Eyes in the Sky: Using Remote Sensing to Explore the Poles

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Eyes in the Sky: Using Remote Sensing to Explore the Poles
https://lamont.columbia.edu/education-outreach/resources-polar-science/eyes-sky-using-remote-sensing-explore-poles

Columbia Climate School Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

This lesson covers a plethora of information on glacier dynamics, including basic glaciological concepts. Students learn through slide shows, hands-on activities, and discussion groups.

This learning activity takes five 45 minute class periods.

Learn more about Teaching Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness»

See how this Activity supports the Next Generation Science Standards»

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Middle School

Performance Expectations: 5

Earth and Space Sciences:

MS-ESS2-2: Construct an explanation based on evidence for how geoscience processes have changed Earth's surface at varying time and spatial scales.

MS-ESS2-4: Develop a model to describe the cycling of water through Earth's systems driven by energy from the sun and the force of gravity.

MS-ESS2: Earth's Systems

Middle School:

Disciplinary Core Ideas: 7

Earth and Space Sciences:

MS-ESS2.C1: Water continually cycles among land, ocean, and atmosphere via transpiration, evaporation, condensation and crystallization, and precipitation, as well as downhill flows on land.

MS-ESS2.C: The Roles of Water in Earth's Surface Processes

MS-ESS2.D1: Weather and climate are influenced by interactions involving sunlight, the ocean, the atmosphere, ice, landforms, and living things. These interactions vary with latitude, altitude, and local and regional geography, all of which can affect oceanic and atmospheric flow patterns.

MS-ESS2.D: Weather and Climate

MS-ESS2: Earth's Systems

Middle School:

Cross Cutting Concepts: 6

Energy and Matter, Cause and effect, Scale, Proportion and Quantity

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Science and Engineering Practices: 9

Developing and Using Models, Planning and Carrying Out Investigations, Analyzing and Interpreting Data, Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

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Developing and Using Models, Planning and Carrying Out Investigations, Analyzing and Interpreting Data, Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

MS-P2.5: Develop and/or use a model to predict and/or describe phenomena.

MS-P2: Developing and Using Models

MS-P3.1: Plan an investigation individually and collaboratively, and in the design: identify independent and dependent variables and controls, what tools are needed to do the gathering, how measurements will be recorded, and how many data are needed to support a claim.

MS-P3: Planning and Carrying Out Investigations

MS-P4.1: Construct, analyze, and/or interpret graphical displays of data and/or large data sets to identify linear and nonlinear relationships.

MS-P4: Analyzing and Interpreting Data

MS-P6.3: Construct a scientific explanation based on valid and reliable evidence obtained from sources (including the students’ own experiments) and the assumption that theories and laws that describe the natural world operate today as they did in the past and will continue to do so in the future.

MS-P6: Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

Middle School:

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High School

Performance Expectations: 8

Earth and Space Sciences:

HS-ESS2-2: Analyze geoscience data to make the claim that one change to Earth's surface can create feedbacks that cause changes to other Earth systems.

HS-ESS2-4: Use a model to describe how variations in the flow of energy into and out of Earth’s systems result in changes in climate.

HS-ESS2-5: Plan and conduct an investigation of the properties of water and its effects on Earth materials and surface processes.

HS-ESS2: Earth's Systems

HS-ESS3-5: Analyze geoscience data and the results from global climate models to make an evidence-based forecast of the current rate of global or regional climate change and associated future impacts to Earth systems.

HS-ESS3: Earth and Human Activity

High School:

Disciplinary Core Ideas: 12

Earth and Space Sciences:

HS-ESS2 : Earth's Systems

HS-ESS2.A1: Earth’s systems, being dynamic and interacting, cause feedback effects that can increase or decrease the original changes.

HS-ESS2.A3: The geological record shows that changes to global and regional climate can be caused by interactions among changes in the sun’s energy output or Earth’s orbit, tectonic events, ocean circulation, volcanic activity, glaciers, vegetation, and human activities. These changes can occur on a variety of time scales from sudden (e.g., volcanic ash clouds) to intermediate (ice ages) to very long-term tectonic cycles.

