![](media/image1.png){width="1.0in" height="0.8486111111111111in"}

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## GRADE LEVEL

Grades 5-8

## GOALS

-   Students will understand how remote sensing enables us to understand
    the Earth System, with particular focus on the atmosphere

-   Students will use images to interpret changes over time

-   Students will use images to describe atmospheric composition and
    layer properties

### [BACKGROUND INFORMATION]{.underline}

Remote sensing is the gathering of information about something without
touching it. Imagine you are at your favorite amusement park. You see
the brightly colored rides, you hear the excited screams from the roller
coaster, and you smell the cotton candy stand. You are experiencing
remote sensing.

Remote sensing can be done also by satellites in orbit, telescopes on
the ground, and even telescopes and instruments above the Earth such as
the NIGHTGLOW (**http://nightglow.gsfc.nasa.gov**) project. Remote
sensing helps NASA scientists to better understand our dynamic Earth.
Its land, oceans, and atmosphere are always changing. Though many of the
changes on Earth are too small to be viewed from space, some changes are
more easily seen from orbit, than from the surface of Earth. Depending
on what the scientists are studying, certain instruments are used to
study specific parts of our atmosphere. The images that are produced
from remote sensing cannot only provide data, but they can also show
changes over time. The saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" is
certainly true with the images that are created from remote sensing
instruments.

People have always changed their local environments, but now there is
increasing evidence that we are changing our environment on a global
scale. NASA's NIGHTGLOW mission is a perfect example of remote sensing
used to study our atmosphere. Even at night, the Earth's atmosphere
glows from reflected starlight, moonlight, man-made ultraviolet (UV)
light, and molecular processes. The NIGHTGLOW mission's purpose is to
carry out measurements of this invisible light, also called
\"nightglow\", on a long duration balloon flight
(**http://www.wff.nasa.gov/\~code820**/). Surprisingly, there are not
very many measurements of the near UV (UV near the visible energy range)
nightglow, and no long-term studies have been undertaken. Flying at an
altitude of about 30 km (100,000 ft), NIGHTGLOW will circumnavigate the
world. During the local night, NIGHTGLOW will use its three onboard
telescopes to measure this UV light.

The information we learn from NIGHTGLOW can be used on future cosmic ray
missions. Cosmic rays are particles that bombard the Earth from anywhere
beyond its atmosphere. One way to study them is by measuring the amount
of UV light they produce when they enter and interact with Earth's
atmosphere. The data from NIGHTGLOW can tell scientists how much of the
UV light they measure is ***not*** caused by the cosmic ray particles.

The following lessons will enable you to understand how remote sensing
is used to study and better understand the Earth's atmosphere. Red text
in the lessons is a suggested teacher's script.

**[Lesson One]{.underline}**

##### The Earth at Night: Looking down helps us understand looking up

**NSES Content Standards**

**Content Standard A**

-   **Develop descriptions, explanations, predictions, and models using
    evidence.**

-   **Think critically and logically to make the relationships between
    evidence and explanation.**

**Content Standard B**

-   **Light interacts with matter by transmission, absorption, or
    scattering.**

**Content Standard C**

-   **The number of organisms an ecosystem can support depends upon the
    resources available and abiotic factors, such as light and water,
    range of temperatures, and soil composition.**

**Content Standard D**

-   **Living organisms have played many roles in the earth system.**

**Content Standard F**

-   **Develop an understanding of populations, resources, environments,
    and the identification of natural hazards induced by change.**

**Materials:**

Internet browser, computer access for teacher/students

Hand out: "Bright Lights, Big City" (for Extension only):

**http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/Lights/\"**

#### Engage

As a class, show the students the animation movie "Earth at Night":

**http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a000500/a000556/**

Note: You may need to show the animation numerous times

Ask students the following:

1.  What can you learn from this animation? *Places with a greater
    population have more lights.*

2.  What do you think the "red" in the movie represents? *Fires due to
    lightning or deforestation*

3.  List places on our Earth where it is the darkest. *Least population*

4.  List places on our Earth where it would be difficult to see the
    stars. Where would you place a ground-based telescope? *Places with
    large populations due to light pollution. In an arid, less populated
    area.*

5.  What do you think this animation would have looked like 20, 50, 100
    years ago?? What will it look like 20, 50, 100 years from now?
    *Answers will vary.*

#### Explore

**Los Angeles 1908 vs. 1988**

Have the students observe two images taken of downtown Los Angeles:

