Part 4—Explore Additional NEO Data

Step 1 " Select & Display a Map of Snow Cover

Use the same procedure as in Step 1 of Part 2 to go to the NASA Earth Observations (NEO) website and display the Land Dataset, Snow Cover (MODIS) image for January 1, 2009 to February 1, 2009. Click on the Land tab under the map and select the Snow Cover (MODIS) dataset.
Note: Be sure you have selected "Snow Cover (MODIS)" and NOT the "Snow Cover & Sea Ice Extent" dataset.

Show me where to find the Snow Cover (MODIS) dataset in NEO

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Click on the Land tab and then select the Snow Cover (MODIS) dataset.

Show me what the January 1, 2009 to February 1, 2009 image looks like in NEO

Hide

Click the image to view a larger version in a new window.

Step 2 " Find Out About the Snow Cover Dataset

1. Examine the January 1, 2009 to February 1, 2009 image.
2. Click About this dataset to learn more details about what the map is showing.
   
3. When the text box opens, choose the intermediate level, by clicking more detail. Use the information in the text box to answer the following questions about the data set:
   • Why is snow important (beyond it is fun to play in)?
   • What percentage of light is reflected by snow vs. bare ground?
   • What influence might this have on the Earth's energy balance?

Step 3 " Explore How Snow Cover Changes over the Course of A Year

1. Go to the NASA Earth Observations (NEO) website and download the Snow Cover (MODIS) January 1, 2009 to February 1, 2009 image at a resolution of 0.5 degrees and save it as 01_snowcover.jpg. Repeat the process for all twelve months of 2009 until you end up with a total of twelve images, named from 01_snowcover.jpg to 12_snowcover.jpg.
2. If you need help downloading the images, follow the same procedure as in Part 2, Step 3.
3. To animate the Snow Cover images using ImageJ, follow the same procedure as in Part 3 with the Reflected Shortwave Radiation images.
4. Experiment with changing the speed of the animation. Step through or animate the Snow Cover images from January 2009 through December 2009. Carefully observe the changes that occur during the year and then answer the following questions:
   • What regions of the Earth are the most snow covered each month?
   • How does this change in relationship to the seasons?
   • Which months of the year have the largest area of snow cover in the Arctic regions of Canada and Siberia, Russia?

Step 4 " Select & Display a Map of Land Surface Temperature

Use the same procedure as in Step 1 of Part 2 to go to the NASA Earth Observations (NEO) Web site and display the Land Dataset, Land Surface Temperature (Day) (MODIS) image for January 1, 2009 to February 1, 2009. click on the Land tab under the map and select the Land Surface Temperature (Day) (MODIS) dataset.
Note: Check your selection carefully as there are three other Land Surface Temperature datasets besides this one.

Show me where to find the Land Surface Temperature (Day) (MODIS) dataset in NEO

Hide

Click on the Land tab and then select the Land Surface Temperature (Day) (MODIS) dataset.

Show me what the January 1, 2009 to February 1, 2009 image looks like in NEO

Hide

Click the image to view a larger version in a new window.

Step 5 " Find Out About the Land Surface Temperature (Day) (MODIS) Dataset

1. Examine the January 1, 2009 to February 1, 2009 image.
2. Click About this dataset to learn more details about what the map is showing.
   
3. When the text box opens, choose the intermediate level, by clicking more detail. Use the information in the text box to answer the following questions about the data set:
   • How is land surface temperature different than surface air temperature?
   • Why do scientists monitor land surface temperature?

Step 6 " Explore How Land Surface Temperature (Day) (MODIS) Changes over the Course of A Year

1. Go to the NASA Earth Observations (NEO) website and download the Land Surface Temperature (Day) (MODIS) January 1, 2009 to February 1, 2009 image at a resolution of 0.5 degrees and save it as 01_landsurface.jpg. Repeat the process for all twelve months of 2009 until you end up with a total of twelve images, named from 01_landsurface.jpg to 12_landsurface.jpg.
2. If you need help downloading the images, follow the same procedure as in Part 2, Step 3.
3. To animate the Land Surface images using ImageJ, follow the same procedure as in Part 3 with the Reflected Shortwave Radiation images.
4. Experiment with changing the speed of the animation. Step through or animate the Land Surface Temperature (Day) images from January 2009 through December 2009. Carefully observe the changes that occur during the year and then answer the following questions:
   • What regions of the Earth are the warmest each month?
   • How does this change in relationship to the seasons?