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Too Much, Too Little
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=6cU5Rt0rcGA

Goddard Space Flight Center , National Aeronautics and Space Administration

This video describes the joint NASA-JAXA GPM (Global Precipitation Measurement) satellite mission and why it is necessary for monitoring precipitation around the Earth. It also discusses the science around issues of having too much or too little precipitation such as landslides and drought. It emphasizes the need for data to fill in gaps, and why data and being able to predict natural disasters is so valuable.

Video Length is 4:44 minutes.

Learn more about Teaching Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness»


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Climate Literacy

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Energy Literacy

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Notes From Our Reviewers The CLEAN collection is hand-picked and rigorously reviewed for scientific accuracy and classroom effectiveness. Read what our review team had to say about this resource below or learn more about how CLEAN reviews teaching materials
Teaching Tips | Science | Pedagogy | Technical Details

Teaching Tips

  • Use as an introduction to precipitation or satellites.

About the Science

  • Explains the importance of satellite data to help monitor global precipitation (especially in areas with no data available), and to predict drought, landslides, and flooding. It also explains why having too much or too little precipitation can cause real-world impacts.
  • Comments from expert scientist:
  • Scientific strengths: The resource explains landslides and how they are measured as well as the typical water cycle in the Western US and defines drought. It also outlines the importance of rainfall and satellite data.
  • Suggestions: Define GPM for the students.

About the Pedagogy

  • This video would be a good introduction to any lessons around precipitation, flooding, landslides, or drought. It also would be a good way to discuss how satellites help us monitor weather (precipitation) globally. A classroom discussion of precipitation data gaps might be good motivation for getting involved in a citizen science project such as CoCoRaHS (the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network).
  • Please note: the acronym GPM is used throughout the video but never defined. Teachers should let their students know that it stands for Global Precipitation Measurement.

Technical Details/Ease of Use

  • Youtube video format allows for subtitles and translation into Spanish.
  • On the NASA website, a full transcript is available.

Related URLs These related sites were noted by our reviewers but have not been reviewed by CLEAN

NASA Precipitation Measurement Missions: https://pmm.nasa.gov/

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