In 1908: **http://www.darksky.org/images/ida-asp-m/ida_asp_03.gif**

In 1988: **http://www.darksky.org/images/ida-asp-m/ida_asp_04.gif**

Ask students the following:

1.  What conclusions can you draw about the differences in the two
    images? *Population has significantly grown.*

2.  What do you believe the image would look like today? *More lights*

3.  What effects would this amount of light pollution have on the
    environment?

*Teacher can include the effects of light pollution on wildlife, humans,
and the observation of the night sky. You would also see fewer stars.*

Web Resource:

Environmental effects of light pollution:
**http://www.darksky.org/links/enviro.html**

**Explain**

See "Earth at Night" global image**:**

**http://apod.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001127.html**

Ask students to think and hypothesize about the following:

1.  Human-made lights highlight developed or populated areas. Can you
    locate your favorite city? Can you identify all the continents? What
    do you notice about the location of large cities? *Large cities
    mostly occur near coastlines or water.*

2.  In the Midwest US, the city lights form a grid. This grid pattern
    resulted from the General Land Survey (GLS) of newly acquired land
    from the Louisiana Purchase. The GLS is based on grids of
    north-south and east-west lines. These grids were subdivided into 36
    square mile townships, 6 miles by 6 miles each. Roads tended to be
    located on the boundaries between sections, and formed a grid one
    mile by one mile. Major roads, and later railroads, ended up on
    township lines, forming a larger grid, and resulting in a distance
    of about 6 miles between towns, still visible today.

3.  Notice that Canada\'s population is almost entirely along the US
    border.

4.  The population concentration is high along the coast of the
    Mediterranean Sea. See if you can find London, Paris, Stockholm,
    Rome, and Naples.

5.  There is still no development at the mouth of the Amazon, unlike
    other major rivers.

6.  South America, Africa, and Australia are \"dark continents\" because
    almost all of their development is on their coasts. Look at the
    Australian Outback.

7.  How does Israel's development compare to other Arab countries?
    *Israel is very populated.*

8.  Notice how far upstream the Nile River stays bright and how it
    contrasts with the area around it. Going south from the Nile, the
    country is dark all the way to Johannesburg.

9.  You can see the Trans-Siberian Railway lines in Siberia, Russia
    because the cities are all built on them.

10. What do you notice about North Korea vs. South Korea? *North
    Korea-communist, South Korea-democracy*

11. Notice how bright the lights of Japan are. 

Share with students that this is a composite of hundreds of pictures
taken by Defense Meteorological Satellites.

Why would this not be just one picture?

*Could not take a picture of the entire Earth at one time*

How can these images track population growth and urban development?

*Monitor the amount of light pollution - more lights equal more
population*

#### Extend

**What is Remote Sensing?**

Have students go through the NASA tutorials "What is Remote Sensing?":

**http://imagers.gsfc.nasa.gov/adventure/rs_lesson.html**

and "How a Remote Sensing Image is Created":

**http://imagers.gsfc.nasa.gov/adventure/Rs_less2.html**

These tutorials will share with students some excellent images and
information on remote sensing basics and how it is used to better
understand our dynamic planet.

Students can read "Bright Lights, Big City". This article will "bring to
light" the impacts that urban sprawl has on the food we eat, the air we
breathe, and the ecosystem in which we live. How has urban sprawl
affected the way in which we study our planet?

Further information on interpretation of the "Earth at Night" image is
on the NASA "Visible Earth" site on city lights:

**http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/viewrecord?5826**

#### Evaluate

Go to NASA's Observatorium "USA at Night" game:

**http://observe.arc.nasa.gov/nasa/fun/at_night/usa.html**

Directions for the game are at:

**http://observe.arc.nasa.gov/nasa/fun/at_night/at_night.html**

Have students identify major cities of the United States by clicking on
the lit area. How many cities can the students identify?

-   Do students recognize that looking down at Earth helps us understand
    what we can see looking up?

-   Do students recognize that remote sensing can show changes over time
    that would be difficult to track without specific images?

