by Kris Owens
Explain: What new learning or reflections have you taken from this module?
The active role northern cultures are taking in monitoring climate change is highlighted in this module. The Sila-Inuk project, in which the Greenland Hunters and Fishermen Organization is making first hand observations of climate change is one example. The TD movie Alaska Native Teens Help Researchers provides another great example of citizen science monitoring, as is the work La'ona Dewilde is doing in building scientific databases in Alaskan villages.
The list of readily observable changing conditions posted on the wall in the Teachers Domain movie Inuit Observatoins of Climate Change, is amazingly long. It seems to indicate accelerated change and possible ways to adapt to the changes. The movie also gives insight into the important role women play in contributing to the body of information on changes in the environment. This is in part due to the role they play in processing the foods that are harvested.
So how did we get here? The background on the formation of our planet and atmosphere, began to flesh out my understanding of what has led to the current state of our planet and atmosphere. I quickly realized that this aspect of our planets history, has previously been a mystery to me.
It is amazing to think of the Earth being formed from a star going Supernova. The comparison of the forming of a planet, to that of a snowball, was one I could understand, along with the idea that denser materials settle in the center, with less dense materials occurring towards the surface.
I had not realized that there was a time when almost no oxygen was present in our atmosphere, and that there were life forms, (single celled aquatic organisms) that oxygen was poison to. The evolution of cyanobacteria, which were able to photosynthesize, led to oxygen being released as a by-product into our oceans. Eventually, when the oceans were saturated with oxygen, it made its way into our atmosphere.
As I progressed through the module, the delicate balance and interplay between Earth systems that led to a hospitable planet became clear. The TD movie, Global Warming: The Physics of the Greenhouse Effect helped me to understand that greenhouse gases are what makes our planet habitable. Without them we would have an average temperature of 0 degrees. These gases absorb some of the infrared energy reflected by our planet back into space. Adding more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, as a byproduct of using fossil fuels, will cause the average temperature to increase.
The TD video Global Warming: Carbon Dioxide and the Greenhouse Effect explained why CO2 is the problem it is. Understanding that these molecules absorb infrared radiation, or heat that is reflected back into atmosphere by the earth, clarified my understanding of the problem. The infrared camera demonstration of how carbon dioxide absorbs heat radiation and blocks the scientists image, is startling and informative. Greenhouse gasses do not let the radiation pass through, they absorb it. It was also interesting to learn that carbon dioxide stays in atmosphere for about one hundred years before being absorbed by the oceans.
The role of soil microbes in the production of carbon dioxide in northern climates was revealed in the TD movie Soil Microbes and Global Warming . Scientists have discovered that these microbes are active much deeper into winter then previously thought, producing carbon dioxide as they break down organisms. It was surprising to learn that soil microbes contribute 1/2 of the CO2 produced in Arctic. Snow protects and warms the permafrost below, allowing microbial activity deep into winter, releasing not only CO2, but nutrients beneficial to taller, shrub like plants. These in turn, collect snow, warming permafrost even more efficiently, with increased microbial activity. This is an example of a Positive feedback loop.
The TD video Capturing Carbon brings an element of hope and possible solution into the picture . The idea of pulling carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, inspired by Claus Lacker’s daughter’s science project, seems in a way to be a simple and obvious solution. As the movie pointed out, just as the Wright Brothers knew by looking at a bird, that flight was possible, these scientists knew by looking at trees, that it is possible to pull carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Their challenge seemed to be to come up with a way to do this without an “energy penalty.” This meant being able to pull more CO2 molecules from atmosphere, than is created by running the device. Through “leaf geometry” or finding the best leaf design for allowing air flow, and the use of a top-secret material that helps avoid using sodium hydroxide, they have a very cool, innovative tree that may become a part of our future.
Extend: How might you use this weeks information and resources in your lessons? What other resources can you share?
Topics such as photosynthesis, which sometimes seem “ho hum” to students, can be energized by tying them into the bigger picture of how life formed on earth. The video, “Life Before Oxygen” is one that could enhance a lesson related to photosynthesis.
The changing landscape of the north, with forest taking over tundra, brought to mind a resource I have used in the past called, Alaska's Cold Desert“Alaska’s Cold Desert.” This unit, as well as several others, are offered through the BLM Education website. Alaska’s Cold Desert focuses on the arctic ecosystem and tundra. There is a scientific perspective and investigations, while economic issues are addressed as well.
Our World 2.0 also looks like a great site with many topics to explore. The articles offered seem to address a wide score of topics and I look forward to exploring this site further.
Evaluate: How useful, insightful and relevant are this modules information and resources?
This module was incredibly insightful and relevant in terms of helping me to understand our planets origins, present state, and future. It will allow me to be a more informed teacher and offers a variety of useful resources for instruction.
We are learning about matter and just last week the topic of the periodic table and elements was introduced. The TD movie The Origin of the Elements is a video-clip I intend to use to enhance and enrich this topic
The NOVA website Origins, looks like a very useful resource that can spark the users curiosity. Titles like, “Do Aliens Exist in the Milky Way?” make you want to dive right in and participate in the poll. I did, and found out it is an interactive resource that provides a wealth of information in an interesting format. This is the kind of site that students would love to explore independently. As I explored this resource, I learned more about extremophiles, or microbes that thrive in extreme conditions.
3 Colleagues -
I like Bobbi Anne’s idea for a “Did you know...?” wall. This does seem like a great way to get students thinking and wondering. Her post also inspired me to revisit the
Ocean Facts page.I enjoyed the “I wonder...” type questions Dave poses in response to Module VII. Including a photo of his students carrying out a recent science investigation is also a great idea.
James had a great idea about using the Google Earth measurement tools in mathematics class. The idea of a “smoot’ as a unit of measurement recently came up in my math class as well!
James also uses actual video links - you can see the video and just push play. I need to figure out how to do that!
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