Climate Literacy Catalog
This collection of web sites was developed in the Fall of 2008 by Mark S. McCaffrey of CIRES Education and Outreach as a "next step" toward a reviewed and annotated collection of "cream of the crop" high quality digital resources that support the Essential Principles of Climate Literacy. Building on experience gained through the development of the Climate Change Collection, the goal of this phase of the effort is to begin to assemble a catalog of online resources that in the near future will be reviewed i) for scientific accuracy and currency by science experts, ii) for ease of use and appropriateness in educational settings and iii) annotated with any suggestions, concerns or ideas for enrichment and extensions to the resource.
Climate Literacy Principles
- Life and Climate Are Linked 26 matches 1. Life on Earth has been shaped by, depends on, and affects climate
- The Nature of Science 38 matches 2. We increase our understanding of the climate system through observation and modeling
- Sun Drives Earth System 62 matches 3. The Sun is the primary source of energy for the climate system
- Complex Interactions 61 matches 4. Earth's weather and climate systems are the result of complex interactions
- Natural Variability and Change 27 matches 5. Earth's weather and climate vary over time and space
- Human Activities and Change 34 matches 6. Evidence indicates human activities are impacting the climate system
- Making Decisions 24 matches 7. Earth's climate system is influenced by complex human decisions involving economic costs and social values
Results 21 - 40 of 120 matches
Differences Between Climate and Weather part of SERC Web Resource Collection
This activity will provide students with first hand knowledge of local weather changes and how they relates to local climates. After this activity students will understand the general distinctions ...
Climate Variability part of SERC Web Resource Collection
In this activity students will simulate climate variability and come to understand that long-term climate averages are the result of significant annual climate variability. After this activity ...
Time and Cycles: Dendrochronology part of SERC Web Resource Collection
In this activity, students will use pre-marked paper strips to simulate tree-ring core samples to help them understand that data for past climate changes can be gathered from sources beyond long-term ...
What is a Greenhouse? part of SERC Web Resource Collection
This activity is designed to familiarize students with how a greenhouse retains heat by building simple models. As a result of this activity, students will come to understand that greenhouses are ...
What Factors Impact a Greenhouse? part of SERC Web Resource Collection
This activity has students use a model to investigate factors in greenhouse heating and cooling. The type of surface that sunlight first encounters is the most important factor. Forests, grasslands, ...
Where in the World is Carbon Dioxide? part of SERC Web Resource Collection
This three part activity has students set up experiments to help them better understand the atmospheric portion of the carbon cycle. From this activity, they will be able to explain the concept of ...
Crowded Planet Ecology part of SERC Web Resource Collection
This radio broadcast discusses the need to consider the effects of a growing human population when studying ecosystems, since there are virtually no pristine ecosystems left. The 1 minute, 33 second ...
Ocean Surface Topography From Space part of SERC Web Resource Collection
This site provides information on the many aspects of the study of the sea surface from space. Measuring the ocean surface topography provides information for studying global ocean circulation and ...
Foundation for Water and Energy Education part of SERC Web Resource Collection
The Foundation is committed to providing balanced information regarding the use of water as a renewable energy resource in the Northwest. All segments of the public have become increasingly concerned ...
Water Vapor Protocol part of SERC Web Resource Collection
The purpose of this activity is to measure the total precipitable water vapor (column water vapor) in the atmosphere above an observer's site. Students point a GLOBE/GIFTS water vapor instrument at ...
Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change: Human Health - Beyond the Bite: Mosquitoes and Malaria part of SERC Web Resource Collection
This activity explores one potential impact of climate variability and change on our health by studying the increased spread of malaria. Designed to teach through scientific inquiry, the activities ...
On the Shoulders of Giants - Milutin Milankovitch part of SERC Web Resource Collection
Milutin Milankovitch formulated a comprehensive mathematical model that calculated latitudinal differences in solar radiation upon the Earth's surface and the corresponding surface temperatures for ...
NSIPP: North America Water Vapor and Soil Moisture part of SERC Web Resource Collection
This site provides an animation of atmospheric water vapor and soil moisture from December 1999 through June 2000 for North America from the NSIPP global climate model.
True Color MODIS Albedo image improves Climate Modeling part of SERC Web Resource Collection
The MODIS instrument, flying aboard NASAs Terra and Aqua satellites, measures how much solar radiation is reflected by the Earths surface almost every day over the entire planet. Zooming in on ...
Carbon Dioxide: The Heat is On part of SERC Web Resource Collection
In this activity, students will observe the effect of the gases resulting from a burned fossil fuel on the heat absorption of air and determine the ability of phytoplankton to remove greenhouse gases ...
Carbon Cycle in the Lab: Carbon Products and the Processes That Link Them part of SERC Web Resource Collection
This lab teaches students about the nature of carbon, the different types of compounds it exists in (e.g. charcoal, glucose, carbon dioxide), the biochemical reactions it takes part in ...
Bad Greenhouse part of SERC Web Resource Collection
This site is designed to belie the statement that the greenhouse effect is caused when gases in the atmosphere behave as a blanket and trap radiation which is then reradiated to the Earth. Students ...
Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2: A Record of Climate Change part of SERC Web Resource Collection
In this activity, students learn about efforts to study Earth's climatic history for the last 250,000 years by drilling into the Greenland Ice Sheet and examining ice cores. They will answer ...
Spaceplace: See the Infrared Photo Album! part of SERC Web Resource Collection
Younger students will enjoy viewing these images of ordinary objects rendered in the infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum. They can access a virtual "camera" and see pictures of animals, ...
Global Warming Materials for Educators part of SERC Web Resource Collection
Materials available at this site include a set of educational toolkits about ecosystems, a global warming map, a renewable energy teaching guide, and two reports. Each of the toolkits focuses on a ...
