An overview of EarthExplorer

Why Use EarthExplorer in the Classroom?

Bring the real world into your lessons with EarthExplorer – a powerful tool from the US Geological Survey that gives students direct access to decades of satellite imagery and Earth observation data.

Let your students zoom in on their hometown, track deforestation in the Amazon, witness glacial retreat in the Arctic, or compare urban expansion in megacities. With just a few clicks, they can explore how our planet has changed over time – using the same data that scientists, researchers, and planners use worldwide.

Whether you’re teaching geography, environmental science, Earth science, or global citizenship, EarthExplorer:

• Connects abstract topics to real places your students care about.

• Encourages independent inquiry and critical thinking.

• Builds spatial and digital literacy using authentic scientific tools.

It’s not just a website – it’s a window into the planet’s past and a tool for understanding its future.

A concrete classroom example shows how EarthExplorer can be used in a meaningful, age-appropriate way – with a real-world issue, clear learning goals, and a student-friendly task:

Classroom Example: “What Happened to the Aral Sea?”

Subject: Geography / Environmental Science
Level: Upper secondary (age 15–18)
Duration: 1–2 lessons
Focus: Human impact on the environment
Tool: USGS EarthExplorer

🎯 Learning Goals

Students will:

• Use satellite imagery to observe environmental changes over time.

• Describe the causes and effects of a shrinking inland sea.

• Evaluate human-environment interactions using real geospatial data.

• Practice critical thinking and spatial reasoning.

🧭 Lesson Steps

🔹 Step 1: The Hook (10 min)

Show two images:

• One of the Aral Sea in 1977

• One of the Aral Sea today

Ask: “What do you notice? What might explain this change?”

🔹 Step 2: Hands-on with EarthExplorer (25–30 min)

Students go to https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/

Task: Use EarthExplorer to:

• Search for the Aral Sea region.

• Choose satellite images from 1980, 2000, and 2020 using the Landsat datasets.

• Compare and describe the change in water surface area over time.

Tip: Students can take screenshots and annotate them.

🔹 Step 3: Inquiry Task (30–40 min)

Students answer:

• What changed?

• Why did it change? (e.g. irrigation, cotton farming)

• Who was affected? (e.g. local communities, ecosystems)

• What can be done?

They then present their findings in a short poster, slide deck, or report.

📦 Materials

• Printed worksheet or digital task sheet

• Internet-connected computers or tablets

• Sample images for students who struggle with the tool

🧩 Extension

Students compare this case to another example of water stress (e.g., Lake Chad or the Colorado River).