HS-ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems

HS-ESS2.C1: The abundance of liquid water on Earth’s surface and its unique combination of physical and chemical properties are central to the planet’s dynamics. These properties include water’s exceptional capacity to absorb, store, and release large amounts of energy, transmit sunlight, expand upon freezing, dissolve and transport materials, and lower the viscosities and melting points of rocks.

HS-ESS2.C: The Roles of Water in Earth's Surface Processes

HS-ESS2.D1: The foundation for Earth’s global climate systems is the electromagnetic radiation from the sun, as well as its reflection, absorption, storage, and redistribution among the atmosphere, ocean, and land systems, and this energy’s re-radiation into space.

HS-ESS2.D: Weather and Climate

HS-ESS3.D1: Though the magnitudes of human impacts are greater than they have ever been, so too are human abilities to model, predict, and manage current and future impacts.

HS-ESS3.D: Global Climate Change

High School:

Cross Cutting Concepts: 6

Cause and effect, Structure and Function, Stability and Change

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Cause and effect, Structure and Function, Stability and Change

HS-C2.1: Empirical evidence is required to differentiate between cause and correlation and make claims about specific causes and effects.

HS-C2: Cause and effect

HS-C6.2: The functions and properties of natural and designed objects and systems can be inferred from their overall structure, the way their components are shaped and used, and the molecular substructures of its various materials.

HS-C6: Structure and Function

HS-C7.3: Feedback (negative or positive) can stabilize or destabilize a system.

High School:

Science and Engineering Practices: 5

Developing and Using Models, Analyzing and Interpreting Data

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Developing and Using Models, Analyzing and Interpreting Data

HS-P2.3: Develop, revise, and/or use a model based on evidence to illustrate and/or predict the relationships between systems or between components of a system

HS-P2: Developing and Using Models

HS-P4.1: Analyze data using tools, technologies, and/or models (e.g., computational, mathematical) in order to make valid and reliable scientific claims or determine an optimal design solution.

HS-P4: Analyzing and Interpreting Data

High School:

Climate Literacy

This Activity builds on the following concepts of Climate Literacy.

Click a topic below for supporting information, teaching ideas, and sample activities.

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

There are several optional activities, however the "glacier goo" activity is very important for understanding the flow of glaciers and reviewers highly recommended educators include that activity.
It is not clear how many class periods this activity takes. If all optional activities are included, it may take multiple classes.
In one of the activities, the Google Earth Timelapse Imagery exercise, it is difficult to distinguish the terminus of the glacier through time. Students may need additional help identifying the terminus.
Make sure to click on the "Earth Scientist" journal at the top of the home page for the version of these lessons that includes active links.
The resource is listed as 6th-12th grade, but depending on the grade level, some of the scientific concepts may be too easy for students and could be skipped over.
Teachers will need some background in the topics and knowledge of Google Maps to present this lesson to students.

About the Content

This activity covers a comprehensive investigation on ice sheet and glacier dynamics and the relationship with climate. It covers the basics of glacier flow with an interactive activity, glacier change using satellite imagery, glacier hydrology, and climate change. The lesson(s) go into detail on various glaciological processes and connects them to larger earth system processes.
Students should have some familiarity with basic physics concepts (e.g., gravity) and climate change.
Passed initial science review - expert science review pending.

About the Pedagogy

The activities in these lessons are interesting and engaging.
Students learn to form scientific questions and then perform an investigation on their own, later reevaluating their hypothesis.
While some of the activities include hands-on learning, some are more lecture-style. Consider what would be helpful to engage students for these lessons.

This resource engages students in using scientific data.
See other data-rich activities

Technical Details/Ease of Use

Everything is hosted on a Google Drive link.
This lesson is technically sound.

Entered the Collection: March 2025 | Last Reviewed: January 2025

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Middle School (see details)

Middle School

Performance Expectations: 5

Disciplinary Core Ideas: 7

Cross Cutting Concepts: 6

Science and Engineering Practices: 9

High School (see details)

High School

Performance Expectations: 8

Disciplinary Core Ideas: 12

Cross Cutting Concepts: 6

Science and Engineering Practices: 5

Grade Level

Regional Focus

Online Readiness

Topics

Climate Literacy

Teaching Tips

About the Content

About the Pedagogy

Technical Details/Ease of Use

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