Group items tagged

"Global warming has been a topic of concern and much controversy for many years. Whatever the disagreements have been in the past, most scientists and policy makers now recognize that if the Earth's surface temperatures continue to rise as much as they have in the past decade or so, then many parts of the world could face dire consequences, including food and water shortages, coastal flooding, and health consequences. Based on the Koshland Science Museum's exhibit Global Warming: Facts and Our Future, the following webquest will allow students to learn firsthand how society and environment might be impacted by global warming and how to help people make better decisions regarding all the complicated issues surrounding climate change, energy use, and available policy options. Students will take on the role of scientist, business leader, or policy maker and be part of a climate action team, which will make some of the same discoveries and decisions that are made in the "real world" every day. "

Polar Science Curriculum Resources

This podcast series contains many topics that often arise during polar science studies in the classroom. This link goes to the topic list. "Global Challenges Chemistry Solutions, launched in 2008, received a coveted Gold Medal as the best podcast in the national awards competition sponsored by Association TRENDS, the national newspaper for associations."

topics related to polar science

The author of this website (wondering mind42) has a youtube channel that includes the video "How it all ends" - from the site: "Furthermore, we wish to shift the question often asked in popular culture from "Are we certain we're responsible for global warming?" to "Given the risks and uncertainties of global warming, what is the best action to take?" "

climate advocacy

"In its most recent assessment of global climate change, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences concluded, "A strong body of scientific evidence shows that climate change is occurring, is caused largely by human activities, and poses significant risks for a broad range of human and natural systems." Impacts and rates of change are greatest in the Arctic, where temperatures have been increasing at about twice the global rate over the past four decades. The rapid decline in summer sea ice cover in the past decade has outpaced scientific projections and is drawing international attention to emerging commercial development and transport opportunities previously blocked by the frozen sea. The Arctic is therefore a bellwether for how climate change may reshape geopolitics in the post-Cold War era."

"The Warming of the Earth A beginner's guide to understanding the issue of global warming" although some info is dated, this is still an excellent resource.

Polar Science Curriculum Resources

Teachers' Guide to High Quality Educational Materials on Climate Change and Global Warming. Even though the page copyright is old, the resources are still outstanding. The 'Top Ten' list is still tops.

polar science curriculum resources

IGLO - International Action on Global Warming is certainly a site with an agenda, but it is well done and presents solid scientific data. For the educator, check the resources under the IGLO Toolkit menu item. Lots to explore!

New-ish site from National Geographic, it's a source of current news rather than an educator resource. But teachers need these too.

"a complete listing of the articles in "How to Talk to a Climate Skeptic," a series by Coby Beck containing responses to the most common skeptical arguments on global warming. There are four separate taxonomies; arguments are divided by: * Stages of Denial, * Scientific Topics, * Types of Argument, and * Levels of Sophistication. "

polar science curriculum resources

Graphic representation of current, per capita, cumulative, and intensity of carbon emissions

"The Arctic experienced an extended period of warm temperatures about 3.6 million years ago - before the onset of the ice ages - at a time when the concentration of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere was not much higher than the levels being recorded today, a new study finds."

"The Global Atlas is the comprehensive information platform on the potential of renewable energy. It provides resource maps from leading technical institutes worldwide and tools for evaluating the technical potential of renewable energies. It can function as a catalyst for policy development and energy planning, and can support investors in entering renewable energy markets."

Climate scientists have long argued that ancient air trapped in Antarctic ice is the smoking gun that links carbon dioxide to global warming. Over the past 800,000 years or so the planet has gone through a series of ice ages interspersed with relatively warm periods (during which glaciers retreat back toward the poles) - and inevitably, these warm interludes happen when there's more CO2 in the atmosphere

At TED2010, Bill Gates unveils his vision for the world's energy future, describing the need for "miracles" to avoid planetary catastrophe and explaining why he's backing a dramatically different type of nuclear reactor. The necessary goal? Zero carbon emissions globally by 2050

Video and related media

Educational Global Climate Modeling. This was developed from an older 'real' modeling program, so the difference between this and current programs is the grainy-ness of the data. (It will run on today's laptops - yesterday's supercomputers - current programs need the power of modern supercomputers.) Good for high school student direct use, middle schoolers would probably be more comfortable with demos. Learning curve isn't too bad!

modeling and data

The Union of Concerned Scientists has a great deal of information and many resources for educators.

climate advocacy

The website blurb does not begin to do justice to the power and wealth of resources in this site. It was unveiled at Copenhage, late 2009. "The Climate 1-Stop provides a single location to share and access climate change tools, resources and information, with a primary focus on adaptation in developing countries.The Climate 1-Stop is a partnership of southern and northern organizations working at all levels, from grass roots to global. "

polar science

"Integrating federal research and solutions for climate and global change" This links to the Educators' page, but there is much more to this site especially for incorporation with history and/or policy discussions.

polar science curriculum resources

From the introduction: "This guide powerfully details many of the biases and barriers to scientific communication and information processing. It offers a tool-in combination with rigorous science, innovative engineering, and effective policy design-to help our societies take the pivotal actions needed to respond with urgency and accuracy to one of the greatest challenges ever faced by humanity: global-scale, human-induced environmental threats, of which the most complex and far reaching is climate change."

polar science curriculum resources

While not directly "Polar Science", the poles are part of the earth system. "The Earth System Science Education Alliance (ESSEA) is a NASA, NSF and NOAA-supported program implemented by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) to improve the quality of geoscience instruction for pre-service and in-service K-12 teachers. Started in 2000, the program currently includes the participation of 40+ institutions, with over 3,000 teachers having completed an ESSEA course as of fall 2009."