Striking a Solar Balance
http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/star-power-discovering-the-power-of-sunlight/
http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/star-power-discovering-the-power-of-sunlight/
NASA, nasa.gov/multimedia
Video length 3:35 min.
Discuss this Resource»Learn more about Teaching Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness»
Topics
Grade Level
Climate Literacy
About Teaching Climate Literacy
1b 
1bWhen Earth emits the same amount of energy as it absorbs, its energy budget is in balance, and its average temperature remains stable.
Other materials addressing 1b
Sunlight reaching the Earth can heat the land, ocean, and atmosphere. Some of that sunlight is reflected back to space by the surface, clouds, or ice. Much of the sunlight that reaches Earth is absorbed and warms the planet.
Other materials addressing 1a
Energy Literacy
Earth's weather and climate is mostly driven by energy from the Sun.
2.3 Earth's climate driven by the Sun.
Greenhouse gases affect energy flow through the Earth system.
2.6 Greenhouse gases affect energy flow.
The effects of changes in Earth's energy system are often not immediately apparent.
2.7 Effects of changes in Earth's energy system .
Physical processes on Earth are the result of energy flow through the Earth system.
Physical processes on Earth are the result of energy flow .
Benchmarks for Science Literacy
Learn more about the Benchmarks
Light and other electromagnetic waves can warm objects. How much an object's temperature increases depends on how intense the light striking its surface is, how long the light shines on the object, and how much of the light is absorbed.
Notes From Our Reviewers
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Teaching Tips | Science | Pedagogy |
Technical Details
Teaching Tips
- Can be embedded into units dealing with the greenhouse effect and Earth's energy budget.
- Nice intro to a module on the energy budget and why the sun is important in the climate system.
- The related URL (http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/solar_variability.html) provides helpful background info for the instructor and/or students to put the video in better context.
About the Science
- Earth's radiation budget and use of satellites to measure solar energy is discussed.
- Passed initial science review - expert science review pending.
Related URLs These related sites were noted by our reviewers but have not been reviewed by CLEAN
NASA Mission News article "Solar Variability: Striking a Balance with Climate Change" - http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/solar_variability.htmlHave you used these materials with your students? Do you have insights to share with other educators about their use? Please share with the community by adding a comment below.
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