[Lesson Two]{.underline}

*Using Remote Sensing to Understand Atmospheric Chemistry*

**NSES Content Standards**

**Content Standard A**

-   **Develop descriptions, explanations, predictions, and models using
    evidence.**

-   **Think critically and logically to make the relationships between
    evidence and explanation.**

**Content Standard B**

-   **Light interacts with matter by transmission, absorption, or
    scattering.**

**Content Standard C**

-   **The number of organisms an ecosystem can support depends upon the
    resources available and abiotic factors, such as light and water,
    range of temperatures, and soil composition.**

**Content Standard D**

-   **The atmosphere is a mixture of nitrogen, oxygen and trace gases.**

-   **Clouds, formed by condensation of water vapor, affect weather and
    climate.**

-   **Living organisms have played many roles in the earth system.**

-   **Develop an understanding of the Earth in comparison to other
    planets in the solar system.**

**Content Standard F**

-   **Develop an understanding of populations, resources, environments,
    and the identification of natural hazards induced by change.**

**Materials:**

Internet browser, computer access for teacher/students

Engage

Have the students take a deep breath. Ask them what they think they have
just inhaled. Have students list the gases they believe are in the
atmosphere. Compare their list to the actual makeup of the Earth's
atmosphere: nitrogen (N~2~) 78%, oxygen (O~2~) 21%, 1% of "others" which
includes carbon dioxide, argon, water vapor, neon, helium, methane,
krypton, and hydrogen.

The atmosphere, or air, is a mixture of chemical elements and compounds.
The actual percentages of gases in our atmosphere may surprise students.
Most students think that oxygen makes up the majority of the air we
breathe. Explain what would happen if oxygen made up 78% of the
atmosphere. *Answers will vary, but note to students that it wouldn't be
wise to light a match in this kind of an environment.*

Explore

Have the students create a pie graph of the chemical composition of the
atmosphere. Here is an example from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth\'s_atmosphere

Compare the atmospheric composition of our two closest planets, Venus
and Mars, to Earth's:

Mars atmosphere:

http://aerospacescholars.jsc.nasa.gov/CAS/lessons/L9/9.HTM

Venus atmosphere:

http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/venus/atmosphere.html

Explain

Changing our atmospheric composition only slightly can greatly affect
regional weather, long-term global climate, and air quality. Using
remote sensing can help scientists map, understand, and predict the
affects of changes in atmospheric composition.

NASA\'s Terra spacecraft (**http://terra.nasa.gov**) has assembled the
most complete view ever of the world\'s air pollution traveling through
the atmosphere across continents and oceans. For the first time,
policymakers and scientists now have a way to identify the major sources
of air pollution and to closely track where the pollution goes anywhere
on Earth.

Carbon monoxide is a gaseous byproduct from the burning of fossil fuels
in industry and automobiles, as well as burning of forests and
grasslands. The false colors in the following images represent levels of
carbon monoxide in the lower atmosphere, ranging from about 390 parts
per billion (dark brown pixels), to 220 parts per billion (red pixels),
to 50 parts per billion (blue pixels).

Have students analyze the following two images. What do they believe is
the cause of the large amount of carbon monoxide gas that is being
emitted in both images? Where else can you find carbon monoxide? How
does carbon monoxide affect life forms?

Have students research and discuss the effects of increased carbon
monoxide in the atmosphere. *Carbon monoxide comes primarily from the
incomplete burning of fossil fuels, wood and charcoal fires and
volcanoes. High concentrations of carbon monoxide are lethal.*

**http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_rec.php?vev1id=8086**

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="2.890972222222222in" height="3.375in"}(on
right)

from Terra

![](media/image3.jpeg){width="2.4902777777777776in"
height="1.8659722222222221in"}

http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_rec.php?vev1id=551

(on left)

from Terra's MOPITT instrument

Extend

There are other gases in our atmosphere that have an important role in
our survival on Earth. Ozone is a colorless gas that is found in two
layers of our atmosphere. In Earth's troposphere near ground level,
ozone is formed by pollution. Stratospheric ozone (10-30 miles above the
Earth) occurs naturally and protects the Earth from the Sun's harmful
ultraviolet light. Without this protection, the UV light would cause
increased cases of skin cancer, glaucoma, genetic mutations and
catastrophic changes in the photosynthesis cycle.

Have students observe the Antarctic ozone hole from 1979 through 2003.
See NASA's Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) spacecraft page:

http://toms.gsfc.nasa.gov/multi/multim.html#hole

Do students observe any changes? Have students research the reasons
behind ozone depletion in the stratosphere. *Ozone depletion occurs when
CFC's (chlorofluorocarbons)* *and ultraviolet radiation from the sun
causes the CFC to break apart and release chlorine atoms, which react
with ozone. This begins a chemical cycle of ozone destruction that
depletes the ozone layer. One chlorine atom can break apart more than
100,000 ozone molecules.*

Visible Earth - Ozone:

http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_set.php?categoryID=162

Evaluate

Students should recognize that remote sensing can be used to identify
atmospheric composition and atmospheric changes by assigning a specific
display color to a particular particle (compound or element).

