Climate Change Phenomena
dng@csun.edu
Agenda
Climate Change in the California science framework
Information on Climate Change
High Adventure Science from Concord Consortium
Framework analysis
Choose a section of your grade-level framework (if you have read your level, find another).
Find 2 climate change relevant phenomena
Framework (where is climate change)
Students will build on their simple model of chemical reactions from IS4 to explore stability and change [CCC-7] in chemical systems [CCC-4] They then focus on a chemical system in Earth’s ocean where carbon dioxide from the combustion of fossil fuels (as discussed in IS1 and IS5) is having a dramatic impact on ocean life (EP&Cs II, IV)
High School, The Living Earth
Segment 6: Ecosystem Stability & the Response to Climate Change
Students use computer models to investigate how Earth’s systems respond to changes, including climate change They make specific forecasts and design solutions to mitigate the impacts of these changes on the biosphere
HS-ESS2-6. Develop a quantitative model to describe the cycling of carbon among the hydrosphere, atmosphere, geosphere, and biosphere [Clarification Statement: The carbon cycle is a property of the Earth system that arises from interactions among the hydrosphere, atmosphere, geosphere, and biosphere. (CA) Emphasis is on modeling biogeochemical cycles that include the cycling of carbon through the ocean, atmosphere, soil, and biosphere (including humans), providing the foundation for living organisms ]
413Grade Six Preferred Integrated Course ModelIn this instructional segment, students collect evidence that Earth’s climate is changing At the grade six level, the scope of their understanding is intended to be limited Students analyze data [SEP-4] , recognize patterns [CCC-1] , and ask questions [SEP-1]about what causes [CCC-2] these patterns Students in the middle grades are not expected to explain why the Earth is warming in much detail—they will develop models explaining the causal mechanisms when they get to high school The clarification statement for MS-ESS3-5 indicates that emphasis should be placed on the way human activities might influence the climate
Students can examine data showing trends in CO2 concentrations in the ocean and atmosphere as evidence of a balancing feedback between two of Earth’s systems [CCC-4] that slows the rate of climate change (HS-ESS2-2)
In the CA NGSS, students combine their general understanding with computational thinking [SEP-5] by using simple computer simulations (see PhET, The Greenhouse Effect
at http://www cde ca gov/ci/sc/cf/ch7 asp#link29)
to model the flow of energy [CCC-5] into and out of the Earth and the role that CO2 and other greenhouse gases play in that process (HS-ESS2-4) Scientists use simulators of Earth’s climate called global climate models [SEP-2] (GCMs) that are much more detailed and include many other processes and interactions between Earth systems [CCC-4]
Framework (Where is climate change)
Carmi and Chris
Instructional Segment #5:
Topic: Global Warming Understanding Greenhouse Effect
Guiding Question: What effects are humans having on the climate?
HS-ESS2-4 I can use model to describe how variations in the flow of energy into and out of Earths systems results in changes in climate.
Activity( Learn.concord) What is the future of Earths Climate?
Topic: Ocean Acidification( Instructional Segment #6)
Framework (Where is climate change)
Jill and Doelyn Living Earth Instructional Segment 6: page 830 Ecosystem Stability and the Response to Climate Change
Snapshot 7.4/ Phenomena: Tuberculosis How did we eradicate diseases in the US?
Snapshot 7.6/ Shrinking Pika Habitat page 840
Anchoring phenomenon: Pikas live only at high elevations (and are adorable)
Investigative phenomenon: Global warming will increase the temperatures at high elevations
What can humans do to protect pikas and the rest of their ecosystem?
Snapshot 7.5: Food Diaries: (Food Consumption Footprint: How does food choices benefit/harm the earth?)
Everyday phenomenon: Different people eat different foods each day.
Activities and Resources and Concepts
GapMinder graph of CO2 emission per person
GapMinder graph of CO2 annual emission
This graph shows a number of different variables all graphed on once graph. You acn check out the references. If you check out GapMinder itself, you can have a graph on almost anything you need.
You can talk about history, regions in the world, economy, natural resources etc.
