Present Climate Change

1
Present Climate Change Inquiry Labs Lesson

• Global Precipitation Measurement Mission
• Developed by the GPM
• Education Team
• NASA Goddard Space
• Flight Center

2
Guiding Questions

• Climate Change What is climate change and what
  is causing it?
• Carbon Dioxide What is the pattern in the
  amount of carbon dioxide in the air, and what
  could be causing it?
• Sea Level Rise Lab Which type of melting ice -
  land ice or sea ice - will have a greater effect
  on sea level rise?
• Sea Ice and Ocean Temperature Lab What effect
  will the melting of sea ice have on ocean
  temperature?
• Carbon Dioxide and Air Temperature What effect
  does adding carbon dioxide and other greenhouse
  gases have on air temperature?

3
Engage

• What have you heard about climate change?

Source washingtonpost.com
4
Engage, cont.

• What do you notice about the graph below? What
  could be causing the change shown?

Source http//www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/trends/
5
Climate Change Inquiry Labs

• You will be divided into groups to each
  investigate a different aspect of climate change.
• Melting Ice and Sea Level Rise
• Carbon Dioxide and Air Temperature
• Sea Ice and Ocean Temperature
• As the experiments run, you will have the chance
  to research additional information about your
  topic.
• Afterward, you will create a poster explaining
  what is happening in your experiment, and the
  broader picture of what is happening with climate
  change.

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Climate Change Inquiry Labs - Expectations

• Expectations
• Make a hypothesis before beginning.
• Stay with your group and do your assigned task.
• If your thermometer has both Fahrenheit and
  Celsius, make sure you are recording Celsius.
• Use the equipment appropriately and safely - be
  especially careful of the heat lamps and shades,
  as they can get HOT.
• Be prepared to describe your experiment and
  results to the class at the end, using a poster
  you will create with your group.

7
Posters

• Create a poster explaining your experiment and
  the background information relating to it. Refer
  to the rubric to make sure you include everything
  you should.

8
Video A Warming World

• Questions to think about while you watch
• What has been special about the last decade on
  Earth?
• How much does the suns cycle influence overall
  temperature on Earth?
• How does reflection from surfaces affect the
  temperature on Earth?
• Why is the effect of water vapor on climate
  change so difficult to predict?
• What is the second most common greenhouse gas,
  and why is it significant in terms of the effect
  of humans on climate change?

9
Video Melting Ice, Rising Seas

• Questions to think about while you watch
• What two things happen to the ocean as the planet
  heats up?
• How much of Earths freshwater is frozen in the
  worlds ice fields? If it all melted (which is
  not expected), how much would sea level rise?
• What are some effects that might occur if the
  one-meter sea level rise predicted by many
  scientists happens?

10
Extension Activities

• Extension Activities

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Storm Surges

• One of the risks with sea level rise is the
  increased severity of storm surges. Click on the
  diagram above to go to more information (with
  animations) about the problem.

Image source Ihttp//coastal.er.usgs.gov/hurrican
es/ivan/photos/
12
NASA Real World JASON-2

• Learn how the satellite, Jason 2, is able to use
  radar waves to determine the height of sea levels
  and evaluate the effects of global warming.

13
Climate Change and the Global Ocean

• We know climate change can affect us, but does
  climate change alter something as vast, deep and
  mysterious as our oceans? For years, scientists
  have studied the world's oceans by sending out
  ships and divers, deploying data-gathering buoys,
  and by taking aerial measurements from planes.
  But one of the better ways to understand oceans
  is to gain an even broader perspective - the view
  from space.

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• Precipitation Education Website
  pmm.nasa.gov/education