Home PublicationsL&LIssuesVolume 26 (1998-1999) October (No. 2)

The Data They Are A-Changin’
Using Real-Time Earth- and Space-Science Data in the Classroom

By Tim Slater

Tim describes how students use the Internet to gather data that will help them to understand a fundamental science concept: change.

Real-Time Data Resources
Note. The Web sites listed in this page were valid when this issue of  L&L went to press. We have no control over these sites, though, and the Web is very volatile. Please let us know if you find a broken link, and we’ll do our best to update it.

Geology

	Earthquakes Recorded by CNSS Networks www.geophys.washington.edu/us.epi.gif Use outline patterns of earthquake locations to map major fault lines.
	Snow Water Equivalent ftp://ftp.nohrsc.nws.gov/pub/products/ west/wuw_new.gif Predict when and where flooding is likely to occur.

Space Science

	Hubble Space Telescope Photos http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/
	Today’s Space Weather www.sel.noaa.gov/today.html or Space Weather Today www.windows.umich.edu/spaceweather/ Predict the best time to observe the aurora borealis.
	Current Solar Images http://umbra.nascom.nasa.gov/images/latest.html Measure the rotation rate of our nearest star.
	Space Weather Current Conditions http://space.rice.edu/ISTP/rt.html Create a multimedia presentation to accompany a report on auroras.
	J-Track 2.0 Satellite Locator http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/RealTime/JTrack/Spacecraft.html or http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/RealTime/JTrack/NOAA.html Measure the orbital period and calculate orbiting altitudes for major satellites.
	Earth Probe TOMS Data & Images http://jwocky.gsfc.nasa.gov/eptoms/ep.html Determine the extent of seasonal variation in the ozone layer.
	Mars Today www-mgcm.arc.nasa.gov/ Track weather systems and monitor temperature changes on Mars.
	Solar System Live www.fourmilab.ch/solar/solar.html Determine the best time to view or travel to other planets.
	Virtual Reality Moon Phase Pictures http://tycho.usno.navy.mil/vphase.html Predict the moon’s appearance on successive nights even when cloudy.
	Yohkoh Public Outreach Project www.lmsal.com/YPOP/Classroom See animations of the solar cycle.

Weather

	The Weather Channel www.weather.com/weather/maps/ Create weather forecasts and describe why certain predictions are made.
	Weather Net/Weather Cams http://cirrus.sprl.umich.edu/wxnet/wxcam.html Using weather reports, guess what the sky and ground look like in various U.S. cities and then check the accuracy of the weather predictions.
	Space Science and Engineering Center www.ssec.wisc.edu/data/ Determine patterns of changing ocean temperatures to predict the best fishing locations.

World Population

U.S. Census Bureau: The Official Statistics www.census.gov/ Use mathematics to model national and world population growth.

General

Physics and Astronomy Education Group Real-Time Data Resources www.math.montana.edu/~tslater/real-time/

References

	GifConstruction www.mindworkshop.com/alchemy/gifcon.html
	GraphicConverter www.lemkesoft.de/
	Microsoft Excel and Internet Explorer www.microsoft.com
	Netscape Navigator www.netscape.com
	NIHImage http://rsb.info.nih.gov
	PaintShop Pro www.jasc.com/psp6.html
	Scion Image www.scioncorp.com

Tim Slater, tslater@physics.montana.edu

Copyright © 1998, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education). All rights reserved.