Earth Science

The harsh environment of Antarctica offers numerous opportunities for science. This program depicts the challenges biologists, meteorologists, and geologists face as they study the continent's wildlife, climate, and formation. The video features analysis of fossils and ancient magma, shows how past weather patterns are examined in ice layers, and illustrates fish and bird population studies. Describing housing, clothing, waste removal, and other human adaptations, this Science Screen Report provides a detailed portrait of living and working in the vast frozen laboratory at the bottom of the world. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. Produced in association with the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology and the Junior Engineering Technical Society. (24 minutes)

People everywhere are interested in the weather, but how does it all work? Beginning with Earth's atmosphere-its evolution, its gaseous composition, and its four regions-this video takes a close look at how conditions combine to create climate and weather. Topics include the Koppen Climate Classification System; weather prediction; types of clouds and precipitation; thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes; and weather patterns such as El Nino and La Nina. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. Correlates to National Science Education Standards, National Educational Technology Standards, and Standards for the English Language Arts. A Cambridge Educational Production. (26 minutes)

As oil supplies dwindle, as catastrophic weather events multiply, as the ozone layer grows thinner, Earth needs geologists, geophysicists, environmentalists, and other researchers as never before! Introduce your students to Earth science-and inspire them to help save the world-with this eight-part series. Magnificent location footage and satellite images, explanations by experts in the field, and animated diagrams that simplify complicated processes make GeoBasics a valuable addition to any study of the Earth, its systems, and humankind's impact. Viewable/printable instructor's guides are available online. Correlates to National Science Education Standards, National Educational Technology Standards, and Standards for the English Language Arts. A Cambridge Educational Production. 8-part series, 19-26 minutes each.

What is global warming? To what extent has humankind worsened it? And how are the people of the world being affected by it? This eye-opening two-part series offers some disconcerting answers as it examines the rapidly changing climate of planet Earth. 2-part series, 28 minutes each.

Changing climate probably played the decisive role in drawing hominids out of the trees, up on their hind legs, and off in search of food whose supply had been dispersed by the replacement of rainforests by grasslands. Migrations were motivated by the search for food; during ice ages, when sea levels dropped, new areas became accessible and populations spread. Links between climatic changes and emerging civilizations have also been postulated; the collapse of civilizations confronted with climatic challenges to which they could not or would not adapt is clearly documented: the Indus River civilization, the Viking settlement in Greenland, even the French Revolution. And Hitler's disastrous decision to invade Russia in 1941 was apparently based on inaccurate weather forecasting! (26 minutes)

This series offers a thorough introduction to and analysis of the relationship between climate and humanity: our linked prehistory, history, and likely future. Climate is the determining factor in where and whether life exists-why there is life on Earth and not on Mars and Venus; in specialized organisms where it is hot or cold, wet or dry, light or dark. Climatic change killed off the dinosaurs and brought prehistoric humans out of the trees and upright on their feet to search for food. And climatic change is threatening now to wipe out life on Earth-by drowning, boiling, suffocating, starving, or genetic destruction. These programs examine the nature of climate, what people have done to alter it, whether we are prepared to foot the costs of saving our planet, or to try to reverse the processes we have set in motion by attempting with scientific means to counter the deadly prospects which confront us.

At ground level, shallow seas, broad beaches, dunes, and waterlogged hollows seem to comprise a chaotic environment. In fact, there is order and form, produced by the interaction of wind, vegetation, and moving sand. Because sand dunes develop rapidly, the development of a landform can be observed. Measuring wind velocity demonstrates how saltation, sand movement, and erosion happen. The program demonstrates the morphology of dune development and how the complex interaction between it and the vegetation-soil system can be observed and measured. The program also demonstrates how precarious the balance is between the various factors, and how slight changes-including the use of the area by man-can destroy large parts of the system. (20 minutes)

Destabilization in the Middle East and concerns over global warming are heating up the national dialogue on how America intends to power itself into the future. In segment one of this NewsHour program, Michael Marvin, of the Council for Sustainable Energy; Dan Reicher, of the World Resources Institute; Myron Ebell, of the Competitive Enterprise Group; and Herbert Inhaber, author of Why Energy Conservation Fails, consider the big picture. Then, segment two narrows the focus to wind power: improvements in wind farm technology, government incentives and legislation, and rising consumer demand. Drawbacks such as the unpredictability of wind are also considered. (30 minutes)

The Earth's surface is a fragile mask, and this Science Screen Report reveals the turmoil beneath it. A cutaway view of the planet depicts its layers-including its crust, hot mantle, and superheated core-and leads to an outline of plate tectonic theory. The Himalayas, the Matterhorn, and the Hawaiian Islands are analyzed as examples of tectonic and volcanic activity, while the core's relationship to Earth's magnetic field is also studied. The program includes animation that clearly demonstrates the concept of subduction. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. Produced in association with the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology and the Junior Engineering Technical Society. (13 minutes)

The Book of Genesis states that the earth, its heavens, water, and land were formed in six days. But how old is the earth? Up until the 19th century, experts had ascertained the time of the creation at 4004 B.C., less than 6000 years earlier. However, by dating rocks, noting the lack of fossils and bacteria in some areas of the globe, and studying meteorites, geologists have determined that the earth's first landforms emerged 4 billion years ago. This program travels back in time to uncover the place where life began: volcanoes on the floor of the primordial ocean. Original BBC broadcast title: The Time Travelers. (50 minutes)

Beginning with the first land formations that emerged from a primordial ocean 4 billion years ago, this eight-part series explores how all geologic phenomena, from volcanoes to earthquakes, are intertwined. Journeying from the sea bottom to the highest peak in the Andes, the series presents the latest theories on plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanoes, land formations, and continental drift. An indispensable resource for teaching earth science and geology. A BBC Production. 8-part series, 50 minutes each.

In the 17th century, an Irish bishop judged the year of Earth's creation to be 4004 BC. Although laughable by modern scientific standards, James Ussher's calculation was among the first rigorous attempts to comprehend the vastness of geological history. This program opens a window into time frames that dwarf human life spans-evoking the insignificance of civilization in comparison to the age of the planet itself. Host Michio Kaku illustrates life's evolution by driving the distance between America's coasts-with the final millimeter representing the human epoch. He also looks at the importance of DNA as a tool for studying human evolution. Original BBC broadcast title: Earth Time. (50 minutes)

As the Earth's fossil fuel reserves decline, what forms of energy will come next? After discussing the formation, uses, and consequences of burning coal, oil, and natural gas, this video explores the development of alternative resources that may someday completely replace them: nuclear power, solar energy, biomass, geothermal energy, hydroelectric power, and wind power. Benefits, costs, and environmental impacts are considered. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. Correlates to National Science Education Standards, National Educational Technology Standards, and Standards for the English Language Arts. A Cambridge Educational Production. (21 minutes)

The lowland basis around Los Angeles contains the most extensive water conservation and flood control system in the world. In 1917, work began on a system of dams and improved channels to control the floodwaters entering the basin. This program looks at the way this system was built and the problems entailed in its design and construction. (20 minutes)

Planet Earth is an amazing machine, and we-and our future-are riding on it. This video introduces students to the Earth system's primary interacting subsystems (the biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere); the nitrogen, carbon, and water cycles; and three surface processes: weathering, mass-wasting, and erosion. The greenhouse effect, the impact of acid rain on the environment, and diminishing freshwater resources around the world are considered as well. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. Correlates to National Science Education Standards, National Educational Technology Standards, and Standards for the English Language Arts. A Cambridge Educational Production. (19 minutes)