bscs.nabt.the science of climate change 3 • students ... 3.0 4.0 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005...
TRANSCRIPT
The Science of Climate Change and Your Biology Class
Paul M. Beardsley, Ph.D.BSCS
Cal Poly Pomona, Center for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching
The Challenge:
• Earth’s climate is changing (…. the rates are not natural)• Public holds a myriad of ideas about Climate Science and impacts
• Humans are making decisions for which outcomes won’t be realized for 30‐50 years
• Learning about Climate Science relies on– principles of physics, chemistry, biology, earth sciences, and systems‐thinking that are tough
– students connecting concepts from different courses (e.g., expanding the Carbon Cycle in HS Biology)
– Do you currently teach about climate change? When in curriculum?
• Solutions are neither easy nor local, nor clearly connected to the field of climate science (….Energy).
NASA GCCE Goals
The Global Climate Change Education (GCCE) Program:
• Improve the teaching and learning about global climate change in K‐12, and into colleges.
• Increase the number of teachers and students using NASA data to investigate global climate science issues.
• Increase interest in jobs with NASA and in allied STEM fields.
Carbon ConnectionsProject Objectives
• Three web‐based units for high school students on the carbon cycle and the science of climate.– Unit 1: Carbon in the Past– Unit 2: Carbon in the Present– Unit 3: Carbon in the Future
• Use actual data from NASA and other sources
Carbon ConnectionsProject Objectives
• Improve students’ understanding of – carbon cycle and decision‐making for issues in climate science,
– models and interactions of systems, – NASA’s role in monitoring Earth.
• Increase student interest in careers at NASA and STEM fields.
• Goals for this session:– Make links in the Carbon Connections units to
biology courses– Have you experience and participate in using
some of the models and interactives from the field test version of Carbon Connections
- Visualize flow of carbon among reservoirs- Scientists use evidence to infer climate
change on Earth - (emphasis on the past 650,000 years)
- Models can represent larger systems
Big Ideas for Unit 1:
• On your own, rank the following reservoirs of carbon in terms of their relative size:–Atmosphere–Deep, middle ocean–Terrestrial vegetation
Other evidence for ice ages…
• 2 kinds of water:– H2
16O and H218O
– Scientists can measure the amounts of these two isotopes of oxygen -- H2
18O / H216O ratio
Oceans: Heavy and Light Water
• During a glacial period (an Ice Age): Do you expect the H2
18O / H216O ratio
in ocean water to INCREASE, DECREASE or STAY the SAME? – Explain why you answered as you did.
HINT Consider: Evaporation, fate of evaporated water from ocean
What happens in a Glacial Periods?Glacial – cold
Continental Ice Sheet Build‐up
Ocean –H2
18O / H216O ratio is
higher
18O values larger (more positive)
16O frozen in ice caps
net transport of water to ice caps
Glacial — Interglacial Periods
Glacial – cold Interglacial - warm
Ice Sheet Ice
Ocean –H2
18O / H216O ratio
is higher18O values larger (more positive)
Ocean –H2
18O / H216O ratio
is lower
18O values smaller (less positive)
16O frozen in ice caps
16O returned to oceannet transport of water to ice caps
net water transport back to the ocean by rivers
Unit 1
• Students use interactive based on Global Climate Models to examine the relationship between CO2 and temperature– So called “spike experiments”
• Students also consider the movement of carbon among different reservoirs during glacial and interglacials– Time scales of tens of thousands of years
Unit 2 Carbon in the Present
• Students work to explain modern patterns of CO2 fluctuations using an understanding of living systems and movement of carbon among reservoirs
• Brief review of photosynthesis and respiration
Lesson 2.1
• Video from NASA shows the movement of CO2 across the world per month
• Students try to make sense, given what they think at this point
Watch video…
Lesson 2.2• Students reflect on the balance of
photosynthesis and respiration over a short time period
Lesson 2.2 Sidetrip…
• As students consider the role of CO2 in living systems, they can choose to use NASA data to explore the impact of limiting factors on productivity
Lesson 2.5• Students evaluate what they learned by
comparing CO2 curves from different points on Earth
Unit 3• Students explore factors that affect climate• Empirical Climate Model (ECM)– Based on measured data
(Lean&Rind, 2008; 2009)
– Test link between inputs and outputs forcings→ response
– is Temperature a function of forcings? – Use physics to test whether cause vs. correlation– Today: correlational model; will test relationships
The inputs:Forcing #1: El Niño/SO cycles (ENSO)
-2.0
-1.0
0.0
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
El Niño/La Niña Cycles (ENSO), 1979-2011
ENSO
Ind
ex
Year
El Niño events (peaks)
La Niña events (valleys)
The inputs:Forcing #2: Volcanism (VOLC)
0.0
0.050
0.10
0.15
0.20
1850 1860 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
Stratospheric Aerosols, Volcanic Eruptions
GlobalNorthern HemisphereSouthern Hemisphere
Stra
tosp
heric
Aer
osol
Ind
ex
Year
The inputs:Forcing #3: Solar Irradiance (TSI)
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
Sunspot Cycle Record, 1950-2010
Sun
spot
Num
ber
Year
The inputs:Forcing #4: Human (ANTH)
• Green House Gas Emissions (GHGs)• Land use patterns• Tropospheric aerosols
• These have increased from 1979‐2010– Correlate with economic activity
YOU can test scenarios……
• Claim #1: climate change is explained by variation in solar irradiance. – what forcing(s) would you change in the model?– Is the claim accurate, less‐informed, or patently scurrilous?
• Claim #2: Humans are solely responsible for changes in global climate. – what forcing(s) would you change in the model?– Is the claim accurate, less‐informed, or patently scurrilous?
• Claim #3: climate change can be explained by natural forcings. – what forcing(s) would you change in the model?– Is the claim accurate, less‐informed, or patently scurrilous?
• Claim #4: climate change can be explained by ENSO and VOLC– what forcing(s) would you change in the model?– Is the claim accurate, less‐informed, or patently scurrilous?
YOU can test scenarios……
Unit 3• Students go on to consider various ways they can
make a difference, through the use of carbon footprint analyses.
• Use footprint calculator from Nature Conservancy
Field‐Test ResultsEnd of Materials
• Concepts were interesting and relevant• Engaging hands-on and interactives, but
more needed • More interaction and less reading• Good interdisciplinary focus• Too long• Need more assessments• Consider online platform elements – more
pictures, videos, etc.
Second Field Test Opportunity
• You can explore the student web materialshttp://carbonconnections.bscs.org/curriculum/
• Mid February– participate in the field test!• Contact Steve Getty: