentation needed, and lots of other resources related to the use of remote sensing.
The video below is also a good way to describing not only how the GPM satellite uses remote sensing to measure global precipitation, but it also describes how a constellation of international satellites collect and send data to Earth.
The video below, "Connect the Drops with NASA Data", shows the ways in which our water cycle is changing as our climate changes. This is a wonderful video to show the importance of monitoring our freshwater resources as well as demonstrating the use of emerging technologies on better understanding the interactions of earth's systems.
Climate Modeling
Climate models simulate interactions of critical climate processes and drivers of change and aim to increase our understanding of Earth’s climate system. Measurements clearly demonstrate the changes to the Earth’s climate over the twentieth century up to the present day, and climate models are used to inform us about possible changes in the future climate.
The GPM Outreach team recently developed some resources to better describe climate modeling and their importance to our responding to climate change.
The one-pager below can be used as a "reading to be informed" resource for students.
The link below will take you to another StoryMap that focuses on climate models and includes a narrated video as well as STEM interview with two NASA climate scientists.
Continuing key observations of the Earth is really important to see how our atmosphere, land and oceans are changing over time. A long-term record, combined with cutting edge observations from the new NASA Earth System Observatory, will continue to push boundaries to better understand our ever-changing planet.
Learn more about two of NASA's climate modeling specialists and how they decided to go into their fields below.
More Resources
The GPM " Precipitation Education " website has a wide variety of lesson plans, videos, and other resources that cover weather and climate, the water cycle, the technology behind the GPM mission, as well as the real-world applications behind the mission.
We developed a landing page with all the resources related to climate modeling.
The My NASA Data website provides a user-friendly interface to visualize and analyze NASA Earth-observing datasets, along with NGSS-aligned lesson plans, activities and other resources that connect NASA mission data to Earth System Science phenomena for grades 3-12. My NASA Data offers a variety of opportunities to explore Earth Science phenomena of the Atmosphere, Biosphere, Cryosphere, Geosphere, and Hydrosphere using uniquely NASA related content.
NASA has a huge array of visual resources that are freely available. The Scientific Visualization Studio (SVS) is continually adding more resources and covers all areas of NASA exploration.
To see the SVS resources which focus on climate change, simply put "climate change" in the search box and you will discover a rich array of freely available resources at the click of your finger!
Another fabulous way to become involved with collecting authentic scientific data that is shared with and is useful to NASA and other scientists is through the " GLOBE Program ". The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program has been providing students and the public worldwide with the opportunity to meaningfully contribute to our understanding of the Earth system and global environment. As an international science and education program, GLOBE is dedicated to supplying the STEM professionals of tomorrow with the scientific knowledge necessary to tackle Earth's biggest mysteries.
This program also has a huge outreach component for engaging all "citizen scientists". Simply download the GLOBE Observer app onto your smart phone and/or iPad, and collect data and submit data to help us better understand our home planet and monitor how it is changing.
Would you like to have a guest speaker present either virtually or in person? Check out the NASA's Speaker's Bureau .
We hope these resources are useful to your and your students. Feel free to reach out to Dorian Janney at dorian.w.janney@nasa.gov if there are more resources that you are looking for related to climate change and climate modeling.
