GETSI Teaching Materials >Measuring the Earth with GPS > Student Materials
GETSI's Earth-focused Modules and Courses for the Undergraduate Classroom
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This module is part of a growing collection of classroom-tested materials developed by GETSI. The materials engage students in understanding the earth system as it intertwines with key societal issues. The collection is freely available and ready to be adapted by undergraduate educators across a range of courses including: general education or majors courses in Earth-focused disciplines such as geoscience or environmental science, social science, engineering, and other sciences, as well as courses for interdisciplinary programs.
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For the Instructor

This material supports the Measuring the Earth with GPS GETSI Module. If you would like your students to have access to this material, we suggest you either point them at the Student Version which omits the framing pages with information designed for faculty (and this box). Or you can download these pages in several formats that you can include in your course website or local Learning Managment System. Learn more about using, modifying, and sharing GETSI teaching materials.

Welcome Students!

The Global Position System, or better known as GPS, is not just a tool used to tell you how to get to the nearest gas station. In fact, the GPS is widely used by geoscientists throughout the world. Although GPS's first widespread use by geoscientists was to track plate motions, geoscientists have found that GPS can also be used to measure local movement due to changes in the amount of water, snow, and ice. In this module you will read GPS graphs as scientists do, and use their interpretations of that data to support recommendations that address societal issues related to earthquakes, water resources, and glacier melting. Case studies include California, Greenland, and Alaska. By the end of the module you will be able to use GPS data to:
  1. Determine tectonic plate motion and predict future earthquakes within a specific region
  2. Measure the changing mass of glaciers and their effects on sea level rise
  3. Analyze the changing amount of groundwater in valleys and snow cover in mountains, especially during times of drought

More about Student Materials Formats

Unit 1: Collecting GPS Data

Have you ever wondered how your phone knows where it is? Or how we can measure the movement of the earth's crust? In this unit, you will learn the basics of how GPS works and how to read GPS graphs. GPS data can measure vertical and horizontal bedrock motion caused by a variety of geologic processes, such as plate movement and the changing amount of water and ice on Earth's surface - not just where you are in town.


Unit 2: Earthquakes, GPS, and Plate Movement

Have you ever wondered how far the crust below your feet travels each year? In this unit, you will learn how to read GPS data to interpret how the bedrock deforms and moves near the plate boundary in California and how that results in earthquakes you hear on the news. GPS data can measure bedrock motion in response to deformation of the ground near plate boundaries because of plate tectonics. You will also apply the skills and knowledge you gained to use GPS data to predict future earthquakes in the region.


Unit 3: Glacier, GPS, and Sea Level Rise

Have you ever wanted to know how much ice is actually melting in Greenland due to climate change, and how this will effect future sea levels? In this unit, you will learn how to read GPS data to interpret how the mass of glaciers in Alaska and Greenland is changing, both annually and long-term. GPS data can measure bedrock elevation change in response to the changing mass of glaciers. You will also apply the skills and knowledge you gained to demonstrate how GPS data on glacial change has implications for sea level rise.


Unit 4: Glacier, GPS, and Sea Level Rise

You surely have heard about the California drought on the news, however how much water did California actually lose during this event? In this unit, you will learn how to read GPS data to interpret how the amount of groundwater in the Central Valley in California is changing, in particular in reaction to the 2012-2015 drought. GPS data can measure ground elevation change in response to the changing amount of groundwater in valleys and snow cover in mountains. You will also apply the skills and knowledge you gained to analyze how GPS data has implications for the future of groundwater resources in California.


     

This module is part of a growing collection of classroom-tested materials developed by GETSI. The materials engage students in understanding the earth system as it intertwines with key societal issues. The collection is freely available and ready to be adapted by undergraduate educators across a range of courses including: general education or majors courses in Earth-focused disciplines such as geoscience or environmental science, social science, engineering, and other sciences, as well as courses for interdisciplinary programs.
Explore the Collection »