Initial Publication Date: October 23, 2010
Resources
This resource list was compiled from presentations, hand-outs, and suggestions from the Climate Models 2010 workshop participants.
Jump down to: Modeling Data and Software | Data Analysis | Visualizations | Activity and Course Design | Activity Examples | Assessment | Other Resources
SERC Websites
- SERC Climate Change site guide - a guide to sites from across all SERC projects that are related to teaching about climate change and global warming.
- Cutting Edge Climate Change module - with resources and activities for teaching about climate.
- Cutting Edge Complex Systems module - with resources and activities for teaching about complex systems. This module also features a page about Teaching with computer models, which has sub-sections related to teaching with the bathtub model, radiation balance, STELLA, NetLogo, Mathematica, and EdGCM.
Modeling Data and Software
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Free data, programs, and software:
- Global Energy Balance Model - with simulations and games
- Energy Balance Game Demo - YouTube video demo for teaching with the Global Energy Balance Model
- Global Energy Balance Model without Games
- STELLA Version of Global Energy Balance Model
- 2009 UCAR Climate Change Module
- Wavelet Program/Software website
- NOAA Monthly/Seasonal Climate Composites website
- Community Earth System Model website - Presentation focused on CCSM3.0 Experiments and Output Data web page
- PAST Laboratory - Kristine DeLong's website with resources for using climate/paleoclimate data in the classroom
- NCAR CCSM Model output including IPCC experiments - available under 'experiments.'
- MAGICC/SCENGEN - incorporates IPCC results
- The UNEP Java climate model - incorporates IPCC results
- Shodor 1-D Energy Balance model - a very simple model
- NASA GEEBITT - A simple Excel Energy Balance model.
For purchase:
- EdGCM ( This site may be offline. ) - This is a GCM with a graphical user interface that can be run on a desktop computer. The goal is for this model to be used by educators in teaching. While the full license requires a fee to use this program, there is a free trial version of the software.
- MatLab website
- Forio can be used to build analytical tools, games, and simulations.
Data Analysis
- A Practical Guide to Wavelet Analysis by Christopher Torrence, ITT Visual Info Solutions and Gilbert Compo, NOAA/CIRES Climate Diagnostics Center
- Cross Wavelet and Wavelet Coherence - Wavelet Coherence Matlab Toolbox
- SSA-MTM Toolkit for Spectral Analysis from UCLA
- Advanced Time Series Analysis on Mac OS X
- AnalySeries 2.0.4 for Mac OS X
- Free software downloads from this NOAA Paleoclimatology website
Free Data Analysis software (use these if you are trying to find a way to visualize model output from large data files. Most run on Mac and PC, and possibly Linux): - Integrated Data Viewer (more info) (distributed by Unidata) - Allows you to look at data files in various formats.
- Panoply NetCDF data viewer - Great for looking at model results that are typically in netCDF format.
- FERRET - Data visualization software for looking at large gridded data sets.
Visualizations
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(images, maps, illustrations, videos, animations, etc.)
- http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/GlobalWarming/ 'NASA Earth Observatory videos and information on global warming'
- Climate visualizations - from the Climate Change Cutting Edge module, this page links to various vizualizations from topics such as weather and climate, atmosphere, ocean-atmosphere circulation, energy balance, paleoclimate, anthropogenic climate change processes, and impacts of climate change.
- Visualizations from the Hurricane-Climate Change workshop - includes visualizations from topics like atmospheric heating, moisture, pressure, and wind; hurricanes; weather and climate; weather fonts; paleoclimate.
- Complex System visualizations - from the Complex Systems workshop, this browseable collection of visualizations cover topics such as atmospheric processes, weather map interpretation, ocean circulation, paleoclimate models, and more.
- High level architecture of earth system models (more info) This blog entry, by professor Steve Easterbrook, provides a visual representation of climate models. Through the use of schematic diagrams, Steve attempts to aid in the understanding of climate modeling software and models themselves, which are commonly represented as a series of mathematical equations supported by computer code.
Activity and Course Design and Development
- Metacognition - (students think about how they think and learn) the what, why, and how to use this in class, including activity examples
- Affective Domain - (considering student feelings, attitudes, motivations, values, etc.) the what, why, and how to use this in class, including activity examples
- Scaffolding - building students up to big ideas
- Activity design with PDF rubric available under "Tools" heading
- CLEAN home page with resources for teaching climate literacies and an activity example collection that use climate literacies.
- Using Computer Models to Teach Complex Systems - how to use computer models in class to teach about complex systems - a synthesis of ideas from the Cutting Edge Complex Systems workshop.
- Course Design tutorial - useful information about setting goals and designing effective courses.
Activity Examples
- Bob MacKay SERC climate activities - a browsable list of activities involving teaching about climate from Bob MacKay.
- Updated version of Laabs exercise website
- Guide to Basic Features of STELLA website
- Modeling Early Earth Climate with GEEBITT activity - contributed by Cindy Shellito at the Cutting Edge Early Earth workshop.
- How Do We Predict Weather and Climate? , from the University of Reading Meteorolgy Department and Walker Institute for Climate Research, is an activity based on the Richardson forecast factory that asks students to imagine themselves as "human computers" in a forecast factory. The aim of the activity was to introduce students to the ways in which numerical weather forecasts are made using simple equations. Teacher's notes and handouts are provided.
Assessment
- Assessing student learning of Complex Systems - from the Complex Systems workshop, this page provides practical advice for assessing students' understanding of complex systems.
- Cutting Edge Assessment Module - offers information about tools for assessing learning in geoscience courses as well as example activities that employ these tools.
- Yale Study of American Knowledge of Climate Change - possible Geoscience Concepts Inventory test (GCI) that could be used as a pre-test assessment of student knowledge at the beginning of a course.
Other resources
Articles and books
- van der Pluijm, Ben A., 2006. The Global Change Curriculum and Minor at the University of Michigan. Journal of Geoscience Education, v. 54, n. 3, pp. 249-254.
- McGuffie, K. and A. Henderson-Sellers, 2005. A Climate Modeling Primer (available online), 3rd Edition.
The book includes an Excel energy balance model - Goosse H., P.Y. Barriat, W. Lefebvre, M.F. Loutre and V. Zunz, 2008. Introduction to climate dynamics and climate modeling. (Accessed Oct 26, 2010)
An online textbook on climate dynamics and climate modeling. - Information about L.F. Richardson Forecast Factory, a method ahead of its time that Richardson pioneered, which is the foundation of modern weather forecasting.
- How Do We Predict Weather and Climate? , from the University of Reading Meteorolgy Department and Walker Institute for Climate Research, is an activity based on the Richardson forecast factory that asks students to imagine themselves as "human computers" in a forecast factory. Teacher's notes and handouts are provided.
- Illustrations of the Forecast Factory