Current Events
- Atmospheric CO2 Level Tops 400 ppm
During the week of May 13th, the CO2 level at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii topped 400 ppm rep...Read morexAtmospheric CO2 Level Tops 400 ppm
During the week of May 13th, the CO2 level at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii topped 400 ppm repeatedly. Daily levels of CO2 can vary due to weather, and there are seasonal trends as well. The level of atmospheric greenhouse gases continues to increase, now over 120 ppm since the Industrial Revolution began. For more on the Keeling Curve, see http://keelingcurve.ucsd.edu/. Find out more about greenhouse gases and warming. - Massive Tornado Outbreak on Tornado Alley
The week of May 19 brings dozens of tornadoes to Tornado Alley in the states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Io...Read morexMassive Tornado Outbreak on Tornado Alley
The week of May 19 brings dozens of tornadoes to Tornado Alley in the states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, Illinois and Missouri. On May 20th, a massive tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, devastating communities - destroying over 100 homes and hitting two elementary schools and a hospital - with many casualties and deaths. Our thoughts are with our friends and colleagues suffering from these storms. For more on the May 20th storms, see the NOAA Storm Prediction Center Storm Report. - Kansas Legislator Proposes Bill to Outlaw Sustainability Education
A bill has been introduced in the Kansas legislature this week that would prohibit the promotion of ...Read morexKansas Legislator Proposes Bill to Outlaw Sustainability Education
A bill has been introduced in the Kansas legislature this week that would prohibit the promotion of sustainability. Here is a link to the one-page bill: http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2013_14/measures/documents/hb2366_00_0000.pdf. See report on Bloomberg News.
Earth
Earth, our home planet, is a beautiful blue and white ball when seen from space. The third planet from the Sun, it is the largest of the inner planets. Earth is the only planet known to support life and to have liquid water at the surface. Earth has a substantial atmosphere and magnetic field, both of which are critical for sustaining life on Earth. Earth is the innermost planet in the solar system with a natural satellite – our Moon. Explore our beautiful home planet – unique in our solar system - through the links in this section.
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Explore Earth
Earth's Interior and Surface
Earth, the largest and densest rocky planet, was formed about 4.5 billion years ago. The Earth's ...Read more
Atmosphere
The atmosphere is a mixture of nitrogen (78%), oxygen (21%), and other gases (1%) that surrounds ...Read more
Magnetosphere
The Earth has a magnetic field with north and south poles. The magnetic field of the Earth ...Read more
Moon
The Earth's one natural satellite, the Moon, is more than one quarter the size of Earth itself ...Read more
Earth's Polar Regions
Do you wonder what Earth's Polar Regions are like? Where do polar bears live? Where do penguins ...Read more
Climate and Global Change
Warm near the equator and cold at the poles, our planet is able to support a variety of living ...Read more
Water (The Hydrosphere)
Water is found in many places on Earth including on the surface of the planet, within rocks ...Read more
Life and Ecology (The Biosphere)
What is life? Why is there life on Earth, but not on any other planets in the solar system ...Read more
Myth and Culture
In cultures around the world, humans have developed stories to help them understand how the ...Read more
Research Expeditions
When scientists go out to explore the Earth they often wind up in pretty interesting places ...Read moreMore about Earth
- Our Changing Planet
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Global locations of visitors using this page right now
Historical Events
5/21 Williamina Fleming, a Scottish-American astronomer, died on this date in 1911 Details
5/22 ~7.9 magnitude earthquake hits near Xining, Tsinghai, China in 1927
5/24 Nicholas Copernicus, a Polish astronomer, died on this date in 1543 Details
Full Earth and Space Science History Calendar (Members only)
Teacher Opportunities
Full Teacher Events Calendar (Educator Members only)
Did you know?
Did you know that the Earth’s magnetic field protects us from radiation from space?Did you know that the Earth's magnetic pole in the Northern hemisphere is not aligned with the Earth's geographic north pole?
Earth and Space Science Concept of the Day
Do you know what this word or phrase means?Refraction
xRefraction : Refraction is the deflection, or bending, of the ray path of a seismic wave caused by its passage from one material to another having different elastic properties; or the bending of a tsunami wave front owing to variations in the water depth along a
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Research Highlights
Gulf Oil Spill: Mississippi River Hydrology May Help Reduce Oil Onshore
The Gulf of Mexico: what role will the Mississippi River play in oil washing ashore and into delta wetlands? One of the spill's greatest environmental threats is to Louisiana's wetlands, scientists believe....Read more
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We now offer the Cool It! card game in our Science Store. Cool It! is the new card game from UCS that teaches kids about the choices we have when it comes to climate change.
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