1. Climate and Global Change: A Toolkit for Teaching About our Ever-Changing World
Roberta Johnson, Jennifer Bergman, and David Mastie
UCAR Office of Education and Outreach

2. Commonly Accepted Definitions
Weather
Climate
refers to the current atmospheric conditions (including temperature, precipitation, wind, humidity, barometric pressure) at a particular time and place.
refers to the general weather patterns expected in a given area (sometimes based on the 30 year average weather). Climate may also be applied more generally to large-scale weather patterns in time or space (e.g., an Ice Age climate or a tropical climate).
Or, in the words of a middle school student….
"climate tells you what clothes to buy, but weather tells you what clothes to wear."

3. Please Graph… Average high Average low Mean temperature
Daily temperatures – highs and lows
For February 1-10
All temperatures are in Fahrenheit
You decide scale, axes, and so on…all on the same graph.

4. Natural Forcing Classroom Activity - Earth’s Energy Cycle: Albedo
Earth’s Energy balance is determined by incoming, reflected, re-emitted, and absorbed radiation.
The albedo gives the fraction of radiation that is reflected from a surface

5. Biogeochemical Cycles and Climate
Classroom Activity: CO2 Sources
and Sinks
Classroom Activity: Carbon Cycle
Online Game
Classroom Activity: The Nitrogen
Cycle Game

6. Carbon Dioxide – Sources and Sinks Activity
Materials for each small group:
Test tube rack and 4 test tubes
1 – vinegar
2 – BTB
1 – covered in foil
One hole stopper with tubing
Cotton balls
Baking soda and vinegar
Aluminum foil
Straws

7. Carbon Dioxide – Sources and Sinks Activity
1. Make a small "boat" out of foil and fill 1/2 full of baking soda.
Carbon Dioxide – Sources and Sinks Activity
Part 1:
Detecting Carbon Dioxide Gas
2. Carefully slide the foil boat inside the vinegar test tube without spilling baking soda from the boat. Plug the test tube with the stopper and tubing.
3. Place the free end of the tubing into BTB. Place a cotton ball at the neck of the BTB tube. Mix the vinegar and soda gently.
What happened?

8. Carbon Dioxide – Sources and Sinks Activity
Part 2: Are animals a source of CO2?
Place a straw in a test tube of BTB.
Place a cotton ball in the test tube opening.
Gently blow in the straw.
Part 3: Are plants a source of CO2?
Place a sprig of Elodea into a test tube of BTB.
Wrap the tube in foil so that no light can get in.
Place in test tube rack and leave for at least 24 hours
Part 4: Do plants take up CO2?
Place unwrapped test tube with Elodea from Part 3 in light.

9. Carbon Dioxide – Sources and
Sinks Activity
Part 5: Are fossil fuels a source
of CO2?
Carefully untwist the tie of the exhaust filled balloon while pinching the balloon neck so the gas does not escape.
Insert a straw into the neck of the balloon up to the Pinched portion while still preventing the gas from escaping.
Insert the other end of the straw into a test tube of blue BTB.
Insert a cotton ball at the top of the test tube.
Gently release air from the balloon by slowly untwisting the neck.

10. The Global C Cycle

11. The Global N Cycle

12. Effects of Climate Change: Physical
Classroom Demo: Thermal Expansion
Classroom Activity: Mapping Ancient
Coastlines
Classroom Activity: Where have all
the Glaciers Gone?

14. Classroom Demonstration or Activity:
Thermal Expansion and Sea Level Rise
Materials:
Conical flask
Rubber stopper- 2 holes
Glass tube
Thermometer
Lamp
Watt bulb
Water with blue food coloring

15. 400,000 years of Sea Level Change
Global sea level extracted, via a hydraulic model, from an oxygen isotope record for the Red Sea over the past 470 kyr.
Source: Siddall et al., Nature, 423, , 2003. A
(last interglacial) B

16. A: the last interglacial
Key Largo, Florida
129 thousand years ago,
sea level > 4-6 m
above present
Photo: Dan Muhs

17. Cosquer Cave 18,000-27,000 years ago Dramatic proof of profound
B: before the last retreat of the ice
Cosquer Cave
18,000-27,000 years ago
Dramatic proof of profound
Historical climate change,
sea level change - and
human adaptation

18. Mapping Ancient Coastlines Classroom Activity

19. Mapping Ancient Coastlines Classroom Activity

20. Glaciers are Retreating Globally
In Switzerland…
In Alaska…

21. What tools do scientists use to study past, present, and future climates?
Recent past – weather records
Distant past – ‘proxy data’– fossils, ice cores, tree rings, pollen
Sensors on satellites,
sensors on towers
Computer models

22. Effects of Climate Change: Flora and Fauna
Classroom Activity: Paleoclimates
And Pollen

23. Materials for each small group:
Sample of each ‘sediment’ layer (1 – 5)
Pie pan and toothpicks
Student Handout sheet

24. Alpine sagebrush found in woody,
low-growing shrub at high altitude,
cold sites.
Mixed meadow species found in areas of warm summer temperatures and summer drought.
Oak tree found in warm, temperate sites characterized by dry, warm summers.

25. Above center, Alder tree, prefers abundant water and can grow in cool climates. Widespread in the Pacific Northwest.
Above right, grasses found in very cool alpine/subalpine meadows that are cool in summer, harsh in winter, with short growing season.
Above left: Englemann spruce is found in cold, usually sub-alpine sites.
At right: Western Cedar found only in temperate, very moist climates.
At left: Douglas Fir prefers moderately cool to warm sites & grows best in temperate, somewhat moist conditions.
Lodgepole Pine found in very cool climates often at high altitudes (above 3500) at present.

26. Building Decision Making Skills
Classroom Activity - CO2: How much do you spew?
Classroom Activity – The Green Mile1
1©2006 Produced by Topics Education, Participants Productions, All rights reserved

27. Source: World Resources 2000-2001 Time Magazine – 9 April 2001

28. Climate Education Resources National Center for Atmospheric Research University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
Windows to the Universe
Project LEARN
NCAR Kids’ Crossing
Climate Discovery Teacher’s Guide