HS-ESS2-2

Analyze geoscience data to make the claim that one change to Earth's surface can create feedbacks that cause changes to other Earth systems.

  1. Environment

    Burning to learn

    Fires cause billions of dollars of destruction to homes and forests every year. But not all fires are bad, especially for forests. With a better understanding of fire, scientists can both help people prevent dangerous fires — and identify which ones it would be better to let burn.

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  2. Environment

    Explainer: How and why fires burn

    A fire’s colorful flame results from a chemical reaction known as combustion.

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  3. Earth

    Earthquake-triggered lightning?

    An experiment with beads offers support for the claim that a rare type of lightning may accompany some quakes.

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  4. Earth

    Explainer: Ice sheets and glaciers

    Ice sheets and glaciers give scientists clues about climate change.

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  5. Chemistry

    Explainer: Ocean acidification

    Here’s why shellfish and other animals in the sea suffer when the ocean is forced to absorb too much carbon dioxide.

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  6. Earth

    Big rocks’ balancing acts

    Scientists study how balanced boulders resist falling over — and what that may say about earthquakes.

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  7. Earth

    Tsunami’s trek traced in the sky

    Scientists photograph atmospheric ripples that followed the March tsunami across the Pacific.

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  8. Animals

    Ants aweigh!

    In a flood, fire ants cling together to keep afloat.

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  9. Earth

    Ice on the move

    Flowing glaciers help scientists study climate change.

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  10. Climate

    A dire shortage of water

    Parts of the southwestern United States are in the middle of the worst drought in at least 500 years.

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