Glaciers What are glaciers? Where are they found? How are they changing? What are some implications of these changes?
Landslides What causes landslides? Where and when have some recent landslides occurred? What are some ways that science and technology are working to alleviate some of the problems caused by landslides?
Weather
What factors would you need to consider if you were going to forecast of describe the weather? What information can you learn from a weather map?
Floods
What conditions led up to the Great Rhode Island Flood of 2010 (or Central Europe in 2013)? What are some ways that science and technology are working to alleviate some of the problems caused by flooding?
Tornadoes
What are tornadoes? Where, when and how do they form?
Hurricanes, Cyclones and Superstorms
What conditions led up to Superstorm Sandy (2012)? What were the results of this event? What can be done to limit damage from future events?
What conditions led up to Hurricane Katrina (2005)? Hurricane Andrew (1992)?
Droughts What is a drought? How has the current drought affected California? What are some of the causes and effects? What are some ways that science and technology are working to alleviate some of the problems caused by droughts?
Surface Water
How has the Salton Sea changed over time?
How has the Aral Sea changed over time?
How did the Great Lakes form and how are they changing?
Watersheds and Rivers
What are watersheds? Why are they important?
Describe a specific river and watershed region (ex.Narragansett Bay, Mississipi River, Colorado River and how it has changed over time)
Water Underground
What is groundwater? What are aquifers?
The Greenhouse Effect and Earth’s Energy Budget
What are greenhouse gases? What is the greenhouse effect? What is the difference between good ozone and bad ozone?
Ocean Tides and Waves
What are tides? What influences the size of a tide? http://oceanmotion.org/html/background/tides.htm
What are waves? What influences the size of waves? What are rogue waves?
Ocean Currents
Are ocean circulation patterns predictable? What forces influence them? How do they impact living things (including humans)?
Sea Level Change
What is sea level, how is it changing, what can causes these changes and why does it matter?
Tsunamis
What forces influence them? How do they impact living things (including humans)?
Sinkholes What causes sinkholes? Where and when do they occur? What are some ways that science and technology are working to alleviate some of the problems caused by sinkholes?
Climate Change
How has the climate changed in the last 50,000 years?
What is the greenhouse effect?
What is global warming and why should we care?
What is ocean warming and why should we care?
What are current concerns about climate change? What can be done to reduce the impact of climate change?
Technology Used to Study and Monitor Earth Systems
NASA satellites – GRACE …., Land Sat
From our Geosphere Unit
Predicting Volcanoes and Earthquakes
What tools and technologies are used to predict earthquakes and volcanoes? How reliable are these predictions? What volcanoes are monitored by the USGS and why?
Geological Events of 2015
What is the Pico do Fogo volcano (11/2014) on the Cape Verdean island of Fogo and how is it impacting the residents of Fogo?
The Nepal Earthquake
Calbuco Volcano ,Chile , April 23, 2015
