Climate vs Weather

Science Concepts—Climate vs Weather

Summary: Sometimes people who are trying to understand climate change have asked the question, “How could the planet be warming given that it is so cold outside today?” Weather and climate are not the same thing. Weather is what’s happening outside your window; atmospheric conditions that you can see, feel or measure. In contrast, climate is an area’s long-term weather patterns, and understanding climate requires looking at data taken over a longer period of time. This topic guide contains activities and resources to help students better understand the the difference between weather and climate, and recognize that it takes time to compile a climate record. They then explore factors that influence local climate.

Concepts to teach:

Goals:

  1. Climate is an area’s long term weather patterns; generally the record is at least 30 years.
  2. Single weather events represent only part of a climate record and don’t tell us if the climate is changing.
  3. Climate is affected by a variety of factors, including latitude, elevation, proximity to bodies of water and mountain ranges, etc.

Standards: NGSS Performance Expectations

  • MS-ESS2-6. Develop and use a model to describe how unequal heating and rotation of the Earth cause patterns of atmospheric and oceanic circulation that determine regional climates.

Specific Objectives:
Students will be able to:

  1. Use climate data to determine how the temperature of the Earth has changed during a recent ~50 year period.
  2. Explore, analyze and interpret climate patterns of several different cities, and
  3. Analyze differences between weather and climate patterns.

Activity Links and Resources:

  • Comparing Climate and Weather—This Power Point was created by educator LuAnn Dahlman from the NOAA Climate Program Office. It begins with a story of a personal observation and leads to interpretation of long term datasets.
    • Use the tables and graphs in slides #9-12 to guide students through identifying extreme annual events, determining temperature ranges over a climate record, and calculating average minimum and maximum temperatures.
    • The presentation ends with a Climate? or Weather? quiz.
    • Access NCDC DataTools to find out the minimum, maximum and average temperatures for other areas in the U.S. Compare the Minneapolis July 4th min/max temperature data to datasets from other regions. For a given area, compare July min/max data to data from other months of the year.
  • Activity: Oregon Climate Data—Explore climate data for various cities throughout Oregon to see how temperature and precipitation vary throughout the year and in different locations. Students will observe that coastal areas experience a smaller temperature range and greater precipitation than areas in Oregon that lie east of the Cascade Range.
    • Reading: Climate of Oregon—Background information from the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute that describes how the Pacfic Ocean and Cascade Range influence climate.
  • Activity: Investigating Weather and Climate with Google Earth from the Environmental Initiative at Lehigh University (Gr. 8) – This lesson plan includes a power point, kmz files, student guides, worksheets and implementation suggestions. Students use Google Earth to explore some factors that affect weather. They will use Google Earth to determine how latitude, elevation, proximity to bodies of water, and mountain ranges affect a location’s climate. They will also explore, analyze, and interpret weather patterns in 7 different U.S. cities.
  • Online activity: What factors control your local climate?—This online activity from McDougal-Littel’s textbook Exploring Earthinvites students to compare climate graphs from different cities and asks them to describe factors that influence climate.
  • Reading: Weather and Climate—EPA Climate Change Indicators in the US. Explore the headings to see how long term temperature and precipitation data are used to indicate climate change.
  • Video: Weather vs. Climate—The second video of the CoCoRaHS Educational Series in collaboration with NOAA and NSF. Learn about the differences in this fun video.

Assessment:

  • Comparing Climate and Weather Power Point has a quiz at the end
  • Compare and contrast the climate and weather patterns of 2 or more cities. What factors influence climate and weather in these cities?
  • Students create a diagram or map to describe factors influencing regional climate patterns.
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Climate vs Weather

Science Concepts—Climate vs Weather

Summary: Sometimes people who are trying to understand climate change have asked the question, “How could the planet be warming given that it is so cold outside today?” Weather and climate are not the same thing. Weather is what’s happening outside your window; atmospheric conditions that you can see, feel or measure. In contrast, climate is an area’s long-term weather patterns, and understanding climate requires looking at data taken over a longer period of time. This topic guide contains activities and resources to help students better understand the the difference between weather and climate, and recognize that it takes time to compile a climate record. They then explore factors that influence local climate.

Concepts to teach:

Goals:

  1. Climate is an area’s long term weather patterns; generally the record is at least 30 years.
  2. Single weather events represent only part of a climate record and don’t tell us if the climate is changing.
  3. Climate is affected by a variety of factors, including latitude, elevation, proximity to bodies of water and mountain ranges, etc.

