NASA Logo, National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Sciences and Exploration Directorate, Code 600

WELCOME TO EARTH SCIENCES AT GODDARD

Earth Sciences @ Goddard

 Just Like The Real Thing

image of cloudy earth generated by the geos five computer model
This visualization shows clouds in Earth's atmosphere from a simulation using the Goddard Earth Observing System Model, Version 5 (GEOS-5). The model simulation reproduces conditions in the atmosphere that give rise to clouds and other phenomena.

Earth Science at Goddard

  • How will the Earth's climate change in the next century?
  • What happens to water as it moves around the planet?
  • What kinds of satellite observations help forecasters to predict the paths of deadly hurricanes?
  • How fast are the Earth's glaciers shrinking?
These are just some of the important questions about the Earth that scientists are exploring at Goddard Space Flight Center.
 

Podcasts, Blogs, and Images

image of earth with title credits for cryosphere tour video
A Tour of the Cryosphere 2009
This animation portrays changes in Earth's ice and snow cover, based on observations collected by satellite-based sensors.
image of earth with title credits for cryosphere tour video
Tides of Change
A series of 6 videos explores how climate change affects the world's oceans.
thumbnail of blue marble Earth
Visible Earth
A catalog of NASA images and animations of our home planet.
Thumbnail of SeaWiFS animation
SeaWiFS Biosphere Animation
These animations show the complex response of our planet to change in temperature, rainfall, and other factors.
Thumbnail image of super Typhoon Choi-wan
Earth Observatory Image of the Day
Each day, a new image of our Earth, with explanatory text.

Games and Models

thumbnail
Earth Observing System - for Kids
A collection of interactive sites for kids, including Echo the Bat, Space Place, Astro-Venture, NASA Quest, and more!
Thumbnail of Glory satellite
Glory Mission - for Kids
A collection of interactive sites for kids, plus games, coloring pages, activities, and more!
thumbnail
Educational Global Climate Modeling
The EdGCM Project develops and distributes a research-quality global climate model (GCM) with a user-friendly interface that runs on desktop computers. Anyone can explore the subject of climate change using the same methods and tools that scientists employ.

Latest Earth Science News

image of earth showing map of ocean bottom pressure
NASA Releases Climate Change Multimedia Resources
NASA has released a new multimedia climate change "resource reel" showcasing free downloadable videos, data visualizations, animations, and still images.
image taken by NASA Aqua satellite of Typhoon Mirinae on October 30 as it approached the Philippines
NASA's Hurricane Page is All "a-Twitter"
In 2005, NASA created the NASA Hurricane and Tropical Cyclone Web page. Now the hurricane page has a companion "Twitter" page.
image of region of warmer than normal water in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific ocean
El Nino Picking Up Steam
The latest image from the U.S./French Jason-2 satellite finds a strong wave of warm water heading toward the Americas, fueling El Nino.
GOES satellite image of hurricane bill
GOES Project Offers Real-Time Hurricane Alley Movies
NASA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) Project is offering real-time HDTV movies of the east- and west-coast "hurricane alley" regions.

New Education Resources

The Aquarius Sea Surface Salinity from Space website contains classroom activities for students in grades K to 12. Aquarius, slated for launch in 2010, will be the first satellite to measure global sea surface salinity.
Glory and Global Warming Experiment allows students to measure the effect of excess carbon dioxide on the temperature of gas inside of soda bottles and see what the effects of aerosols are on the heating of the gas..

Featured Education Resources

Earth Observing System education site contains a wide variety of resources for educators to use when teaching Earth science.
AQUA Cool Science is a highly interactive site describing the AQUA mission
LANDSAT Education contains formal and informal education resources ranging from college course material and internships, to "Earth as art".
GISS Institute on Climate and Planets's education site contains lessons and modules that are driven by fundamental questions and topics scientists deal with in climate and environmental research. By design, they are problem-based investigations for middle to high school in which students learn to use various research tools to construct scientific understandings.
Ozone Hole Education Resources provide links to many formal and informal education sites dealing with the ozone hole and ozone depletion.
Earth Observing System Education contains dozens of downloadable lithographs, fact sheets and brochures about many of the Earth Observing satellites and topics ranging from public health to air quality and carbon management. Print them for your classroom.
Goddard Signature