Students can go through the NASA Observatorium Tutorial "Eyes in the
Sky":

http://observe.arc.nasa.gov/nasa/exhibits/eyes_sky/home.html

to further their knowledge of how remote sensing can be used to research
our Earth.

[Lesson Three]{.underline}

*Understanding Albedo*

**NSES Content Standards**

**Content Standard A**

-   **Develop descriptions, explanations, predictions, and models using
    evidence.**

-   **Think critically and logically to make the relationships between
    evidence and explanation.**

**Content Standard B**

-   **Light interacts with matter by transmission, absorption, or
    scattering.**

-   **The sun is a major source of energy for changes on the Earth's
    surface.**

**Content Standard C**

-   **The number of organisms an ecosystem can support depends upon the
    resources available and abiotic factors, such as light and water,
    range of temperatures, and soil composition.**

**Content Standard F**

-   **Develop an understanding of populations, resources, environments,
    and the identification of natural hazards induced by change.**

**Materials:**

Internet browser, computer access for teacher/students

5 pie plates, broad leaves, sand, dirt, water

Alternative light source if cloudy

Engage

Ask students why it is necessary to wear sunglasses when looking at snow
on a bright winter day. Students are seeing the albedo from the snow's
surface. Albedo or reflectivity varies with the type of material that
the sun strikes. Example, fresh snow can reflect up to 95% of the
radiation that reaches the Earth's surface. Some other materials with
varying albedo:

-   Dry Sand 35-45%

-   Broadleaf deciduous forest 5-10%

-   Needle-leaf coniferous forest 10-20%

-   Grass like vegetation 15-25 %

The Earth's average albedo is 30% from both the atmosphere and surface.
Changes in the Earth's albedo can affect the amount of energy available
for the water cycle, photosynthesis and ultimately the Earth's climate.

Explore

If it is a bright sunny day take students outside to observe these 4 pie
pans. If not use an alternative light source.

Pie Pan #1- filled with sand

Pie Pan #2- covered with broadleaf leaves like maple/oak

Pie Pan #3- covered with local dirt

Pie Pan #4- water

Pie Pan #5- empty (represents ice)

Have students rank which pie pan is reflecting the most light. How could
this affect climate and weather? How could changing the Earth's albedo
create drastic changes to our weather? *Answers may vary. Students
should recognize that albedo is the fraction of light that is reflected
from a surface. When an object reflects most of the light that hits it,
it looks bright, and it has a high albedo.  When an object absorbs most
of the light that hits it, it looks dark.   Dark objects have low
albedos. High albedos mean that more energy is reflected, and can be
absorbed by the atmosphere or sent back into space. Changing the amount
of the sun's energy that is absorbed, reflected, or emitted back into
space can drastically affect ocean temperatures and weather patterns.*

Explain

Have students observe and analyze this global albedo image:

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/Images/modis_albedo.jpg

![](media/image4.jpeg){width="2.875in" height="1.6652777777777779in"}"A
new sensor aboard NASA\'s Terra satellite (**http://terra.nasa.gov)** is
now collecting the most detailed and accurate measurements ever made of
how much sunlight the Earth's surface reflects back up into the
atmosphere. By quantifying precisely our planet's reflectivity, or
albedo, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)
(**http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov**) is helping scientists better understand
and predict how various surface features influence both short-term
weather patterns as well as longer-term climate trends. The colors in
this image emphasize the albedo over the Earth\'s land surfaces, ranging
from 0.0 to 0.4 \[explanation of numbers below.\]. Areas colored red
show the brightest, most reflective regions; yellows and greens are
intermediate values; and blues and violets show relatively dark
surfaces. White indicates where no data were available, and no albedo
data are provided over the oceans. This image was produced using data
composited over a 16-day period, from April 7-22, 2002."