Standards: NGSS Performance Expectations

  • HS-ESS3-5. Analyze geoscience data and the results from global climate models to make an evidence-based forecast of the current rate of global or regional climate change and associated future impacts to Earth systems.

Specific Objectives:
Students will be able to:

  1. Use climate data to determine how the temperature of the Earth has changed during a recent ~50 year period.
  2. Explore, analyze and interpret climate patterns of several different cities, and
  3. Analyze differences between weather and climate patterns.

Activity Links and Resources:

  • Comparing Climate and Weather—This Power Point was created by educator LuAnn Dahlman from the NOAA Climate Program Office. It begins with a story of a personal observation and leads to interpretation of long term datasets. The presentation ends with a Climate? or Weather? quiz.
  • Activity: Investigating Weather and Climate with Google Earth from the Environmental Initiative at Lehigh University (Gr. 8) – This lesson plan includes a power point, kmz files, student guides, worksheets and implementation suggestions. Students use Google Earth to explore some factors that affect weather. They will use Google Earth to determine how latitude, elevation, proximity to bodies of water, and mountain ranges affect a location’s climate. They will also explore, analyze, and interpret weather patterns in 7 different U.S. cities.
  • Online activity: What factors control your local climate?—This online activity from McDougal-Littel’s textbook Exploring Earthinvites students to compare climate graphs from different cities and asks them to describe factors that influence climate.
  • Reading: Weather and Climate—EPA Climate Change Indicators in the US. Explore the headings to see how long term temperature and precipitation data are used to indicate climate change.
  • Video: Weather vs. Climate—The second video of the CoCoRaHS Educational Series in collaboration with NOAA and NSF. Learn about the differences in this fun video.

Assessment:

  • Comparing Climate and Weather Power Point: Climate? or Weather? quiz at the end
  • Describe the difference between weather and climate.
  • Compare and contrast the climate and weather patterns of 2 or more cities. What factors influence climate and weather in these cities?
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Coastal Decision-Making

Planning—Coastal Decision-Making

Summary: How and why should different perspectives be considered when deciding how to use and protect coastal resources? In the NOAA lesson “I’ll Stay Here If It Kills Me,” students use role-playing to explore the human dimensions of coastal decision-making. In most of the role-playing exercises, each student assumes the role of a person, organism, or process affected by a particular issue and studies the impacts of this issue on human life and human activities from the perspective of that stakeholder. Students examine how obtaining public support (or “buy in”) influences outcomes, and they explore potential barriers to obtaining public support and action.

Concepts to teach:

Goals:

  1. Coastal resources are used and impacted by a variety of stakeholders
  2. Stakeholders do not always agree on what constitutes the “best” use of these resources
  3. It is important to achieve maximum public support (“buy-in”) for actions to protect coastal resources and control the ways in which these resources are used.

Standards: NGSS Performance Expectations

  • HS-ESS3-4. Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems.

Specific Objectives:
Students will be able to:

  1. Identify and discuss four components of “human dimensions” involved in coastal decision-making
  2. Describe a process to build public support for coast resource protection and will be able to explain why this support is important
  3. Describe at least three perspectives that exist among different groups of stakeholders regarding a specific coastal resource issue.

Activity Links and Resources:

Assessment:

  • Assessment questions are included in the “I’ll Stay Here If It Kills Me” lesson plan.
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Coastal Hazards

Impacts—Coastal Hazards

Summary: Extreme weather events have significant impacts on coastal environments, and scientists look for patterns to determine how climate change is affecting the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Storm surges, high winds, and heavy precipitation can alter coastal physical environments, affect water quality, and result in coastal habitat loss. In this topic guide, students examine coastal water quality data collected around storm events, and predict the impacts of extreme weather events on coastal ecosystems.

Concepts to teach:

Goals:

  1. Precipitation from intense coastal storms affects water quality in estuaries
  2. Sea level rise contributes to the coastal flooding and erosion seen with extreme storm events
  3. Extreme weather events can lead to loss of coastal habitat
  4. Understanding the effects of extreme weather events on coastal ecosystems can help scientists better predict climate change impacts

Standards: NGSS Performance Expectations

  • MS-LS2-4. Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.

Specific Objectives:
Students will be able to:

  1. Predict how major storm events affect NERRS reserves in the U.S.
  2. Investigate and interpret changes in water quality in an estuary due to a severe weather event.
  3. Determine the relationship between the characteristics of an extreme weather event (heavy wind, torrential rains and storm surge) and the subsequent change in water quality over time.

