Masks are required for all visitors 2+. Vaccines recommended. Plan your visit  

Visitor FAQ Buy Tickets Donate Today
SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Environmental Science Snacks

Science Snacks are hands-on, teacher-tested activities that bring explorations of natural phenomena into the classroom and home. These Snacks explore phenomena and data that can help us understand Earth's atmosphere and oceans. The Exploratorium collects real-time weather and atmospheric data at our Wired Pier Environmental Field Station at Pier 15 in San Francisco.

Science activity that explores environmental data
Raining On Your Data Parade

What do you do if something looks odd in your data?

Science activity that uses data to explore natural cycles and unnatural changes in our atmosphere
Our Changing Atmosphere

Explore a famous environmental data set to learn about climate change.

Science activity that demonstrates the effects of ocean acidification
Shell Shifts

See why ocean acidification is giving some marine organisms shell shock.

Science activity that models ocean acidification
Ocean Acidification in a Cup

A carbon dioxide–rich atmosphere changes the water beneath it.

Science activity that explores tidal patterns
Tide-O-Matic

Explore the influence of the Sun and Moon on our tides.

Science activity that explores how water temperature and salinity are tied to the tidal cycle
Tidal Ties

Make predictions about water temperature and salinity using tidal data.

Science activity that explores the carbon cycle
Follow the Carbon

Model the carbon cycle and its principal reservoirs and flow rates using rice.

Science activity to see how water levels change with temperature.
Swelling Seas

How does water volume change with temperature?

Science activity that models sea level rise.
Melting Ice and Rising Seas

Investigate sea level rise with this model of continents and oceans.