This activity guides users through a series of steps for measuring land use change in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil in three different years. Using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images students calculate how much of the area is forested and how much is deforested in each year by processing and measuring the images using ImageJ, a public-domain image analysis program. The final product of this chapter is an image showing, in color, the oldest to most recently deforested areas.

This video features scientists in New Zealand's Southern Alps, examining samples from the rocky landscape once dominated by glaciers. Their research, combined with other climate records, has revealed a link between glacial retreat and rising levels of carbon dioxide in the air.

Our bodies are finely-calibrated, organic machines that are capable of dealing with the fluctuations of our internal systems in response to stimuli. We are able to regulate these changes through feedback loops in order to maintain the self in a prime ‘operating condition’ known as homeostasis. While deviations from homeostasis may occur, the body has processes in place to eventually return to normal. Long term or highly disruptive deviation, to the point where the body’s natural feedback loops are insufficient at correcting the error, is an indicator of something abnormal at work—be it parasite, virus, or organ malfunction.

The Earth also displays similar mechanisms of homeostasis—complex feedback loops that allow it to regulate temperature, gas concentrations, and pH. Normally, small fluctuations are regulated within the system. Negative feedback loops maintain balance through chemical processes like the sink and release of carbon gases. However, as excessive fossil fuel combustion tips the scales, it is likely that we are moving further away from the point where these feedback loops are enough to return the carbon cycle to balance.

We can see symptoms of this deviation in alteration of the climate, increased warming, and the thawing of glaciers and permafrost. The study of these indicators allow us to monitor the disease and provide insight into the underlying cause. The feedback loops found in the carbon cycle are unable to rectify the anthropogenic carbon output post Industrial revolution, leading to some alarming trends. The greater the divergence from normal the greater the impact these indicators have on the system of the planet until, like the human body, there is irreparable harm to the system.

Is this warming a fever-- a planetary self-preservation system precipitated by the intemperate combustion of fossil fuels-- that aims to overcorrect the problem before returning to homeostasis in the geological timeline? How does a ‘sick’ planet impact our own health? This unit addresses the consequence of anthropogenic carbon sourced global warming on the planetary system and human physiology.

In this hands-on activity, students will learn about dendrochronology (the study of tree rings to understand ecological conditions in the recent past) and come up with conclusions as to what possible climatic conditions might affect tree growth in their region. Students determine the average age of the trees in their schoolyard, investigate any years of poor growth, and draw conclusions about the reasons for those years.

In this activity, students engage in a simulation of the international negotiation process in order to convey how the international community is responding to climate change. Participants learn firsthand about the interests of different countries and the range of policy responses to mitigate future climate change.

This lesson has activities where students will learn about buoyancy and explore how hot water rises and cold water sinks. As an extension and real-life application, students will see that glacial run-off is occurring at a rapid pace and the cold glacial water could potentially change ocean currents thus influencing global climates.

Site que documenta as ações de Educação Ambiental implementadas na Escola Municipal Ana da Costa Falcão

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Freshwater salinization, which can be caused by saltwater intrusion, urbanization, and climate change, is becoming an extensive global environmental problem. Microeukaryotic plankton are key components of aquatic ecosystems and play significant ecological roles. However, few studies have investigated the influences of small salinity shifts on microeukaryotic plankton community assembly and co-occurrence networks in inland freshwaters. In a recent study, researchers used high-throughput sequencing to analyze microeukaryotic plankton communities in a subtropical urban reservoir. They found that increasing salinity altered the community composition and led to a significant decrease in plankton diversity. The salinity changes influenced the microeukaryotic plankton community assembly primarily by regulating the deterministic-stochastic balance. The core plankton sub-network had greater robustness at low salinity levels, while the satellite sub-networks had greater robustness at medium/high salinity levels..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This video segment adapted from NOVA/FRONTLINE looks at American energy consumption and the resulting production of greenhouse gases.

Lesson plan to explore how snow crystals form, atmospheric conditions that influence crystal morphology. Makes connections crystals, snow density and water content

This is an interactive map of California and the Sierra Nevada mountains, showing how the amount of water stored in the snowpack will vary under different climate scenarios. The tool shows observations and projections from 1950 to 2090, and uses low or high emission scenarios to model future snowpack. The tool can be adjusted to show different months of the year and various climate models, graphed by site.

Students collect data on the winter snowpack and using their observations they determine the water equivalent of the pack. Students need to prepare and assemble equipment for winter fieldwork, collect meaningful field data, interpret their data, assess the uncertainty of their measurements, and evaluate the usefulness of extrapolating their point data to the entire watershed.
Designed for a geomorphology course
Uses geomorphology to solve problems in other fields

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

This article describes the work of Dr. Jason Box, a researcher studying summer melt ponds on Greenland's ice sheets and the response of glaciers to try to explain the changes in climate that are being observed in the polar regions.

