ISSUE 09 SEPTEMBER 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 focuses on a new theme, such as air quality, oceans, and agriculture. 

September 2024 Issue:

Earth's Cryosphere

The cryosphere encompasses components of Earth that contain water in its frozen state: ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, sea ice, snow, lake ice, and permafrost. While these components exist at many locations on Earth, they are most abundant in the polar regions. NASA cryospheric data, including land ice height, ice thickness, glacial extent, and glacial mass, provides insight into how changes in these regions contribute to sea level rise, impact water resources for agriculture and human consumption, and even lead to changes in Earth’s rotation. 

September is an important month for researchers tracking sea ice cover, with Arctic sea ice approaching its seasonal minimum and Antarctic sea ice approaching its seasonal maximum. Review the latest sea ice analysis and explore the resources below to get to know this vital Earth system with your students.  

WATCH

NASA Explorers: Cryosphere (Grades 6-12)

Follow NASA Explorers in this episodic digital journey alongside researchers who frequent the most extreme environments on the planet to better understand Earth’s changing dynamics.

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NOAA Ocean Today: Animals of the Ice (All Grade Levels)

They run, swim, slide, waddle, and fly – and their survival in the harsh extremes of the polar regions is amazing. As Earth warms, ice is melting and their lives are changing. Are you ready to visit animals of the ice?

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EXPLORE

TEACH

MyNASAData: Sea Ice and Earth System Story Map

(Grades 7-12)

Using the story map, students explore changes in sea ice extent as it relates to other spheres within the Earth system.  

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Evaluating Glacier and Landscape Change (Grades 6-12)

In this lesson, students use historical and modern photographs in Montana's Glacier National Park to investigate how glaciers have changed over the last ~100 years. 

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DO

DISCUSS

Repeat Photography of Glaciers (All Grade Levels)

This special collection displays photographs of the same glacier, taken from the same vantage point and at the same time of year, but taken many years apart. These photographs can show evidence of glacier and climate changes over time. 

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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Arctic Report Card (Grades 6-12)

Review the latest findings from this annual peer-reviewed source for clear, reliable, and concise environmental information on the current state of different components of the Arctic system relative to historical records. 

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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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