Investigating Global Warming and Climate Change

Beyond the Basics: Local to Global Climate Impacts and Classroom Applications K-5

Lesson 1

Activities grounded in climate science

Lesson 1 Activity 1

Temperature, Heat Absorption and Radiation

We all probably have some understanding about air temperatures.

• A sunny day it’s cooler in the shade than it is in the sun. BUT
• How much cooler is it?
• What else affects temperature?
• How did people stay cool on hot summer days before we had air conditioning and electric fans?

The Experiment

1. Your Teacher will set up 5 test locations outside.
1. At each location there will be a cardboard with one side painted black and one side painted white.
2. Each Research Team will be assigned a starting location and place the thermometer on the white surface for 3 minutes, read the thermometer and record the temperature on the data sheet. Then move the thermometer to the black side for 3 minutes and record the temperature on the data sheet.
3. Each Research Team will move to the next location and repeat the measurements above.
4. When temperature measurements at all 5 stations for all Research Teams have been made – return to the classroom for data analysis!

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What are your results?

Make a graph of your data

How much cooler were temperatures in the shade than in the sun?

Were temperatures higher near a building or far away from it?

Were temperatures higher over a light surface or a dark surface?

What other locations would be interesting to measure?

Light from the Sun allows us to see during the day, and warms us.

The Sun actually sends out (radiates) different types of light: ultraviolet light, visible light—which includes the colors we see—and infrared light (heat).

• Dark objects are good absorbers of sunlight. An object painted black looks black: it absorbs all the colors of visible light, so none of them reflect back to our eyes.
• Light-colored objects don’t absorb sunlight as well, they reflect away a lot of the incoming sunlight.

• Dark objects, are good absorbers, are also good emitters. That’s why the temperature right above dark surfaces is higher than above light surfaces. They absorb a lot of visible sunlight, and emit a lot of infrared radiation, which we feel as heat.
• Light colored objects are poor absorbers and poor emitters of infrared radiation, which we feel as heat.

Objects that absorb sunlight don’t just keep all that energy. Objects both absorb energy from sunlight, and “emit,” energy.

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• How could you use what you observed to come up with ways to stay cool on a hot summer day?
• What color hat would keep you coolest on a hot summer day?
• What could cities with lots of buildings and pavement do to make things cooler for the people who live in them?
• Would it make sense to paint rooftops white in some places?

Global Climate Change is resulting in extremely hot temperatures in the summer for our area and around the globe!

• Stay hydrated - drink lots of water!
• Stay in the shade as much as possible.
• Learn the symptoms of heat illness.
• Never leave people or pets in cars! If the outside temperature is 80°F, the inside of a car in the sun can reach 99° in just 10 minutes! This can be deadly.
• Check on your family, friends, especially elderly people living alone.
• Can you think of more ways?

Some Ways to Respond to Extreme Heat

Activities grounded in climate science

Lesson 1 Activity 2 What is Albedo?

Albedo is a measure of how much radiation (energy) is reflected off a substance.

• Substances that have a higher albedo are “whiter” - more radiation reflects off -the substance stays cooler.
• Substances that have a lower albedo are “darker” - more solar radiation is absorbed –the substance warms up.
• Albedo is measured on a scale from 1 (bright white) to 0 (black).

This is a map of Albedo values for our planet

The Map Has Colors for Albedo

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• Red and yellow indicate a higher albedo - more radiation reflects off -these areas stays cooler.
• Shades of blue have a lower albedo - more solar radiation is absorbed – these areas warm up.
• Which areas of our planet are red and yellow? Why do you think that is?
• Which areas are light blue? Why do you think that is?
• Which areas are darker blue? Why do you think that is?

Albedo

Positive & Negative Feedback Loops

Feedback loops involve processes that either increase or decrease the effects of a change to a system.

• In Earth’s climate system, feedbacks can either increase an effect – a Positive Feedback Loop or decrease an effect a Negative Feedback Loop these Loops affect factors that drive the climate to change.
• Sea ice has a much higher albedo than open ocean. It reflects 50–70% of incoming solar energy, Snow-covered sea ice reflects up to 90% of incoming solar radiation.
• The darker ocean reflects only 6% of the energy and absorbs the rest.

This Positive Feedback Loop for ice melt

decrease in albedo sea levels rise

This is an image showing the change in sea ice cover at the North Pole from 1979 and 2012.

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The areas in orange to dark red show the areas that have lost sea ice cover in 11 years!

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As the sea ice disappears there is a Positive Feedback Loop - albedo decreases – more solar radiation has been absorbed – more ice melts and Sea Levels Rise.

My NASA Data