Timelapse Video in Google Earth

As many of you know, Google Earth is one of my favorite cross-curricular tools to use with students. They recently added a timelapse feature that makes it possible to view changes in the Earth’s surface over a period of time. Click here to read more about it.

In the example above, students can explore a global timelapse video of our planet, constructed from Landsat satellite imagery. The Columbia Glacier is retreating at a rapid rate. Each frame of the timelapse map is constructed from a year of Landsat satellite data, constituting an annual 1.7-terapixel snapshot of the Earth at 30-meter resolution. The Landsat program has been acquiring images of the Earth’s surface since 1972. Landsat provides critical scientific information about our changing planet. How can this new feature enhance your Google Earth placemarks? They can be embedded! Simply right click on the timelapse video you would like to use and select “inspect element”. Copy and paste the highlighted HTML code into your placemark. Below is a screenshot of a placemark I created and some follow-up questions for students. More featured sites can be found here: http://earthengine.google.org/#intro

 

Columbia Glacier

 

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