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Environmental Resources- HOTLIST Back to main page·

Modeling and Visualization Platforms | Global_Warming | The Sun | Wild Fires |Hydrosphere| Water Sheds |The Carbon Cycle and Climate Change | Comprehensive Resources |Earth Science Programs |Showcasing Your Work |Professional Development Opportunities |Publications |

**Modeling and Visualization Platforms** VAPOR—[|Visualization and Analysis Platform for Ocean, Atmosphere and Solar Researchers] http://www.vapor.ucar.edu/

**Global Warming**
 * Goddard Space Flight Center **I**nternational Action on **Glo**bal Warming (IGLO) http://atmospheres.gsfc.nasa.gov/iglo/
 * Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Intergovernmental+Panel+on+Climate+Change?tid=informline
 * CNN Global Warming Special: http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/1997/global.warming/?iref=mptopics
 * Global Warming-Cooler Heads http://www.globalwarming.org/
 * DISCOVER (**//Distributed Information Services for Climate and Ocean Products and Visualizations for Earth Research)//**: Carefully Calibrated Long-term Ocean and Climate Data http://discover.itsc.uah.edu/
 * LABS
 * (K-8) The Greenhouse Effect in a Jar http://www.fi.edu/tfi/activity/earth/earth-5.html
 * (9-12) Bringing the Greenhouse Effect Down to Earth http://www.fi.edu/tfi/activity/earth/earth-4.html
 * BBC: The World’s Largest Climate Modelling Experiment http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/climateexperiment/


 * Polar Sciences Special CollectionIt's International Polar Year! Teachers' Domain is pleased to announce our new [|Polar Sciences Special Collection], which is funded by the National Science Foundation, and offers 20 new resources about the Arctic and the Antarctic, plus resources from our existing collections, a lesson plan, and our newest feature, a student activity.
 * "[|Observations of Climate Change]".The fourth International Polar Year (IPY) is a 2007-2008 international campaign to advance polar science and better understand global climate change through an interdisciplinary approach. Learn about the importance of studying the poles through these media resources. Explore the polar regions, the changes they are experiencing, and their connections to the rest of the world. Engage with the quantitative and qualitative data in the new

student activity feature, "[|Observations of Climate Change]".

**The Sun** [|//Constant as the Sun//]//? A Look at Solar Variability// http://www.isgtw.org/?pid=1000556 Simulations of the action occuring on our Sun shows downflows: plumes of cooler gas that sink away from the surface of the Sun.//Image produced using[| VAPOR]// Like many 2000 yotta-ton balls of hot gas, the Sun isn’t exactly 100 percent stable. In fact, its outer third is constantly on the move, a churning jumble of convective motion, driven by huge heat production in its interior and heat loss from its outer regions. And just as hot gas rises, cool gas sinks, resulting in the formation of downflow plumes: currents of cooler gas that move towards the solar interior. These plumes play a crucial role in the dynamics of the convective flows occurring all over the solar surface. Very high resolution computer simulations suggest that these plumes interact to form larger convective scales, and that the cool gas sinks all the way to the base of the highly stratified solar convection zone. Their coherency suggests such downflows play a key role in the transport of heat, momentum and magnetic field into the overshoot region below: the region thought to be the seat of the solar dynamo. Scientists at the[| University of Colorado at Boulder], U.S., are studying these phenomenon using visualizations made possible by a visual analysis tool called VAPOR—[|Visualization and Analysis Platform for Ocean, Atmosphere and Solar Researchers].The VAPOR software was developed by the[| National Center for Atmospheric Research]’s Computational and Information Systems Laboratory in collaboration with U.C. Davis and Ohio State University. NCAR are part of[| TeraGrid], whose wide-area file system, ample bandwidth and capacity are uniquely suited to VAPOR’s multi-resolution data format. VAPOR is supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation.
 * [|About the Sun]** · //A basic guide to all things solar, produced by the NCAR High Altitude Observatory//

