Earth systems science education: using remote imagery and environmental data access

The Ohio Sea Grant and Earth Systems Education programs at The Ohio State University have developed a CD-ROM, hard-copy materials and a teacher education program on “Environmental Data for Teaching About the Great Lakes”. Support for the project has come from the Great Lakes Protection Fund, the George Gund Foundation of Cleveland, and the National Sea Grant College Program, for a three-year development and outreach program. Using the program materials, teachers can gain access to such environmental data as site-specific temperatures and precipitation for global sites reporting since 1890, the amount and types of toxic chemicals released by reporting sources anywhere in the United States, water quality data for streams, greenhouse gas concentration at global reporting sites, earthquake position and magnitude, wind patterns over water, and the status of remedial action planning in polluted areas. Some key areas for investigation are imaged with Landsat and aircraft photography. Creative teacher leaders are the first audience for the program. They are educated in how to use these new tools to effectively teach about the environment in relevant and exciting ways, and provided with support for conducting additional teacher education programs with them