Chasing Water: How NASA Monitors the Earth’s Changing Water Cycle Live Virtual Field Trip
Summary
Chasing Water: How NASA Monitors the Earth’s Changing Water Cycle.
Wednesday, April 25th, 2018 at 2 p.m. EST.
Join EarthEcho and Dr. David Wiese for a live virtual field trip. Did you know that NASA is constantly tracking how water moves around the Earth? We monitor droughts and floods, the melting of glaciers and ice sheets, and the rise of the oceans. This has all been made possible by two twin satellites called the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), which track tiny variations in the Earth’s gravity field over time. In this talk I will tell a story of how GRACE works, and some of its most important scientific discoveries. How fast is the ocean gaining water? What is happening to the ice sheets and glaciers around the world? What is happening to the world’s supply of groundwater? I will also discuss the future launch of the GRACE Follow-On satellites, planned for April 2018, which will continue the measurements that GRACE started making in 2002.
Panelists
Dr. David Wiese
Dr. David Wiese is a Navigation Engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory where his work focuses on processing and interpreting data from the GRACE satellite mission to understand how the Earth’s water cycle is changing over time. David is a member of the NASA Sea Level Change Team, the NASA GRACE and GRACE-FO Science Team, and the NASA GNSS Remote Sensing Science Team. He holds a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from the University of Colorado at Boulder
Classroom Resources
Constructing An Aqueduct - Engineering Design Activity
This design challenge moves your students from passive to active learners through a cross-curricular, hands-on team challenge in direct correlation to real-world issues of water conservation. In this lesson, students, grades 6-8, will learn about aqueducts through a close reading activity. They are then given different scenarios in an engineering design challenge to create an aqueduct to supply freshwater to their city, despite various obstacles.
EarthEcho: STEM Career Close-Up Kat Bormann: Learn what it means to be a climate scientist with Kat Bormann from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA.. In her work, Kat utilizes airplanes and satellites, as well as spends her days outside conducting field research. Learn more about her career and how you can prepare for a similar position.
Constructing An Aqueduct - Engineering Design Activity: This design challenge moves your students from passive to active learners through a cross-curricular, hands-on team challenge in direct correlation to real-world issues of water conservation. In this lesson, students, grades 6-8, will learn about aqueducts through a close reading activity. They are then given different scenarios in an engineering design challenge to create an aqueduct to supply freshwater to their city, despite various obstacles.
Make A Splash: A Kid's Guide to Protecting Our Oceans, Lakes, Rivers & Wetlands provides a closer look at our oceans and waterways and our role in protecting this water planet.
EarthEcho: Urbanized Water Cycle Lesson Plan: helps students describe the natural movement of water in the hydrologic cycle, identify the state of water as it moves through this cycle and the energy inputs that drive that movement, and understand how increased urbanization impacts the hydrosphere and adjoining biosphere.
NASA Wavelength: A digital collection of earth and space science resources for educators of all levels – from elementary to college, to out-of-school programs.
NASA Education YouTube Channel: NASA’s journeys into air and space have deepened humankind’s understanding of the universe, advanced technology breakthroughs, enhanced air travel safety and security, and expanded the frontiers of scientific research. These accomplishments share a common genesis: education. As the United States begins the second century of flight, the Nation must maintain its commitment to excellence in science, technology, engineering and mathematics education to ensure that the next generation of Americans can accept the full measure of their roles and responsibilities in shaping the future. NASA will continue the Agency’s tradition of investing in the Nation’s education programs and supporting the country’s educators who play a key role in preparing, inspiring, exciting, encouraging, and nurturing the young minds of today who will be the workforce of tomorrow.
Science Standards
Potential Next Generation Science Standards Included in this Virtual Field Trip:
ESS3.C: Human Impacts on Earth Systems: Human activities have significantly altered the biosphere, sometimes damaging or destroying natural habitats and causing the extinction of other species. But changes to Earth’s environments can have different impacts (negative and positive) for different living things. (MS-ESS3-3)
ESS2-3.Obtain information to identify where water is found on Earth and that it can be solid or liquid.
ESS2-2. Describe and graph the amounts of saltwater and freshwater in various reservoirs to provide evidence about the distribution of water on Earth.
ESS3-1. Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth’s resources and environment.
MS-ESS3. Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.