This lesson features a comparison of different travel options from New York City to six other cities. Students compare walking, biking, driving, taking the bus, riding the train, and flying. Students conduct research and calculate the CO2e for each travel option.

Step 1 - Inquire: Students watch a short video on the climate crisis. In groups, students explore and discuss emissions from the transportation sector.

Step 2 - Investigate: Students are assigned one route between New York City and another city in the Northeast. Students calculate miles, cost, time, and CO2e for each travel option for their route.

Step 3 - Inspire: Students participate in a group discussion about the results and explore different ways to decarbonize our transportation system.

SYNOPSIS: This lesson features a comparison of different travel options from New York City to six other cities. Students compare walking, biking, driving, taking the bus, riding the train, and flying. Students conduct research and calculate the CO2e for each travel option.

SCIENTIST NOTES: The lesson explores emissions from the transportation system. Students would be able to learn how the society can decarbonize the transportation sector and compute the cost, time, and emissions from different transportation modes. There are no misconceptions in the data source and additional links. Thus, this lesson has passed our scientist review and is recommended for classroom use.

POSITIVES:
-This is a fun, imaginative, engaging lesson.
-This lesson features many math skills: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division by rational numbers; estimation; logic and reasoning skills; problem-solving skills; and algebraic thinking.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-You will need to share the Student Slideshow with students and grant them editing rights before the lesson. Students will be writing in the Student Slideshow.
-Transportation is the largest sector of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. We must decarbonize our transportation systems immediately to avoid the worst effects of climate change.
-Students use equations derived from Peter Kalmus’s book called Being the Change: Live Well and Spark a Climate Revolution.
-The Ford F-150 is used as the example vehicle because it is the best-selling vehicle in the United States. The unit CO2e is used for all travel options. CO2e is used because traveling by plane creates non-CO2 warming effects. You can read more about aviation’s non-CO2 warming effects at the Stay Grounded Website. So in order to best compare the pollution from these travel options, we must use the unit CO2e.
-CO2e is a metric measure used to compare the emissions from various greenhouse gases on the basis of their global warming potential (GWP), by converting amounts of other gases to the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide with the same global warming potential.
-There may not be an easy travel option for each route, so students might have to problem-solve.
-The "How is it viewed by society?" column in the data chart is meant for students to discuss society’s views of that method of transportation. Do people think it is crazy? Normal? Only for the rich? Is one method considered only for "poor people"? Is one considered trendy or cool? Is it comfortable to travel in that way? Is it easy or difficult? These are all good prompts to ask students.
-Encourage students to have an open mind when discussing low-carbon travel options, such as riding the bus or train. Some students may have never traveled long-distance by bus or train. These are low-carbon options that are significantly better for the planet than driving or flying.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Students can use the provided glossary to better understand vocabulary.
-Students can answer the extension questions if they finish early.
-Students can help other groups complete their charts if they finish early.
-Students can check over other students’ answers if they finish early.

Students gain hands-on research experience and increase their understanding of the applicability of theories of social change and further information about climate change.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

With the help of two climate experts, this video discusses how the social cost of carbon is calculated, how it should, perhaps, be calculated, and why the effort to quantify this value is necessary despite its imperfections.

In this syllabus from Fall 2022, Dr. Joan Groessl provides bibliographic citations and annotations for resources used in place of a traditional textbook. These resources include a combination of freely available resources; research, articles, and chapters supplied by the UWGB Libraries; and fair use of traditionally copyrighted materials.

Course topics include: Defining Social Welfare & Its Orientation; Defining Social Policy; Social Welfare Policy in the US ; Social Policy & Social Justice; US Legislative Structure; Race, Discrimination & Oppression in Policy; Understanding Approaches to Poverty; Focus on Women, Children, & Families; Focus on Health Care; Focus on Mental Health & Substance Abuse; Policy Directions: Criminal Justice, Child Welfare, Housing & Accessibility, Food Insecurity, Climate, Aging; International Connections

The online Soil Biology Primer is an introduction to the living component of soil and how it contributes to agricultural productivity and air and water quality. The Primer includes chapters describing the soil food web and its relationship to soil health and chapters about soil bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, arthropods, and earthworms.

The online Primer includes all of the text of the printed original, but not all of the images of the soil organisms. The full story of the soil food web is more easily understood with the help of the illustrations in the printed version.

This lesson from Common Thread Farms is geared for elementary ages, grades 1-4. It introduces students to erosion and then challenges them to implement a design that will mitigate erosion on a model dirt mountain.