**Weather and Climate**

Earth Images Games http://scijinks.jpl.nasa.gov/weather/fun/slyder/ [|https://portal.leadproject.org:443/gridsphere/gridsphere?cid=live_weather] MetEd: K-12 and the Public [|**Hurricane Strike!**] //A multimedia learning package created by COMET®, Hurricane Strike! is aimed primarily at middle school students. It integrates disaster safety and preparedness with science instruction, providing an engaging interactive learning environment. It also dovetails with science and safety content in the American Red Cross////[| Masters of Disaster]// //curriculum.// [|**In a New Light: The Color of Weather and Climate**] (6.8 mb PDF) //This 72-page booklet (in PDF format) is the handout for the popular workshop presented at NSTA by UCAR Education and Outreach staff. The booklet provides extensive background information and directions for all hands-on activities presented during the workshop.// [|**Global Weather Services in 2025**] //A vision of future weather services// [|**Children of the Tropics**]: El Nino and La Nina Connecting Weather to the **Environment** (Middle School/High School) **...** Last updated: 2007-01-19 Questions and Comments: info@comet.**ucar**.edu **..** UCAR Education Outreach http://eo.ucar.edu/
 * [|Remote Sensing Using Satellites]** //This website was developed by COMET® to support an introductory earth or atmospheric science course. Its goal is to help you better understand weather information by providing dynamic graphics, animations, and science content about remote sensing, satellite imagery, and hurricanes. As part of the module, you will apply what you've learned by exploring recent hurricanes through satellite imagery.//
 * [|Skymath]** //Mathematics curriculum using real-time weather data//
 * [|Unidata]** //Sites Using Unidata Systems for K-12 and General Education Outreach//

**Hydrosphere** NOAA Discovery Kits http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/kits/welcome.html [|Corals] [|Currents][|Estuaries] [|Geodesy][|Nonpoint Source Pollution][|Tides & Water Levels] **Watersheds**:

**Wild Fires** [|**Introduction to Fire Behavior**] //This site provides an overview of factors that affect the ignition and spread of wildfires. Information is presented with 3-dimensional graphics and animations as well as audio descriptions and commentary provided by a fire behavior expert. You don't need an extensive background in fire science or weather forecasting to learn from this site.// [|**NCAR Vislab**] //Explore visualizations of NCAR computer models to learn how models are used to understand phenomena of the Earth system from global climate to the behavior of wildfires.//

**The Carbon Cycle and Climate Change EPA Climate Change Kids Site: http://epa.gov/climatechange/kids/version2.html******
 * Global Warming http://epa.gov/climatechange/kids/global_warming_version2.html
 * The Carbon Cycle http://epa.gov/climatechange/kids/carbon_cycle_version2.html
 * The Water Cycle http://epa.gov/climatechange/kids/water_cycle_version2.html

[|APOL Biocomplexity Education]//APOL's Biocomplexity Project's education component was created by two Colorado high school teachers and two students. The materials were designed to serve the secondary education community in developing public understanding of climate change science and associated technologies. Visit this site to see their work in describing carbon's role in climate change, how APOL's laser spectrometer addresses important questions, and how this new laser system functions. The site also provides secondary level educational activities and many video interviews with scientists about the carbon cycle, climate change, and the APOL project that are appropriate for anyone interested in learning more on state-of-the-art research involving Earth's climate and carbon cycle.// How can you study something as interconnected as climate without using interconnected models? http://www.isgtw.org/?pid=1000690 In the recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, data from various models and sources were combined to project the future climate. This image shows Scenario A1B: simulated mean temperature change relative to 1980-1999. //Image © DKRZ / IPCC DDC// This was one of the biggest questions facing Kerstin Ronneberger during her early research in earthsystem science modeling. When Ronneberger found an opportunity to get into grid computing, she was immediately interested. “I wanted to study the human influence on climate change,” she explains, “which involved coupling models of biosphere, economy and climate to get a consistent simulation of their dynamic interactions. Without access to grids the relevant data was often hard to obtain and even harder to combine” “In earthsystem science, everyone is using a different system to store and manage their data, but by using grids you can create standards and protocols that make it much easier to share data,” she says. Now at the[| German Climate Computing Centre] in Hamburg, Germany, Ronneberger is working with Stephan Kindermann from the German[| C3-Grid] to provide earthsystem science researchers with a one-stop resource. Ronneberger and Kindermann are developing an infrastructure for interfacing climate databases to the[| EGEE] grid, enabling researchers to search, exchange and manipulate data from various sources. Increasing amounts of diverse climate data are being stored in distributed data centres where seamless access via a uniform interface is needed for climate scientists to provide state-of-the-art projections of future climate change. //Image © Michael Böttinger and DKRZ// “We are still in the development and feasibility phase, but we do have a working prototype,” Ronneberger says. “Our concept can easily be adapted to other projects in other countries and we are talking to other initiatives, such as the[| earth system grid project], about coming on board. We would really like to make this into a global enterprise.” The team is also working with the[| Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change], which recently attracted worldwide attention with their projections of future climate change. These newest IPCC projections were based on the latest climate science research and involved a lot of data analysis. Their next report will involve even more data, which means grids might provide the perfect solution. Ronneberger says she has quite a bit of work ahead of her. “We’re working to make the prototype into a more reliable and transferable model,” she says.“Grids are such amazing tools: they draw so many different people together. There is so much that works—and so much that doesn’t!” //- Hannelore Hämmerle, EGEE//

