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ECC 1.2

Last updated over 2 years ago
14 questions
Objective and Slides
ECC 1.2: Intro to Climate Change

Objective: KWBAT describe the general trends in Earth’s global average temperature and ice cover in order to understand what two main aspects of climate change are.
Climate change is one of the most infamous and highly disputed topics of the 21st century, dominating news headlines and global political debates. Whether you already know a lot or a little, climate change represents one of the most critical realities for our planet and the organisms that inhabit it. In this unit, you will work with the fictional World Climate Institute as a student climatologist to investigate claims and evaluate evidence about what is causing this current climate change. By the end of this unit you will be able to determine what factors have contributed to climate change, and what actions can be taken by all humans to mitigate the effects of this global crisis in the future!
Part 1

Part 1: Warm Up

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PREDICTION: Categorize the statements if you agree or disagree with them.

  • Earth’s atmosphere is made of different gases that can affect Earth’s climate in different ways.
  • Climate has to do with how much energy is in the Earth system.
  • Earth’s atmosphere does not change.
  • There have been times in the past when Earth’s climate was very different.
  • Energy from the sun that enters the Earth system does not leave.
  • It is possible for gases in the atmosphere to change the behavior of energy on Earth.
  • Human actions cannot change Earth’s atmosphere.
  • Human actions can lead to a decrease in Earth’s temperature.

  • Agree

  • Disagree

Part 2
Read the email below from the World Climate Institute to find out more about your role. Although this is a fictional organization, it is based on real ones that are dedicated to studying and solving this same problem!

Part 2: Defining Climate Change and Intro to Unit

Climate is the weather patterns of an area (temperature, rain, sun, wind) collected over a very long period of time. Studying climate allows us to predict the conditions of a location during a certain time of year. Climate change refers to ways the overall climate on Earth changes over long periods of time!

Read both definitions below and then answer question number 2.
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Predict: How do you think energy is connected to why ice on Earth's surface is melting?

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What ideas do you already have about climate and climate change?

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How do you think scientists collect data about climate?

Part 3

Part 3: Investigation: Analyzing Arctic Sea Ice Data

Although researchers at Earth’s polar ice stations have now concluded that global average temperature has increased, causing ice to melt, some scientists initially disagreed that the ice was melting because of what the data was showing them.
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Directions:
  • Open these Google Slides to view and carefully study the three Arctic Sea Ice data graphs.
  • Read the first slide to review the parts of a line graph and tips for reading data accurately.
  • Follow the checklist to help you monitor your own understanding about each graph.

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Evidence collected over __________ periods of time is __________and more reliable for scientists. __________ has the most reliable data because it was collected over a __________period of time.
Part 4

Part 4: Data Trends and Fluctuations

In Earth science, it is important to have data from a long-enough time period to tell the difference between a trend (overall tendency in a set of data over time). In other words, the general direction something is moving. Data can also have fluctuations (variations, or up and down changes in a set of data).
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A trend is an overall tendency in a set of data. In other words, the general direction something is moving.

What trend do you notice about global temperature over time?

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Why do you think some scientists initially (at first) disagreed with the claim that overall ice was decreasing? Explain your thinking.

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What trend (pattern) do you notice about push-ups over the week?

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Which day(s) had the most push-ups?

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Which day(s) had the least push-ups?

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What trend do you notice about temperature over time in New York?

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At what time was New York at 43 degrees Celcius?

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At what time(s) was New York at or around 60 degrees Celcius?

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