Activity Links and Resources:

  • See The New Waterfront topic guide
  • Readings:
    • The Oregon Climate Change Adaptation Framework, 2010—Assessment of Likely risks associated with climate change, and short-term Action Items for addressing these risks
      • Coastal erosion and flooding (p. 44-48)
      • Change in species distribution (p. 49-54)
      • Loss of wetland ecosystems (p. 62-69)
  • Activity: NOAA Estuaries—Earth Science Module Activity 4: Extreme Weather and Estuaries. This three-part lesson plan focuses on how hurricanes affect estuaries, and begins with a focus on a National Estuarine Research Reserve in North Carolina. Similarly, how might winter storms affect estuaries in the Pacific Northwest affect estuaries? Although designed for high school, this activity can be scaled for middle school use. Includes teacher guide and student worksheets.
    • Extension: Use System Wide Monitoring Program (SWMP) data from the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve to explore the effect winter storms have on that estuary system. What parameters would be most helpful to target?
  • Online activity: How do storms affect coastlines? Online activity exploring coastal changes using examples from hurricanes and El Niño events

Assessment:

  • REPORT: Assign groups of students a community on the Oregon coast. Students identify how an extreme weather event has in the past impacted that community. How is climate change predicted to affect future extreme weather events and their impacts in this community? Potential impacts may affect natural ecosystems, human activities, or both.
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Coastal Hazards

Impacts—Coastal Hazards

Summary: Extreme weather events have significant impacts on coastal environments, and scientists look for patterns to determine how climate change is affecting the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Storm surges, high winds, and heavy precipitation can alter coastal physical environments, affect water quality, and result in coastal habitat loss. In this topic guide, students examine coastal water quality data collected around storm events, and predict the impacts of extreme weather events on coastal ecosystems.

Concepts to teach:

Goals:

  1. Precipitation from intense coastal storms affects water quality in estuaries
  2. Sea level rise contributes to the coastal flooding and erosion seen with extreme storm events
  3. Extreme weather events can lead to loss of coastal habitat
  4. Understanding the effects of extreme weather events on coastal ecosystems can help scientists better predict climate change impacts

Standards: NGSS Performance Expectations

  • HS-LS2-6. Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning that the complex interactions in ecosystems maintain relatively consistent numbers and types of organisms in stable conditions, but changing conditions may result in a new ecosystem.

Specific Objectives:
Students will be able to:

  1. Predict how major storm events affect NERRS reserves in the U.S.
  2. Investigate and interpret changes in water quality in an estuary due to a severe weather event.
  3. Determine the relationship between the characteristics of an extreme weather event (heavy wind, torrential rains and storm surge) and the subsequent change in water quality over time.

Activity Links and Resources:

  • See The New Waterfront topic guide
  • Readings:
    • The Oregon Climate Change Adaptation Framework, 2010—Assessment of Likely risks associated with climate change, and short-term Action Items for addressing these risks
      • Coastal erosion and flooding (p. 44-48)
      • Change in species distribution (p. 49-54)
      • Loss of wetland ecosystems (p. 62-69)
  • Activity: NOAA Estuaries—Earth Science Module Activity 4: Extreme Weather and Estuaries. This three-part lesson plan focuses on how hurricanes affect estuaries, and begins with a focus on a National Estuarine Research Reserve in North Carolina. Similarly, how might winter storms affect estuaries in the Pacific Northwest affect estuaries? Includes teacher guide and student worksheets.
    • Extension: Use System Wide Monitoring Program (SWMP) data from the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve to explore the effect winter storms have on that estuary system. What parameters would be most helpful to target?
  • Online activity: How do storms affect coastlines? Online activity exploring coastal changes using examples from hurricanes and El Niño events

Assessment:

  • REPORT: Assign each student or group of students a community on the Oregon coast. Students identify how an extreme weather event has in the past impacted that community. How is climate change predicted to affect future extreme weather events and their impacts in this community? Potential impacts may affect natural ecosystems, human activities, or both.
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Crayfish Invasion

Human Impacts—Crayfish Invasion

Summary: In this case study, students discover how elementary school classrooms in Oregon are directly connected to the presence/absence of an aquatic invasive species.

Concepts to teach: Invasive species, best practices for classroom pets

Goals: Students see that their personal and classroom behaviors can affect aquatic ecosystem health.

