Have you ever wondered how scientists know the climate is changing, and why we know climates of the past were different?  In this session, we will look at real climate data from NASA, NOAA, and other scientific organizations to evaluate different atmospheric parameters and how they relate to both weather and climate.  We will differentiate between model-based data and data acquired in the field, and how these are both important and how they inform each other.  These activities will take place in JMU’s Science on a Sphere theater and make use of the SOS technology and datasets.  By the end of this session, students should be able to utilize critical thinking skills to understand how scientists evaluate data.  Students will appreciate real scientific datasets and develop an understanding of how climate science works.  

Students will be divided into 5 groups.  (1) Each group will get a set of climate data cards depicting a global map with different climate parameters illustrated.  They will look for similarities and differences on their different cards and form a tentative explanation for those differences.  (2) The datasets each group looked at will be shown in animated format on the Sphere.  (3) Each group will show to the rest of the students their findings and evaluations.  All other students will have the opportunity to contribute their own observations and explanations to each data set. (4) We will then use Science on a Sphere datasets to look at various impacts and effects of climate change.  Students will be shown data such as land cover and sea ice changes (for example) over time and asked to speculate on causes and effects of those changes.  (5) We will end with a discussion of agriculture and urban heat islands as related to climate and climate change.

High school programs will examine more and more sophisticated Science on a Sphere datasets.  

Climate, difference between weather and climate, major greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, etc.)  

• The process of science: How do climate scientists know what to look for when viewing climate data?  We will learn how to ask relevant questions and formulate our own hypotheses based on real world planetary data from NASA and NOAA.  

• Modeling and/or model-based reasoning:  Some of the datasets we will use are generated by climate models.  We will see how past environmental changes provide us the data to use in models for making accurate climate change predictions for the future.  

• Quantitative reasoning: We will examine datasets that show how much some climate variables will change, such as actual sea level change.  

• Systems thinking: Earth functions as a system; no one part of it acts in isolation.  Using real data, we will see how the atmosphere affects vegetation, other land cover, and oceans.  We will also think about how Earth’s surface features can affect and influence climate and climate change.  

• Data interpretation/analysis:  We will study changes over time of different Earth and climate parameters, such as surface vegetation, sea level, and ice.  Participants will form their own hypotheses as to why we see changes over seasons and over years in these datasets, and we will tie those hypotheses into what scientists have discovered.  

• Data visualization:  This program will take place in JMU’s Science on a Sphere theater, which provides a 3-dimensional format for viewing real Earth systems data.  We will see real data shown on a 5-foot diameter sphere representing the Earth, and learn how to read those data with scale bars and other measures.  

• Scientific communication: Participants will be analyzing data and sharing with the group as a whole what they see.  We will learn how effective science communication is critical for relaying important messages about climate change.  

• Biology:  As we explore climate and climate change, we will also examine how vegetation on the Earth’s surface has changed over time and how the atmosphere affects all living things on the surface.  

• Chemistry:  We will discuss critical greenhouse gases and explore how changes in atmospheric chemistry can influence climate change.  

• Earth Science:  We will be using whole-Earth datasets to look at a wide range of parameters involved in climate change.  These include changes in the atmosphere, surface vegetation dynamics, sea surface temperature and land temperature variations, and sea level change.  

• Environmental Science:  As we explore the causes and consequences of climate change, we will see how this phenomenon impacts all parts of the environment, and how these changes can affect more than just humans.  

Dr. Mangan is a climate scientist who has studied climate change and its effects on the biological and physical landscape.  She also studies how students learn science and am versed in effective pedagogies.

Climate scientists use these skills and data to analyze Earth’s changing climate.  We have observed environmental changes such as melting glaciers and ice caps, sea level rise, and biological habitat and species disruptions.  These issues have been linked to changes in the climate, and changes in climate have been linked to humans emitting atmospheric pollutants.  Observation of these changes leads scientists to ask questions of how and why these changes are occurring.  Using models and data, such as those we utilize in this student workshop, scientists have been able to accurately demonstrate how humans are changing the climate and propose solutions.  

• Geologists analyze different Earth processes.  Many people do not realize there are lots of different types of geologists, and some of them study climate and climate change.  

• Climate scientists look specifically at Earth’s long term climate and atmospheric dynamics.  This example is an interview with a real climate scientist and some of the work she does.    

• Computer scientists sometimes help create data visualization models.  Raw data are just numbers but visual datasets are easier to understand and analyze

Climate Change Basics Video 

This is a list of resources for teachers on climate education including background and curate lessons. See this one for a quick refresher on climate.