Earthrise -- May 2024 Issue: Biodiversity

NASA STEM Engagement

ISSUE 05 MAY 2024

Welcome to Earthrise!

Apollo 8, the first crewed mission to the Moon, entered lunar orbit Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 1968. That evening, the astronauts - Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell, and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders - held a live broadcast from lunar orbit in which they showed pictures of Earth and the Moon as seen from their spacecraft. Credits: NASA

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Earthrise is an initiative launched by NASA in cooperation with federal and nonfederal partners to elevate Earth and climate science in the classroom. Each monthly edition will focus on a new theme, such as air quality, oceans, and agriculture.

May 2024 Issue: Biodiversity

Earth is home to millions of species. The variety of life on Earth is called biodiversity. A biodiverse planet means life has many ways to survive and thrive. Earth observation is important in understanding how biodiversity is changing over time.

For decades, scientists funded by NASA’s Biological Diversity Research Program and Ecological Forecasting Applications Program have been using satellites to track biodiversity and ecosystem changes and to help develop tools to aid in conservation. Researchers collect observations from the ground, air, and space to understand changing animal migration patterns, impacts of habitat loss, and ecological forecasting.

Explore the resources below to engage your students in the ways federal agencies are making informed decisions and solutions by tracking patterns and changes in biodiversity.

WATCH

NASA Joins the Jane Goodall Institute to Conserve Chimpanzee Habitat

(Grades 6-12)

After years of forest loss, chimpanzee habitats are recovering. This is, in part, due to a collaboration between NASA and the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI). Using data from NASA Earth science satellites and other sources, JGI puts data into the hands of local communities to drive conservation across Africa’s equatorial forest belt.

Protecting Animal Migration Pathways Around the Globe

(All Grade Levels)

Understanding patterns of connectivity has become a higher priority in the past several decades. Climate change, along with widespread habitat conversion and damage, are influencing habitat conditions and driving organisms toward locations with climate patterns that are more suitable.

EXPLORE

NOAA Science On a Sphere : Animal Migrations and Changing Climate (Grades 3-12)

Every year thousands of species embark on an epic journey. Species as small as zooplankton and as large as the blue whale share this behavior of packing up and leaving to follow changing seasons, find warmer weather, and search for food. This collection from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) combines natural phenomena with Science On a Sphere datasets and guiding questions for educators.

Biodiversity! Community Research Guide

(Grades 6-12)

Explore this community research guide from the Smithsonian Science for Global Goals project. Students conduct field investigations into the biodiversity of their communities, using their senses and other tools to search for plants, animals, fungi, and even bacteria.

U.S. Geological Survey Biodiversity Classroom Data Tools (Grades 6-12)

Students access and download data sets to enhance their understanding of migration, species range, spread of invasive species, and global biodiversity patterns.

Ecological Insights From Three Decades of Animal Movement Tracking Across a Changing Arctic (All Grade Levels)

The Arctic Animal Movement Archive (AAMA) is a growing collection of studies describing movements of animals in and near the Arctic. The AAMA includes locations of thousands of animals over more than three decades, recorded by hundreds of scientists and institutions.

TEACH

GLOBE Educator One-Week Pacing Guide: Plant Phenology (Grades 4-8)

Phenology is the study of recurring biological cycles and their connection to climate. Use this one-week pacing guide from the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program to get students to investigate changes in phenological events over time.

NOAA Deep Coral Communities Curriculum (Grades 9-12)

This curriculum takes students into the deep sea to identify the soft corals, hard corals, invertebrates and fish found in these communities and to investigate the unique biology of deep-sea corals. Learn the threats these animals face and what we can do to help protect them.

Lesson Plan: Schoolyard Tree Inventory and Biodiversity Project (Grades 6-12)

In this lesson plan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, students assess the biological diversity of trees on their school grounds or another designated area.

Season’s Greenings: Map Earth’s Seasonal Vegetation Changes (Grades 6-12)

In this activity, students study imagery from NOAA and NASA’s Joint Polar Satellite System and recreate data points with dots of paint to illustrate vegetation changes during seasons in the Northern Hemisphere.

DO

NOAA Fisheries: Find a Species (Grades 3-12)

Find facts about the fish species that NOAA manages. Learn about their biology and population status, where they live, the threats they face, and how we are conserving and studying each species.

GLOBE Land Cover LEGO Activity

(All Grade Levels)

Land cover includes things like trees, grasses and flowers, rocks, cultivated land, and urban land. This GLOBE Observer activity, adapted to all grade levels, allows learners to build a landcover map using LEGO bricks.

U.S. Geological Survey Remote Sensing Classroom with Landsat (All Grade Levels)

Learners use fun and engaging lessons to track changes to Earth’s surface over time. Tracking landcover is critical for understanding changes in biodiversity.

Biodiversity and the World's Forests (Grades 6-8)

In this inquiry activity, learners investigate the biodiversity of the world’s forests and explore the significance of genetic diversity across global vegetation.

ATTEND

GLOBE Annual Meeting

(All Educators and Students)

The 2024 GLOBE Annual Meeting will be held July 15-18 at the State University of New York (SUNY) in Fredonia, a town on the shores of Lake Erie. Co-hosted by SUNY Fredonia, this year's meeting theme is "Climate and Resilience."

GLOBE Observer Connect: Mosquitoes (Grades K-12 and Informal Educators)

Join Mosquito Habitat Mapper science lead Rusty Low and GLOBE volunteers working to find mosquito habitats in Arizona for an informal conversation on Tuesday, May 21, at noon EDT.

DISCUSS

Surprisingly STEM: Marine Biologists (Grades 5-12)

Hear from NASA marine biologists Eric Reyier and Bonnie Ahr about the work they do to preserve wildlife on NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and the surrounding ecosystem, which supports one of the highest numbers of threatened and endangered species anywhere in the nation.

Fire and Smoke Map (Grades 4-12)

Wildfires can have a significant impact on the biodiversity of an ecosystem but also pose a risk to community health. Explore the SmokeSense Air Quality Map available to communities from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Detecting Sargassum Algae From Space

(Grades 6-12)

Use this video to discuss how NASA Earth data is used in publicly available tools to help communities protect against ecological events like high sargassum algae growth.

Look for more great Earth and Climate Science content next month!

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For more information, head to www.nasa.gov/Earth or science.nasa.gov/earth-science.

To learn more about how NASA puts its data to use for society, see appliedsciences.nasa.gov.

Thank you to our collaborating partners for contributing resources and engaging educators.

Please join our community of educators in NASA CONNECTS! NASA CONNECTS (Connecting Our NASA Network of Educators for Collaborating Together in STEM) is a professional learning community of educators who are invited to engage with NASA’s team to inspire the next generation of explorers.

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