Standards:
S3.1, S3.2L.1
S4.1, S4.2L.1
S5.1L.1, S5.2L.1
SS.05GE.07

Specific Objectives:

  1. List the reasons why the Rusty (or Ringed, Virile, Red Swamp) crayfish is an example of an invasive species.
  2. Describe how invasive crayfish got into Oregon rivers.
  3. List three ways to stop the spread of invasive crayfish.

Activity Links and Resources:

Assessment:

  • Use or develop formative assessment probes to gauge student understanding about the water cycle. The following probes from Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, vol. 2 could be applied or modified (to obtain Uncovering Student Ideas in Science publications or access sample chapters, visit the NSTA website):
    • Habitat Change—explores student understanding of how animal populations are affected when habitats are changed. Consider modifying this instrument to address student understanding of how competition from invasive species can affect native populations.
  • Within a discussion about the care of classroom pets, ask students what should happen to the animal at the end of the school year. One suggestion may be: release the animal into the wild. Collect all ideas on a paper that can be referenced and adjusted after the following activities.
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Dealing with Drought

Impacts—Dealing with Drought

Summary: Global climate models predict that Oregon will experience a reduction of water availability, increased drought, and increased chances for wildfire in coming years. Students will brainstorm steps they, their families and their schools can take to plan for these conditions.

Concepts to teach:

Goals:

  1. During drought conditions, people need to use water resources wisely
  2. There are personal actions everyone can take to reduce water use

Standards: NGSS Performance Expectations

  • 3-ESS3-1. Make a claim about the merit of a design solution that reduces the impacts of a weather-related hazard.

Specific Objectives:
Students will be able to:

  1. List three practical ways they can use less water at home or school.
  2. Limit their use of water in one identifiable way.

Activity Links and Resources:

  • Background information for teachers: The Oregon Climate Change Adaptation Framework, 2010—Assessment of Very Likely and Likely risks associated with climate change, and short-term Action Items for addressing these risks.
    • Reduced water availability (p. 20-25) Very likely
    • Wildfire (p. 26 -31)
    • Drought (p. 39-43)
  • U.S. Drought Monitor—Check current drought conditions across the country
    • Use the map and the color key to identify which areas of the country are currently experiencing drought conditions.
    • Locate your school’s location on the state map. What are the current conditions in your area?
  • Drought for Kids—FEMA handout from www.ready.gov defines drought, describes its impacts, and provides information about what kids can do
  • As a class, brainstorm ways students can reduce their water use at home and at school
    • Visit the OCEP Water Use topic guide in Module 2 for additional water conservation ideas
    • Decide on one action everyone in the class will take to reduce personal or classroom water consumption. Have students journal about their experience, and collect data on the amount of water used, if possible.

Assessment:

  • Students share their water conservation experience with others through writing, data charts, art, etc.
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Dealing with Drought

Planning—Dealing with Drought

Summary: Global climate models predict that Oregon will experience a reduction of water availability, increased drought, and increased chances for wildfire in coming years. In this topic guide, students brainstorm steps they, their families and their schools can take to plan for these conditions.

Concepts to teach:

Goals:

  1. During drought conditions, people need to use water resources wisely
  2. There are personal actions everyone can take to reduce their water use
  3. By monitoring and sharing local precipitation data, citizens can help scientists and managers better understand drought

Standards: NGSS Performance Expectations

  • MS-ESS3-3. Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.

Specific Objectives:
Students will be able to:

  1. List three practical ways they can use less water at home or school
  2. Quantify the effect of a behavior change on the amount of water used or saved
  3. Collect and share local precipitation to help contribute to a better understanding of drought

Activity Links and Resources:

  • Background information for teachers: The Oregon Climate Change Adaptation Framework, 2010—Assessment of Very Likely and Likely risks associated with climate change, and short-term Action Items for addressing these risks.
    • Reduced water availability (p. 20-25) Very likely
    • Wildfire (p. 26 -31)
    • Drought (p. 39-43)
  • Drought for Kids from the National Drought Mitigation Center provides resources for understanding and dealing with drought, including:
    • Assessing Drought in the United States 6 minute video from CoCoRaHS, which explains how decision makers use a variety of data and in-person reports to assess the drought conditions across the United States
  • U.S. Drought Monitor—Check current drought conditions across the country
    • Use the map and the color key to identify which areas of the country are currently experiencing drought conditions.
    • Locate your school’s location on the state map. What are the current conditions in your area?
  • Activity: As a class, brainstorm ways students can reduce their water use at home and at school
    • Visit the OCEP Water Use topic guide in Module 2 for additional water conservation ideas
    • Decide on one or two specific actions everyone in the class will take to reduce personal or classroom water consumption. Have students journal about their experience, and collect data quantifying the amount of water used or saved.
  • Activity: Contribute to local understanding of drought by collecting and sharing precipitation data through the CoCoRaHS network

