S8-GU4L1 - Images Form Space Virtual Lab

Images From Space Virtual Lab

S8-GU4L1

What types of information do you get with each view of the U.S. Capitol as you zoom out?

• From the closest views, you can see details of the Capitol, the shape of the building, and its immediate surroundings.

• With each step back, you get more information about context — where the building is with respect to a larger and larger picture.

• You see that the Washington, D.C., area is on a river and is located near the East Coast of the United States on the continent of North America. 

What did you learn about Washington, D.C., from these images that you didn't know before?

• Usually when you see the images of the capitol building on TV, it is as a backdrop to the news.

• So you might not know that it is surrounded by lawns and trees, or that Washington, D.C., is on a river.

• 
  

How do you think satellites are used to develop maps?

• Satellites help you view a large area, to better understand size, direction, placement, and how things (like geographical features) fit into a larger context. 

What are two ways that satellites help scientists view Earth?

• Satellites help scientists view a large region, and they allow them to view Earth in different wavelengths. 

What is a benefit of monitoring volcanoes from a satellite rather than from the ground?

• From space you get a better view of the entire volcano. It is also often too dangerous or difficult to observe a volcano up close before or during eruption.

How can one satellite help scientists in many locations?

• The satellite can send and receive signals to more than one station on Earth. 

Why do you think a bar graph is used here to show the change in area over time?

• A bar graph gives you a better feel for the meaning of the numbers. It is easier to visualize a change in the size of geometrical shapes — one rectangle that is twice as big as another, for example — than to see that relationship in numbers.

Why is stating a goal important?

• When you state a goal, it helps you decide what kind of information you need to collect.

• And you may also change the direction of your investigation.

Do you mark areas of a grid that are only partially colored green or purple?

• You could decide that you will mark all areas that are at least half-full, or that you will mark every area that has any sign of streets or irrigation.

• You might also try to estimate how many partially filled areas equal one full area, and then mark one of them.

• But whatever you decide, you should be consistent in your method when you examine images from different years.

If you decide to mark half-squares as full squares, what does this do to the accuracy of your data?

• You can't be 100% accurate in an investigation of this type.

• But if you are consistent in how you measure your data, then you will also know the degree of error.

• Tables of data usually include a line about how accurate the results are.

Is there any connection between the growth of Las Vegas and the amount of rain forest that was cleared?

• There may be a connection, but the results of this investigation aren't enough to show one.

• You must always be cautious about drawing conclusions without sufficient evidence.

Why is it important to track the amount of Amazon rain forest that is being cleared?

• The Amazon rain forest — the largest rain forest on Earth — produces 20% of Earth's oxygen.

• It is often called the "lungs of the world," and if it is breathing out oxygen, it is also breathing in carbon dioxide.

• So, any decrease in the amount of rain forest reduces the amount of oxygen it can produce, and increases the amount of carbon dioxide that remains in the atmosphere.

Las Vegas is in the desert and has an average of 13 centimeters (5 inches) of rain a year. Yet the amount of irrigated area between 1984 and 2009 increased by 100 square kilometers. What conclusions can you draw? 

• Las Vegas gets its water from the Colorado River.

• As Las Vegas grows, it pumps more water from the river, leaving less for other users, such as farmers and ranchers.

• It is important that long-term plans be made to assure the continuing growth of Las Vegas, the conservation of water resources, and the fair use of the Colorado River.

How might the city council of Las Vegas use the results of this investigation?

• The city council of Las Vegas might use this information so they could make a realistic plan about how many people could be expected to move to the city in the next year or next decade, so they will be ready to provide municipal services such as water, electricity, schools, and parks.

How can we use satellites to observe and understand Earth?

• Satellites can tell us about all of Earth systems — its land, water, air, weather, living things, and even the places in which we live.

• They help us understand how Earth changes over time, the effects of human actions, and they help us determine how to prepare for the future. 

Satellite data can be used to identify land cover, including different types of trees found in a forested area. How could these types of maps help scientists studying biodiversity?

• Satellite data can help scientists determine which areas of Earth to protect and to determine where different species live. 

• 
  

End of Virtual Laboratory