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Carbon Sequestration in Campus Trees
http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/ssac_home/general/examples/14323.html

Robert S. Cole, Spreadsheets Across the Curruculum; Washington Center; Science Education Resource Center (SERC)

In this activity, students use a spreadsheet to calculate the net carbon sequestration in a set of trees; they will utilize an allometric approach based upon parameters measured on the individual trees. They determine the species of trees in the set, measure trunk diameter at a particular height, and use the spreadsheet to calculate carbon content of the tree using forestry research data.

Activity takes about a one-hour class period with subsequent homework or computer time.

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Topics

Sources and Sinks
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Carbon Cycle
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Process of Science
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Grade Level

High School (9-12)
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Regional Focus

US Northwest
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Climate Literacy
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Humans may be able to mitigate climate change or lessen its severity by reducing greenhouse gas concentrations through processes that move carbon out of the atmosphere or reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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The abundance of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is controlled by biogeochemical cycles that continually move these components between their ocean, land, life, and atmosphere reservoirs. The abundance of carbon in the atmosphere is reduced through seafloor accumulation of marine sediments and accumulation of plant biomass and is increased through deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels as well as through other processes.
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mate is regulated by complex interactions among components of the Earth system
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Life—including microbes, plants, and animals and humans—is a major driver of the global carbon cycle and can influence global climate by modifying the chemical makeup of the atmosphere. The geologic record shows that life has significantly altered the atmosphere during Earth’s history.
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understanding of the climate system is improved through observations, theoretical studies, and modeling
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2. Knowledge of Environmental Processes and Systems:2.1 The Earth as a Physical System:A) Processes that shape the Earth
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Benchmarks for Science Literacy
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The earth's climates have changed in the past, are currently changing, and are expected to change in the future, primarily due to changes in the amount of light reaching places on the earth and the composition of the atmosphere. The burning of fossil fuels in the last century has increased the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which has contributed to Earth's warming.
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Plants on land and under water alter the earth's atmosphere by removing carbon dioxide from it, using the carbon to make sugars and releasing oxygen. This process is responsible for the oxygen content of the air.
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Notes From Our Reviewers The CLEAN collection is hand-picked and rigorously reviewed for scientific accuracy and classroom effectiveness. Read what our review team had to say about this resource below or learn more about how CLEAN reviews teaching materials
Teaching Tips | Science | Pedagogy | Technical Details

Teaching Tips

  • If this activity is being done for the first time, it will serve as a baseline for future, follow-up projects by other students.
  • This module is best used when data on a given set of trees are available from prior years, but establishing a solid baseline is important for all scientific measurements.
  • Assuming that data from field measurements are available to students, this module could be used as a homework exercise, or as a lab exercise. The module is also useful in teaching about how ecologists and biologists use allometric relationships as well as teaching about the power function.
  • An instructor version of the PowerPoint, with the cell equations for the embedded spreadsheets, is available upon request: http://www.evergreen.edu/washcenter/modules/request.asp?m=SSAC2006.QC879.8.RC1.1

About the Science

  • The resource guides students through the process of estimating tree biomass from measurements of tree diameter at breast height and the use of the allometric relationship between growth and size of one portion of a tree and the growth and size of the whole tree.
  • Instructor can assign this as is (using the example data set to teach the process) or can add enrichment, including a campus tree survey in collaboration with groundskeeping.
  • Opportunity to stress the global seasonal flux of CO2 due to plants in the Northern Hemisphere absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere through photosynthesis in the spring and summer and releasing carbon through decay into the atmosphere in the fall and winter.
  • Passed initial science review - expert science review pending.

About the Pedagogy

  • This module consists of a PowerPoint presentation with background materials and instructions on how to recreate the embedded images of spreadsheets. The students develop the needed cell formulas and complete the spreadsheet to estimate the amount of carbon stored in the tree's biomass.
  • Students build quantitative skills and skills working with Excel spreadsheets.
  • Manipulating spreadsheet models may be engaging for some students.
  • If the instructor chooses to do a tree inventory on campus, students may be more engaged in the activity, as it is more applicable to their lives.
  • Little teacher support, other than guidance, is required for this exercise.

Technical Details/Ease of Use

  • The PowerPoint slideshow carefully guides students through the development of a spreadsheet that determines the amount of carbon that is stored in a set of trees over the course of a year.

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