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

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

"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

"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 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

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

"By showing that Arctic climate change is no longer just a problem for the polar bear, a new study may finally dispel the view that what happens in the Arctic, stays in the Arctic."

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

climate advocacy

"The goal of Skeptical Science is to explain what peer reviewed science has to say about global warming. "

"One of the most striking changes that has taken place in the Arctic since the start of satellite monitoring in 1979 is the rapid decline of the perennial sea ice cover. This ice is the sea ice that survives the summer melt season, and is typically the thickest part of the sea ice cover, sometimes spanning several years. Sea ice extent has declined as the globe has warmed, but the ice cover has thinned as well. Thinner sea ice melts more easily, and as multiyear sea ice is lost, Arctic sea ice has declined more rapidly."

Webquest to accompany Glencoe's "Earth Science: Geology, the Environment, and the Universe" Unit 7: Resources and the Environment

Polar Science Curriculum Resources

"Science: Methane Gas Release from Arctic Permafrost is Far Larger Than Expected Ancient permafrost submerged in the Arctic Ocean is releasing methane gas into the atmosphere at rates comparable to previous estimates for all the world's oceans combined, researchers say. This underwater permafrost represents a large but previously overlooked source of methane, and experts say that similar but more widespread emissions of the gas could have dramatic effects on global warming in the future."

Polar Science News

This site is notable because it is one of the few that offers (excellent) discipline specific resources as well as grade filtered. Many of the lessons are directly related to polar science. Although this site is not itself an advocacy site, it links to many of the 'more respectable' ones.

polar science curriculum resources

"In the lesson plan, the class does the work of a team of paleontologists studying a time of rapid global warming 55 million years ago. By examining fossils of leaves from various tree species, and by incorporating the findings into a mathematical formula, the students are able to tell average annual temperatures during this prehistoric time. "

polar science curriculum resources

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

via Dave Carlson: "Keep this startling sequence of satellite images (LandSat, from USGS) in mind when you teach or speak about glaciers"

"An increase in glacial meltwater atop the Matterhorn is causing large pieces of rock to tumble from the iconic Alpine mountain, a new study has found. "