Comprehensive Resources [|DLESE: Digital Library for Earth System Education] **//A grassroots, community-based effort involving teachers, students, and scientists working together to create a library of educational resources and services to support Earth system science education, at all levels, in both formal and informal settings. DLESE resources include electronic materials for both teachers and learners such as lesson plans, maps, images, data sets, visualizations, assessment activities, curriculum, online courses, and much more. Sponsored by the National Science Foundation, DLESE is being designed, built, and governed by community members from around the country.//** [|NSDL: National Science Digital Library] **//The comprehensive source for science, technology, engineering and mathematics education. Funded by the National Science Foundation.//** [|Windows to the Universe] **//A fun and different Web site about the Earth and Space sciences//

**Earth Science Programs
 * [|**The GLOBE Program**] //An exciting, worldwide, hands-on education and science program//

**Showcasing Your Work [|Greenie Environmental Stewardship Awards] **//Awards recognize special Earth Day projects in the areas of recycling, composting, environmental education, energy, conservation, sustainability, and air and water quality//
 * [|**Colorado Computational Science Fair**] //High-school competition sponsored by NCAR and Colorado State University//**

**Professional Development Opportunities [|NCAR's Climate Discovery Online Courses] **//A Earth’s climate has evolved in remarkable ways since our planet’s origin. It also changes over shorter time periods in response to natural processes and human actions. These changes can impact our lives on a daily basis, now and in the future. Scientists draw upon many different, yet interrelated, fields of the geosciences as they strive to understand climate and global change. The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) is offering __middle and high school teachers__ an opportunity to learn about the science of climate and how current research is advancing our understanding through, Climate Discovery, a series of three online workshops.//** [|The Climate Discovery Teacher's Guide] **//This teacher's guide was produced by the National Center for Atmospheric Research as a companion to the Climate Discovery exhibit at our Boulder, Colorado laboratory. Each unit contains lessons appropriate for grades 5-9 on a variety of Earth system science topics that facilitate student learning about our planet's climate system.//** [|Climate & Global Change Geoscience Education Workshop] **//The goal of the workshop is to provide standards-relevant science content, training on easy to implement inquiry-based classroom activities, and a broad overview of the geosciences in the context of climate and global change to educator-leaders who are teaching sciences at the middle and high school levels.// [|**LEARN: Atmospheric Science Explorers**] //Enhancement program for science teachers//** Learning about Science Easily and Readily Series (LASERS) **//Lectures and brochures on atmospheric research topics// [|**Modeling in the Geosciences Workshop**] //Environmental concerns are becoming increasingly pressing and complex, requiring citizens to have much better understanding of Earth systems and processes, and the methods scientists use to unravel this complexity to develop an understanding of the underlying systems. Models are an important tool used by scientists to study and better understand complex systems. To increase teacher understanding of models and their utility in Earth System Science studies, NASA’s Earth System Enterprise is sponsoring the Modeling in the Geosciences Workshop (MGW) for middle and high school teachers that will explore Earth System Modeling concepts that are relevant for classroom use.//

To be cataloged

**Publications [|EXPLORE the Atmospheric Sciences] **//Newsletter of informal science education of UCAR and NCAR//** [|Roberts Forum]** //Illustrated talks on current research regarding the atmospheric and related sciences// [|**Science Now**] //Newsletter for science teachers published by UCAR and SIRS, Inc., an educa//