The purpose of this lesson plan is for students to learn how the Earth's systems interact on a global level. They will examine global environmental data and compare this to data on the polar regions. In the process, they will develop an...

[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Covers metamorphic rocks, which form from previous rocks exposed to heat and/or pressure.

Have you wondered what the Earth's climate was like millions of years ago? Click on a period to view a map and explanation of ancient Earth's climate.

Why do some regions experience full-time heat while others are reckoning with frigid temperatures and snow? And why are the seasons reversed in the two hemispheres? Rebecca Kaplan explains how the shape of the Earth's orbit around the...

Discusses countries that have recorded the hottest temperatures and the one with the highest average temperature. Also lists the hottest countries for each continent and the hottest locations on Earth.

Provides brief descriptions of the twelve coldest countries in the world.

An air mass forms when the air over a large region of Earth sits in one place for many days. The air gradually takes on the characteristics of the land or water below it. Where Earth's surface is cold, the air becomes cold. Where Earth's...

A map from 1910 of the Indian subcontinent and the Central Asia region showing the typical rainfall distribution patterns during the summer monsoons, keyed to show areas of rainfall ranging from very light to, according to this text, the...

A map from 1910 of the Indian subcontinent and the Central Asia region showing the typical rainfall distribution patterns during the winter monsoons, keyed to show areas of rainfall ranging from very light to heavy rainfall. The map...