Science Communication Material

Understanding Earth: Our Ocean
UnderstandingEarth-OurOcean_508.pdf, UnderstandingEarth_OurOcean.ibooks

Viewed from space, Earth appears as a blue marble, as approximately 70% of Earth’s surface is covered by ocean water. The vast ocean holds roughly 97% of the planet’s water and represents 99% of the living space on Earth. NASA has been observing Earth’s ocean from space for more than 38 years, beginning with the launch of the first civilian oceanographic satellite, Seasat, on January 28, 1978. This brochure explains how NASA has the ability to observe and detect changes in the ocean (and on Earth as a whole) on a variety of spatial and temporal scales—ultimately positioning the Agency to improve life on our planet.

Understanding Earth: What's Up with Precipitation?
Precip508.pdf, Understanding Earth Whats Up with Precipitation.ibooks

Precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls quickly from a cloud. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, grapple (soft hail or snow pellets), and hail. Today, scientists can measure precipitation directly—using ground-based instruments such as rain gauges—or indirectly—using remote sensing techniques (e.g., from radar systems, aircraft, and Earth-observing satellites). This brochure describes how satellite observations—often combined with other measurements taken on the ground or from aircraft—provide frequent estimates of precipitation at a global scale. Among other uses, precipitation datasets from NASA are used for forecasting tropical cyclones; monitoring soil moisture conditions and freshwater availability; and predicting flood and drought conditions, landslides, crop yields, and water-related illnesses.

What Color is the Ocean? Activity
NASA_What Color is the Ocean_Activity Brochure Cover_508.pdf, Ocean Color Activity Brochure_Z_Card_508.pdf

In this activity, you will use a simple spectrophotometer to test how light at different visible wavelengths (blue, green, red) is transmitted, or absorbed, through four different colored water samples.

2015 NASA Science Mission Directorate Calendar
2015_Calendar_508.pdf

2015 Schedule of Events at the AGU NASA Booth
NASA_AGU 2015 Events Program_508.pdf

COP-21 Hyperwall Science Stories
COP-21 Hyperwall Brochure 2015_508.pdf

The twenty-first Conference of Parties (COP-21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will take place in Paris, France, November 30 to December 11, 2016. This brochure contains most of the science stories that will be shown on the Hyperwall at COP-21 grouped by theme.

GLOBE Program Bookmark
GLOBE Program (NASA) Bookmark_12 Inch Ruler_508.pdf

The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program connects students, teachers, scientists, and other citizens to learn about the Earth environment and climate through data collection, analysis, and research. These data are entered into an international scientific database via website or with apps, and shared for analysis and research by students and scientists from over 100 countries around the world.

GLOBE Program Lenticular
GLOBE Program (NASA) Lenticular 6 Inch Ruler_508.pdf

The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program connects students, teachers, scientists, and other citizens to learn about the Earth environment and climate through data collection, analysis, and research. These data are entered into an international scientific database via website or with apps, and shared for analysis and research by students and scientists from over 100 countries around the world.

Great Lakes Ice Cover from MODIS
Great Lakes Ice Cover Lenticular_508 Compliant.pdf

This lenticular card shows the daily percentage of the lake area covered by ice as derived using data from NASA’s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on December 25, 2013, and January 25, February 25, and March 25, 2014. The maximum ice extent occurred on March 6 when 92.5% of the surface of the Great Lakes was covered with ice. This is the second most extensive ice cover observed over the lakes since the satellite record began in 1973.

Greenland Ice Surface Temperature from MODIS
Greenland Ice Surface Temperature from MODIS_Lenticular_508 Compliant.pdf

This lenticular card flips between monthly-average ice surface temperature (IST) of the Greenland ice sheet for July 2012 and July 2013, derived using data from NASA’s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments onboard the Terra and Aqua satellites. In July 2012 approximately 99% of the top layer of the ice sheet melted for a short period of time—the greatest areal extent of surface melting in over 125 years.