We are passionate about protecting our planet, and much of our work combating climate change, understanding the Earth’s climate, sustainable solutions and future energy sources. We often use the natural world for our inspiration – looking at polar bear hair to try to make more sustainable paints and trying to understand just why spider silk is so strong!
On site at RAL is the Centre for Environmental Data Analysis, who collect data from all different groups across the world from both ground and space-based measurements of the Atmosphere. Their catalog of data is available for scientists and researchers to investigate and discover new things about how our natural world works.
Get stuck into our Crafts & Activities for all ages, plan group sessions with our Lesson Plans & Fact Sheets, or click one of the links below to find even more info and opportunities!
Atmosphere and Climate
The Atmosphere plays a very important role in many key processes for life on Earth. Both the carbon and water cycle are dependent on natural processes like rain and evaporation. By studying the conditions in different places we can make predictions about rain, wind and temperature. We have also determined that while the weather conditions can differ from day to day, the climate is also shifting over time, meaning that the expected weather patterns for different countries and cities will change from what they have been in the past. We need to continue studying our atmosphere and climate to understand these changes and what we can do to control our impact.
Crafts and Activities
Lesson Plans and Fact Sheets
Find out more!
- Apply for access to the DAFNI Air Quality demo or simply read more about it and other projects.
- Find out about past and ongoing space missions (KS3/5) with Space4Climate
- Learn why research about the atmosphere, climate change and air pollution are important from these guides (KS3/5) by the National Centre for Atmospheric Science
- RAL Space’s Earth Observation for Climate Video Series
- The Centre for Science Education’s Learning Zone (KS2/5) for Atmosphere and Climate Science
- Visit the Centre for Environmental Data Analysis for events and information on current projects. CEDA also has a page for Outreach Resources relating to climate
- Take a look at NASA’s Climate For Kids activities and resources
The Natural World
The value of the natural world to our economy, society and our very existence cannot be overstated. Hundreds of thousands of species of all forms of life inhabit the Earth and form a part of the ecosystem of our planet, and it is our moral responsibility to preserve and protect them for all future generations. Increasingly, we are looking at the implications of new projects and developments for their environmental impacts, with the aim of taking better care of the natural world. You can find an abundance of resources and links to learn more about the natural world and find out how we can best protect our planet.
Crafts and Activities
Lesson Plans and Fact Sheets
Find out more!
- Learn about the amazing Science to study the Natural World (KS2/3) at ISIS
- Find out more about common Birds in the UK (KS1/3)