Acidic Seas

For years, our oceans have been hard at work absorbing the carbon dioxide that humans create through burning fossil fuels. Find out what effect that extra CO2 is having on our seas.

Arctic Climate System

Learn how the Arctic is a part of a global climate system in this video segment adapted from the National Film Board of Canada.

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Earth System: Drought and Air Quality

This video segment adapted from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center discusses how a drought can have negative effects locally, for example by increasing the number of forest fires, and also globally, for example by impacting air quality thousands of miles away.

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Earth System: El Niño

This video segment adapted from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center describes El Niño, how it forms, and the chain reaction of consequences it triggers around the globe.

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Earth System: El Niño's Influence on Hurricane Formation

This video segment adapted from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center explains how hurricanes develop and why there are fewer hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean in strong El Niño years.

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Earth System: Ice and Global Warming

This video segment adapted from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center explains ice's role in the Earth system, highlighting the delicate balance that could be upset with a continued rise in temperature due to climate change.

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The Effect of Sea Surface Temperature on Hurricanes

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, scientists examine the link between rising sea surface temperature and more intense hurricanes.

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Examine Global Surface Currents

This visualization from McDougal Littell/TERC visualizes the relationship between global wind directions and the direction of ocean surface currents.

Global Weather Machine

In this illustrated essay from NOVA Online, explore the cyclical process of weather creation and the effects of El Niño on the global weather system.

Great Ocean Conveyor Belt: Part I

This image from GRID-Arendal depicts the major circulation pattern of the ocean, illustrating interactions between temperature, salinity, and depth.

Great Ocean Conveyor Belt: Part II

A substantial increase in freshwater running into the northern Atlantic Ocean could dramatically affect climate and global ocean currents. This audio segment from National Public Radio presents viewpoints from scientists studying changes in ocean circulation.

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How Hurricanes Form

This animation from NASA illustrates the phases in the formation of a hurricane.

Hurricanes: New Orleans Under Threat

This video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW exposes how decades of development and geography combined to make the potential damage from a hurricane uniquely devastating in New Orleans, Louisiana.

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Ice Shelf and Ice Sheet Simulation

In this interactive activity adapted from Texas A&M University, a block of melting ice simulates ice shelves and ice sheets and their differing effects on global sea level.

La Niña and Tornado Outbreaks

This video excerpt from NOVA looks at how La Niña’s cool ocean temperatures may influence tornado outbreaks.

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Making Big Waves

Certain sections of the Northern California coast are host to some of the largest, most spectacular ocean waves in the world. In this video segment from QUEST, learn about how these waves are able to get so large.

Mass Extinction

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, learn about a chain of events, including ancient volcanoes, global warming, and deadly gases, which may have caused Earth's greatest mass extinction 250 million years ago.

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Ocean Temperatures and Climate Patterns

This animation from The New Media Studio illustrates how the atmosphere and ocean together shape wind, current, and rainfall patterns in the tropical Pacific.

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Sandy and Climate Change

This video excerpt from NOVA: “Inside the Megastorm” explores how global climate may have influenced Hurricane Sandy.

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Science of Big Waves

What is a maverick wave? In this video from QUEST produced by KQED, learn the science behind big waves.