Research project to consider how projected climate change will impact a region of interest to the student

This activity was developed for the Teaching About Earth's Climate Using Data and Numerical Models workshop, held in October 2011.

Susan Kaspari

Central Washington University

Author Profile

This activity is part of the On the Cutting Edge Exemplary Teaching Activities collection (view details)

This activity was selected for the On the Cutting Edge Exemplary Teaching Collection

Resources in this top level collection a) must have scored Exemplary or Very Good in all five review categories, and must also rate as "Exemplary" in at least three of the five categories. The five categories included in the peer review process are

Scientific Accuracy
Alignment of Learning Goals, Activities, and Assessments
Pedagogic Effectiveness
Robustness (usability and dependability of all components)
Completeness of the ActivitySheet web page

For more information about the peer review process itself, please see https://serc.carleton.edu/teachearth/activity_review.html.

Initial Publication Date: August 29, 2011 | Reviewed: October 19, 2012 (see revision history: 2 events)

Summary

Students consult the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) chapters on climate projections and the primary scientific literature to write a research paper and present their results to the class focused on how projected changes in climate will affect an area or something that is of interest to them. The project is intended to better characterize to the students what climate change could mean to them, as most find a warming of x degrees (and other changes in climate) to be abstract.

Global change modeling, Impacts of climate change, Climate Change, ...(more) | College Upper (15-16), Graduate/Professional | Local Issues

Expand for more detail and links to related resources

Topics

Global change modeling, Impacts of climate change, Climate Change, Natural Hazards, Ecosystems, Health Sciences

Grade Level

College Upper (15-16), Graduate/Professional

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice

Local Issues: Providing students with experiences that draw on local needs and conditions demonstrates relevance and highlights opportunities close to home.

Follow the links above to find more resources from Teach the Earth on a specific topic.

Share your modifications and improvements to this activity through the Community Contribution Tool »

Context

Audience

Upper level undergraduate or graduate in climate related course

Skills and concepts that students must have mastered

Familiarity with how climate is projected to change by 2100 AD.

How the activity is situated in the course

Culminating research project and presentation

Goals

Content/concepts goals for this activity

Projected changes in climate (e.g., a 4°C temperature increase) is abstract to most students. By conducting individual research projects, students gain a more concrete understanding of how projected climate change will affect something of interest to them.

Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity

Students synthesize how projected climate change will affect their chosen topic of interest, and in some cases evaluate how the impacts of projected climate change can be mitigated.

Other skills goals for this activity

Students gain experience writing a scientific style research paper and orally present their results

Description of the activity/assignment

Detailed information is provided in activity description/assignment and an example lab handout that assisted students in conducting their research.

Initial guidelines given to students:

Choose a location (where you are from, a place that is of interest to you) and investigate how projected changes in climate will affect that area. What are the expected changes in temperature, precipitation, storms, droughts, sea level, seasonality, etc? How will this affect the habitat of the area (for humans, animals, and plants)? How will this affect the local economy? What actions can the people that live in this area take to lessen the impacts of changing climate? Students write a scientific style paper on their findings, and present their research to the class in ~10 minute oral presentations (alternatively a poster session could be used).