Assessment:

  • Students share their water conservation experience with others through writing, data charts, art, etc.
  • Collect, share and compare local precipitation levels through the CoCoRaHS network
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Deep Density Drivers

Science Concepts—Deep Density Drivers

Summary: Ocean currents redistribute heat around the world and affect the world’s climate. In this topic guide, students use a model to find out how density drives deep ocean currents, and use the information to describe the potential impacts an influx of fresh water could have on ocean circulation.

Concepts to teach:

Goals:

  1. Density in the ocean drives deep global currents
  2. Deep ocean currents affect the earth’s climate
  3. Increased Arctic ice melt could slow deep ocean currents

Standards: NGSS Performance Expectations

  • MS-ESS2-6. Develop and use a model to describe how unequal heating and rotation of the Earth cause patterns of atmospheric and oceanic circulation that determine regional climates.

Specific Objectives:
Students will be able to:

  1. Explain how and why the melting rate of an ice cube is different in fresh water compared to salt water
  2. Use a model to demonstrate how density driven ocean currents work
  3. Describe how an influx of fresh water in the Arctic could affect ocean circulation

Activity Links and Resources:

  • Experiment: Will an ice cube melt faster in fresh water or salt water? from MIT Blossoms.
    • Students explore concepts of density by conducting an experiment comparing the rate an ice cube melts in fresh water and in salt water. The activity provides a foundation for understanding deep ocean circulation.
    • Includes a video lesson, teacher’s guide, worksheets, and an assessment rubric.
  • NOAA Multimedia Discovery Mission Lesson 8: Ocean Currents
    • The Video Lesson provides narrated animations describing surface currents and deep ocean currents, and the Global Impact sections describes how increased ice melt in the Arctic could affect deep ocean circulation.
  • Online image: Major Ocean Currents viewer from NOAA National Weather Service JetStream webpages

Assessment:

  • Assessment rubric included in the MIT Blossoms lesson
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Dirty Water, Clean Water

Human Use of Resources—Dirty Water, Clean Water

Summary: Where does dirty water go when it leaves your home? This topic guide focuses on wastewater movement and treatment in municipal areas.

Concepts to teach: Storm water, wastewater, water treatment plant, septic system

Goals: Students recognize that water is an important resource used by humans, and that wastewater must be managed in order to conserve resources and to prevent harmful contaminants from escaping into the environment. They learn about various engineering solutions to wastewater management, including sewer systems, water treatment facilities, and septic systems.

Standards:
S6.4D.1, S6.4D.3
S7.4D.1
S8.4D.1

Specific Objectives:

  1. Describe the difference between sewer lines and stormwater lines.
  2. Trace the route toilet water takes after it is flushed, and explain what happens to the water at each stage along its route.
  3. Illustrate how a septic tank works.

Activity Links and Resources:

  • Review the Water Use topic guide from the Land and Water Use focus area in this module
  • Contact your local city planning department or soil and water conservation districts for maps of local sewer lines. For example:
  • Dirty Water Clean Water—This investigation from Alaska Sea Grant’s “Alaska Seas and Rivers Curriculum” is designed for younger students, but the basic structure can apply to middle school students as well. Invite a wastewater expert to the classroom, or take a field trip to a wastewater treatment facility.
  • Virtual tours of wastewater treatment plants in locations outside the Pacific Northwest are also available:
  • Septic Tanks
    • What is a Septic Tank?—This activity has students create a model septic tank. To make this lesson inquiry-based for middle schoolers, ask students to make their own septic tank model and explain how it works.
    • Background article to help students make their model: What Happens After the Flush?
  • EPA’s Enviromapper—This website provides access to several EPA databases to provide information about environmental activities that may affect air, water and land anywhere in the U.S. See which facilities in your zip code have permits to discharge wastewater into rivers
  • The Story of Dryville from USGS—Water management in a fictional, growing town.

Assessment:

  • Discuss differences between sewer lines and stormwater lines.
  • Trace the route toilet water takes after it is flushed, and explain what happens to the water at each stage along its route.
  • Using a drawing or model, describe how a septic tank works.
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