Explaining Earths Energy Budget: CERES-Based NASA Resources for K-12 Education and Public Outreach

Among atmospheric scientists, the importance of the Earth radiation budget concept is well understood. Papers have addressed the topic for over 100 years, and the large Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) science instruments, is working hard to quantify the details of its various parts (i.e., Loeb et al., 2009).

In education, Earth’s energy budget is a concept that generally appears in middle school and Earth $!
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science curricula, but its treatment in textbooks!-0-4
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leaves much to be desired. Students and the E
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people have an appreciation for the importance of this energy balance to the conditions on Earth. +.+0More importantly, few have a correct mental+,model that allows them to make predictions and understand the effect of changes such as increasing greenhouse gas concentrations (Libarkin et al, 2013).

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scientists, educators, graphic artists, writers, and 
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graphics and resources to explain the Earth’s E@86E96C
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Energy budget over the last few decades.
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from 3rd to 12th grade as well as public LQWKHIXWXUH«%+audiences.