EarthLabs Topics

EarthLabs initial release includes four modules. The sequence of labs in each module represent active learning experiences that are meant to be a part of integrated instructional units.

Corals: Rainforests of the sea

40% of Earth's coral reefs are in critical condition or already degraded beyond recovery. Find out why these amazing marine animals are so important to our planet.

Cryosphere: Change Over Time

The cryosphere is highly variable on time scales ranging from days to hundreds of thousands of years. Changes in snow and ice cover influence environmental conditions like air temperature, sea level, ocean currents, and storm patterns. Find out what we can learn from the cryosphere about past, present, and future changes in climate and how those changes will impact life on Earth.

Drought: Dealing with a dry spell

What happens when a region gets less than its "normal" amount of rain and snow in a year? What if the new, drier conditions last for a decade?

Earth System Science

This unit will introduce students to many of the complex issues surrounding the Earth as a system and will help them to look at Earth in a new way—as a living system. Students will learn to identify the parts of the Earth system and the processes that connect them at the local, regional, and global scales.

Fisheries: A Case Study: Ecosystem-based management in the Gulf of California

Can marine fisheries continue to serve humanity in the future as they have in the past? What can humans do to keep this resource sustainable?

Hurricanes: Earth's Meteorological Monsters

Investigate how, where, and when hurricanes occur. Explore the dangers to humans and property caused by hurricanes and how we can be prepared to deal with those risks.