Five content units of interactive multimedia activities increase climate literacy and prepare secondary teachers and students to use NASA resources, data and technology.
The interactive multimedia activities focus on the study of permafrost, part of the cryosphere, which collectively describes the frozen portions of Earth and underlies nearly a quarter of Earth’s surface. Scientists believe the cryosphere is a key indicator of global climate change.
Unit 1 – Permafrost as an Indicator of Climate Change
Discover the importance of Earth’s systems, the cryosphere, and the study of permafrost.
Unit 2 – Monitoring Permafrost from Space
Learn how scientists study short-term and long-term changes in permafrost-rich landscapes
from space
with Landsat satellite imagery and aerial photographs.
Unit 3 – Monitoring Permafrost from Underground
Explore how scientists gather permafrost data from underground boreholes and ice cores
and how collaborating with Alaska Native residents leads to greater understanding.
Unit 4 – Changes to Permafrost Over Time
Observe how permafrost changes over long and short periods of time and how change
impacts local residents.
Unit 5 – Planning for Climate Change
Examine the impacts climate change has had on the people of the Arctic, and the actions
governments, Alaska Native communities, scientists, and others are taking in response to
climate change.
