What is a sensor web, and how does it help SPURS? Dr. Eric Lindstrom takes us on a trip through salinity research, revealing how ocean exploration has evolved over time. The SPURS team took part in an international collaborative effort to better understand this fundamental part of the ocean and climate system, and used a combination of approaches to investigate what's happening in the unique "ocean desert" of the North Atlantic.

Concept Map

Applicable Next Generation Science Standards

Crosscutting Concept: New technologies can have deep impacts on society and the environment, including some that were not anticipated. Analysis of costs and benefits is a critical aspect of decisions about technology (HS-ESS2-2).

• [HS-ESS2-2] Analyze geoscience data to make the claim that one change to Earth’s surface can create feedbacks that cause changes to other Earth’s systems.

Crosscutting Concept: Scientific discoveries about the natural world can often lead to new and improved technologies, which are developed through the engineering design process (3-PS2-4).

• [3-PS2-4] Define a simple design problem that can be solved by applying scientific ideas about magnets.

Resources

• Space Station for Educators [NASA]
  Currently active education-related experiments gleaned from the first ten years of continuous human presence on the ISS (K-12 educators)
• Space Station for Kids [NASA]
  NASA research aboard the International Space Station (K-12)
• Life In Space: International Space Station [TeachEngineering]
  Students are introduced to the International Space Station (ISS) with information about its structure, operation and key experiments (middle school)
• Satellite Observations in Science Education [University of Wisconsin]
  Using satellite observations to improve the teaching and learning of the Earth system (high school and higher)
• Earth Math Educator Guide [NASA]
  Making sense out of climate change, quantitatively (6-12)
• MY NASA DATA [NASA]
  Mentoring and inquiry using NASA data on atmospheric and earth science for teachers and amateurs (K-12 educators and students)
• NASA Earth Observatory's Experiments [NASA]
  Interactive experiments to teach about the art and science of space-based remote sensing (all ages)
• NASA Earth Observatory [NASA]
  Images, maps, features, news, and notes from NASA Earth Observatory
• Education: Student Outcomes [NASA Aquarius]
  Twenty three student outcomes, addressed by Aquarius EPO materials and aligned with National Science Education Standards, North American Association for Environmental Education standards, and Ocean Literacy standards

About the Presenter

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Dr. Eric Lindstrom is a Program Scientist in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington D.C. He has degrees in Earth and Planetary Sciences from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1977) and Physical Oceanography from the University of Washington (1983). His scientific interests include circulation of the ocean and air-sea exchange processes. Read more about Eric here.