NOAA Sea to Sky: Education resource database

⚠️ This page recently underwent an update. If you had bookmarked direct links to search results from this page prior to March 18, 2024, those links may no longer work and you may need to make a new bookmark. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to us at education@noaa.gov.

Welcome to our searchable database of education resources created by NOAA and our partners. If you have issues or feedback, please let us know by filling out our feedback form offsite link or sending us an email at education@noaa.gov.

Tips for using the database

Searching for terms that contain more than one word.

Use quotation marks around multiple-word phrases you want to search. For example, searching “climate change” will return resources about “climate change.” If you don’t include quotation marks, it will return resources that include either the word “climate” or “change.” 

Opening resources in a new tab.

 Follow the instructions below for the device you are using.

  • PC: Hold down the control (ctrl) key while clicking the link. Or, right-click the link and select “open in new tab.”
  • Mac: Hold down the command key while clicking the link.
  • iPhone or iPad: Press and hold the link. Select “open in new tab” from the pop-up menu.
  • Android device: Press and hold the link. Select “open in new tab” from the pop-up menu

Expanding categories.

Each category has a plus sign (+) to expand the available filters within the category. Some categories have subcategories. Look for the plus sign (+) to see more filterable items.

Making the most of the filterable categories.

There are several categories you can use to filter through the resources. 

  • “Audience” filters by grade level, including postsecondary education, and also has a filter option for adult learners.
  • “Subject” filters by the general subject area, such as Arts, Earth science, Math, and more.
  • “Resource Type” filters allow you to look for resources ranging from activities, lessons, and units to videos or background information.
  • “Topic” filters are more specific than subject. They include filters such as climate, freshwater, and weather and atmosphere.
  • “NGSS DCI” filters by Next Generation Science Standards Disciplinary Core Ideas. Only activities, lessons, and units (and no other resource types) have NGSS DCI associated with them. Not all activities, lessons, and units have this alignment.
  • “Special categories” offers additional filters for specific types of resources and topics, such as printables, resources available in other languages, and safety/preparedness.

Exploring activities, lessons, and units.

Activities, lessons, and units are bundled together under resource type. You can expand to filter for only one type. Activity/demonstration refers to straightforward activities with little or no classroom strategy or pedagogy. Lesson refers to structured activities that are intended for a classroom audience. Module/unit refers to a collection of lessons that can build upon each other over multiple class periods or times of instruction; some people might call this a curriculum. 

Understanding instructional strategies.

Within special categories, there is an expandable filter called “instructional strategies.” This includes special filters that are applicable for some lessons, activities, and units, including things like “outdoor education” and “uses data.”

 

No results match your search.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Intermediate data product
Data product

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
El Niño and La Niña

Explore current, forecasted, and historical El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) data.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Intermediate data product
Data product

Topic

Freshwater
Ocean and coasts
Great Lakes ecoregion
Tides
Ocean pollution and marine debris

This interactive map displays the locations of oil spills, hazardous waste sites, or ship groundings where we are currently pursuing protection and restoration of natural resources. The locations of restoration efforts associated with these projects are also available.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Intermediate data product
Data product

Topic

Freshwater
Rivers
Watersheds, flooding, and pollution

Find links to the regional River Forecast Centers in the continental United States. Each River Forecast Center has an interactive map and additional information on river stages, flooding, and more.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12

Subject

Engineering and technology
Earth science

Resource type

Intermediate data product
Data product

Topic

Technology and engineering
Ocean and coasts
Ocean floor features

Special categories

Models
Instructional strategies

An interactive map showing hydrographic data from several sources.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Intermediate data product
Data product

Topic

Climate
Cryosphere
Climate data monitoring
Climate change impacts
Changing seasons

Explore images from five different Arctic sea ice products from the National Snow and Ice Data Center in a spreadsheet-like format. The tool allows you to quickly compare different time periods and regions in a tabular view by allowing you to manipulate the parameters controlling each axis of the table with a spreadsheet-like interface. This allows you to control the particular data set on display in each column and row of the image spreadsheet.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12

Subject

Life science

Resource type

Intermediate data product
Data product

Topic

Freshwater
Great Lakes ecoregion
Invasive species

Search invasive species in the Great Lakes and generate datasets using the Great Lakes Aquatic Nonindigenous Species Information Systems (GLANSIS). You can generate custom lists of invasive species for your geographic area and access species profiles using the Species List Generator. Another tool, the Map Explorer allows users to view species distributions, download data, generate custom maps, and explore habitat relationships.

Audience

Grade 9-12
College+
Adults

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Collection
Data product
Intermediate data product

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Tornadoes
Weather observations
Weather systems and patterns

Collection name

Severe weather event summaries

Designed for people with experience in meteorology, this site shows real time and historic severe weather data on an interactive map, focusing on tornadoes, thunderstorms, hail, and wind. Datasets include daily events, monthly summaries, annual trends, downloadable radar data, and event archives.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8
Grade 3-5

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Intermediate data product
Data product

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Weather observations
Tornadoes

An interactive map with information about the probabilities of tornadoes, wind, and hail across the contiguous United States.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Intermediate data product
Images
Data product
Multimedia

Topic

Climate
Cryosphere
Climate data monitoring
Climate change impacts
Changing seasons

The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) offers some data in the form of images that were created Google Earth™ files that enable you to view them on a virtual globe. These images help people better understand the cryosphere — where the world is frozen — by making data more visible and interactive. Featured Data highlights some of the most requested data, as well as the newest Google Earth files.

Audience

Adults
College+
Grade 9-12
Grade 6-8

Subject

Earth science

Resource type

Intermediate data product
Data product

Topic

Weather and atmosphere
Weather observations

From the National Weather Service, this data website provides animated maps of snow data in the contiguous United States going back to 2003.