Explaining Earths Energy Budget: CERES-Based NASA Resources for K-12 Education and Public OutreachAmong atmospheric scientists, the importance of the Earth radiation budget concept is well understood. Papers have addressed the topic for over 100 years, and the large Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) science team (among others), with its multiple on-orbit instruments, is working hard to quantify the details of its various parts. In education, Earth's energy budget is a concept that generally appears in middle school and Earth science curricula, but its treatment in textbooks leaves much to be desired. Students and the public hold many misconceptions, and very few people have an appreciation for the importance of this energy balance to the conditions on Earth. More importantly, few have a correct mental model that allows them to make predictions and understand the effect of changes such as increasing greenhouse gas concentrations. As an outreach element of the core CERES team at NASA Langley, a multi-disciplinary group of scientists, educators, graphic artists, writers, and web developers has been developing and refining graphics and resources to explain the Earth's Energy budget over the last few decades. Resources have developed through an iterative process involving ongoing use in front of a variety of audiences, including students and teachers from 3rd to 12th grade as well as public audiences.
Document ID
20150001243
Acquisition Source
Langley Research Center
Document Type
Presentation
Authors
Chambers, L. H. (NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Bethea, K. (Science Systems and Applications, Inc. Hampton, VA, United States)
Marvel, M. T. (Science Systems and Applications, Inc. Hampton, VA, United States)
Ruhlman, K. (Science Systems and Applications, Inc. Hampton, VA, United States)
LaPan, J. (Science Systems and Applications, Inc. Hampton, VA, United States)
Lewis, P. (Science Systems and Applications, Inc. Hampton, VA, United States)
Madigan, J. (Science Systems and Applications, Inc. Hampton, VA, United States)
Oostra, D. (Science Systems and Applications, Inc. Hampton, VA, United States)
Taylor, J. (Science Systems and Applications, Inc. Hampton, VA, United States)
Date Acquired
February 3, 2015
Publication Date
July 7, 2014
Subject Category
Meteorology And ClimatologySocial And Information Sciences (General)