Unit 4: Measuring Ice Mass Changes: Vertical Bedrock GPS part of Understanding Our Changing Climate
Bruce Douglas, Indiana University-Bloomington; Susan Kaspari, Central Washington University
This unit shows how GPS records of bedrock surface elevation may be used to monitor snow and ice loading/unloading on decadal and annual time scales. Students calculate secular trends in the GPS time series and ...

Unit 3: Static GPS/GNSS Methods part of High Precision Positioning with Static and Kinematic GPS
Ben Crosby, Idaho State University
The application of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) in the earth sciences has become commonplace. GNSS data can produce high-accuracy, high-resolution measurements in common reference frames. Static GNSS ...

Unit 4: Anatomy of a tragic slide: Oso Landslide case study part of Surface Process Hazards
Becca Walker, Mt. San Antonio College
Landslides can have profound societal consequences, such as did the slide that occurred near Oso, Washington in 2014. Forty-three people were killed and entire rural neighborhood was destroyed. In this unit, ...

Unit 5: Mitigating future disasters: developing a mass-wasting hazard map part of Surface Process Hazards
Becca Walker, Mt. San Antonio College
This unit serves as the summative assessment of the Surface Process Hazards module. In September 2013, the Boulder area of Colorado experienced an extreme rain event that led to mass wasting in many areas. This has ...

Unit 2: Mashing it up: physical models of deformation and strain part of GPS, Strain, and Earthquakes
Vince Cronin, Baylor University (Vince_Cronin@baylor.edu) Phil Resor, Wesleyan University (presor@wesleyan.edu)
Students gain an intuitive understanding of strain and deformation through a series of physical model activities using everyday materials such as bungee cords, rubber bands, fabric, index cards, silly putty, sand, ...

Unit 6: Applying GPS strain and earthquake hazard analyses to different regions part of GPS, Strain, and Earthquakes
Vince Cronin, Baylor University (Vince_Cronin@baylor.edu) Phil Resor, Wesleyan University (presor@wesleyan.edu)
Students select their own set of three stations in an area of interest to them, conduct a strain analysis of the area between the stations, and tie the findings to regional tectonics and societal impacts in a 5–7 ...

Unit 2: Flood Frequency Analysis part of Flood Hazards
James McNamara, Boise State University (jmcnamar@boisestate.edu) Venkatesh Merwade, Purdue University (vmerwade@purdue.edu)
This unit introduces students to the statistical concepts that are used to determine the relationships between peak flow magnitude, return periods, and societal risk. The intent is that when a student hears or uses ...

Unit 3: Channel Capacity and Manning's Equation part of Flood Hazards
Venkatesh Merwade, Purdue University (vmerwade@purdue.edu) James McNamara, Boise State University (jmcnamar@boisestate.edu)
A flood occurs when the flow rate in a river exceeds the capacity of a channel to transmit water downstream within its banks. How much water can a channel transmit? Answering this question requires measurements of ...

Unit 3: Yellowstone is active, but will it erupt? part of Monitoring Volcanoes and Communicating Risks
Rachel Teasdale (California State University, Chico) and Kaatje van der Hoeven Kraft (Whatcom Community College)
An eruption at Yellowstone could have devastating effects on large areas of the United States and Canada, but what is the likelihood of such an eruption occurring? This unit has students explore seismic data for ...

Evaluating the Health of an Urban Wetland Using Electrical Resistivity part of Evaluating the Health of an Urban Wetland Using Electrical Resistivity
Evaluating the Health of an Urban Wetland Using Electrical Resistivity Lee Slater, Rutgers University - Newark [end rawhtml]
This module introduces students to the fundamental principles and uses of electrical resistivity, with a focus on an environmental application. Students explore the characteristics and environmental setting of ...