*Albedos fall in the range from 0 to 1. A zero reading means the
substance absorbs all radiation hitting it. A score of 1 means the
substance is a perfect reflector and no energy is absorbed. Snow has a
higher albedo than does soil or trees.*

1.  Where are albedo values the greatest?

2.  Where are albedo values less?

> ![](media/image5.jpeg){width="2.19375in" height="3.125in"}

"This image of the Coastal Carolinas maps the white-sky albedo, which is
the albedo under conditions of a uniform, dense cloud cover, in which
downwelling light energy comes uniformly from all directions. The color
bar indicates the albedo value. Typically, vegetated surfaces and water
have low albedos, while soil and urban surfaces have somewhat higher
values. Note that solar energy that is not reflected away from a surface
is absorbed by that surface. Thus, albedo also provides information
about the amount of energy absorbed by a surface. Since this energy
serves to heat the soil and the air just above the surface, albedo is an
important factor in weather and climate studies, and especially is
important for modeling of weather and climate on scales of days to
years."

http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_rec.php?vev1id=915 (on left)

Extend

![](media/image6.jpeg){width="1.7083333333333333in"
height="1.25in"}Students should read "Watching the World Rev its Heat
Engine":

http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_rec.php?vev1id=11546 (image on right)
This image shows where more or less heat, in the form of long wave
radiation, is emanating from the top of Earth's atmosphere. Blue is
cold, red is warmer, and yellow is hot.

Have students hypothesize about how clouds can affect the Earth's albedo
and climate.

*Without the clouds, more sunlight is allowed to enter the tropical
zones and more thermal energy is allowed to leave. Cloud cover can trap
radiation and prevent it from emitting back into space.*

Have students read "Atmospheric Effects on Incoming Solar Radiation":

http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/7f.html

Evaluate

In a journal writing and using what they have learned about albedo, have
students hypothesize about what would happen to the Earth's climate if
it underwent each of the following: an ice age, a "water world",
complete destruction of tropical rainforests.

[Lesson Four]{.underline}

*Atmospheric Layers*

**NSES Content Standards**

**Content Standard A**

-   **Develop descriptions, explanations, predictions, and models using
    evidence.**

-   **Think critically and logically to make the relationships between
    evidence and explanation.**

**Content Standard B**

-   **Light interacts with matter by transmission, absorption, or
    scattering.**

-   **The sun is a major source of energy for changes on the Earth's
    surface.**

**Content Standard D**

-   **The atmosphere is a mixture of nitrogen, oxygen and trace gases.**

-   **Clouds, formed by condensation of water vapor, affect weather and
    climate.**

-   **Global patterns of atmospheric movement influence local weather.**

**Content Standard F**

-   **Develop an understanding of populations, resources, environments,
    and the identification of natural hazards induced by change.**

Materials:

Internet browser, computer access for teacher/students

1 piece of plain paper 8 ½ x 11 for each student

scissors

colored pencils

Engage

Have students listen to prompt and write their reaction.

Prompt: You are on a mission to outer space. As you lift off explain
what you notice about the Earth's atmosphere as you head towards space.
You can include data that you receive from the spacecraft's instrument
panel such as any changes in temperature or air composition. *Answers
will vary.*

Explore

Show students the image of atmospheric layers:

http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/images/profile_jpg_image.html

What dictates the various layers of the Earth's atmosphere?
*Temperature*

## "Earth\'s Atmospheric Layers and Temperature Variations":

http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/essd/atmos_layers.htm

Explain

Atmosphere Graphic Organizer Flip Chart

Give each student 1 piece of paper, 1 pair of scissors, and colored
pencils.

Have students fold paper in half (the long way).

Exosphere

Thermosphere

Mesosphere

Stratosphere

Troposphere

Once the paper has been folded in half, have students cut in four places
to represent the five layers of the atmosphere. Make sure students do
not cut through both pieces of paper. This will create a flip chart for
students to fill in. On the front, starting at the bottom, have students
fill in the appropriate layer name with the Exosphere being the top
flap. Starting back at the bottom, describe each layer in detail. Have
students draw a representation of the specific layer under each flap.
Example, in the troposphere I would draw mountains, clouds/weather,
people etc. This graphic organizer will aide students' understanding of
the layers the atmosphere.

Extend

![](media/image7.jpeg){width="2.0in" height="1.4993055555555554in"}Some
satellites track changes in our troposphere and stratosphere. Pollution
is one of the many tropospheric challenges in today's world. And of
course our stratosphere is always under observation due to the ozone
layer. As an extension, have the students analyze the following images
and hypothesize about how the images can help mankind understand our
affect on our environment.

Tracking pollution in our troposphere:

http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_rec.php?vev1id=7613 (on right)

![](media/image8.jpeg){width="3.875in" height="3.5819444444444444in"}

"Global Effects of Mount Pinatubo"

*(detailed description)*

http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_rec.php?vev1id=8181 (above)

Evaluate

Have students write a story about the journey of "Mark the Meteor" as he
goes from outer space until he lands somewhere in your backyard. Words
that must be included in the assessment: troposphere, stratosphere,
mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere, ozone layer, warmer and colder.
*Answers will vary.*