Activities and Resources and Concepts
A YouTube video about CO2 over the Earth. Start the video with no audio and no closed captions. After the video, have the students ask questions and what they noticed. Watch again with audio and caption
Explanation of the fluctuation of CO2 throughout the year: It’s seasonal. In the winter and fall, there aren’t a lot plants growing during this time, so the is an increase amount of CO2. but in the spring and summer, plants are blooming and taking in the CO2 in the environment and growing and giving us oxygen. There is a slight lag, but around June you can see the amount of CO2 decrease due to this
Activities and Resources and Concepts
Folder with links from NGSS workshop.
Saw a climate change presentation by a teacher in SFUSD.
Stuff in file that I use:
Activities and Resources and Concepts
A series of visualizations (sea ice, sea level, carbon dioxide, global temperature) that shows how some of Earth’s key climate indicators are changing over time
Data Mining Activity
FLIGHT Data (The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) collects data about greenhouse gas emissions by source, industry type, and type of gas. The EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program collects greenhouse gas data from facilities that directly emit more than 25,000 metric tons of CO2 per year. Direct emitters are facilities like power plants that burn coal or natural gas and emit greenhouse gases directly into the atmosphere. The Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program does not require indirect emitters to report, such as homes that consumer electricity.)
We will look at the FLIGHT site and determine which state produces the most greenhouse gas.
Pick a state by putting your name on the data form.
Data Mining Activity continued
What is a metric ton?
Tons of CO2 pollution. We are always hearing about how many tons of CO2 pollution we emit. The average American car emits about seven tons of CO2 in a year; the average American family, about 24 tons; the United States as a whole, over seven billion tons; and worldwide, almost 30 billion tons. The Virgin Earth Challenge (see last week's post) offers $25 million to whoever can economically remove one billion tons of CO2 from the atmosphere each year.
But what is a ton of CO2?
People keep saying to me, I thought CO2 is a gas. How can a gas have weight? I explain that CO2 is made up of atoms, and atoms have mass, and with gravity mass has weight. As often as not, my explanation is met with a blank stare. So let me try a different tack.
Picture a football field, and then imagine a round balloon with one end lined up on the goal line and the other on the 10 yards line – that is, a balloon with a diameter of 10 yards. If that balloon were filled with CO2, it would weigh about 1 ton; it would be a 1-ton CO2 balloon.
In 2006 an American family emitted the equivalent of 24 CO2 balloons by powering their home, driving their cars and flying. If you lined those balloons from end-to-end they would go from goal line to goal line almost two-and-a-half times – 240 yards!
Within a year or two, a little more than half of those CO2 balloons will be absorbed from the atmosphere into the ocean or trees. Unfortunately, the rest of the balloons will hang around for a very long time. One hundred years from now there will still be almost half a football field of CO2 balloons left to overheat the earth. And that's just the CO2 from one family in 2006. There will also be CO2 balloons from 2007, 2008, and so on.
In total, Americans were responsible for more than seven billion CO2 balloons in 2006. Lined up end to end they would circle the earth 1,600 times, and the number grows each year. Isn't it about time we start taking the CO2 out of some of those balloons?
http://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2007/02/20/picturing-a-ton-of-co2/
What is Climate Change
High Adventure Science
Go to the link on the website.
Sign in/create an account?
Explore 2-3 activities on the High Adventure Science website
Be ready to discuss 2-3 key takeaways from the student perspective & teacher perspective
High Adventure Science Activities
Why is Arctic Ice So important?
Climate scientists are particularly concerned about feedback effects that could increase the amount and rate of global climate change One example is that global warming is clearly reducing the amount of ice on our planet (figure 7 31) Glaciers around the world are shrinking size and even disappearing The amount of ice covering the ocean in summer and fall is also shrinking As the ice melts, the surface beneath it is darker in color and absorbs more incoming sunlight More absorption causes more heating, and this heating causes even more absorption of sunlight This kind of feedback loop amplifies or reinforces the change, and the distinction between cause and effect [CCC-2] begins to blur as each effect causes more change. (HC Framework page 899-890)
Everyone touches the bottles. They all feel like the same temperature.
After the bottles are exposed to sunlight (after 15 seconds), the ballon over the black bottle wil expand and the bottle will feel warm to the touch.
Darker color materials absorb the heat from the sun more than lighter coloroed materials