Ocean Carbon Storage and Acidification

This module was designed for use as part of a 12th grade IB course on 'Environmental Systems and Societies'.

Students hould have experience making observations about the 'Keeling Curve' which presents modern measurements of atmospheric pCO2. Other elements required for module comprehension are introduced in the included .ppt file.

The module should take approximately 100 minutes total (2 class periods) to complete, including the presentation of the module PowerPoint. Module Activities A and B are designed to be completed individually; Activity C should be completed and presented in collaborative teams.

This module guides students through an examination of how Earth scientists use marine sediments to reconstruct changes in Earth's climate and the carbon cycle. In Part A, students learn about ocean acidification using modern observations of the atmosphere and ocean, building on previous modules. In Part B, students examine the geologic record of ocean acidification using sediment cores that capture the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM). In Part C, students evaluate model projections from the IPCC to compare modern and future carbon cycle change to the PETM and articulate an argument that we need to stop emitting carbon as soon as possible.

The overarching questions the module helps students answer are:

How does anthropogenic carbon release impact the oceans?

How do scientists reconstruct past climate and carbon cycle change?

How does the current rate of carbon release compare to an extreme event in Earth's history?

These questions correspond with Next-Generation Science Standards (NGSS) HS-ESS2-2:

Analyze geoscience data to make the claim that one change to Earth's surface can create feedbacks that cause changes to other Earth systems.

 and HS-ESS3-5:

Analyze geoscience data and the results from global climate models to make an evidence-based forecast of the current rate of global or regional climate change and associated impacts to Earth systems.

This module uses published data sets that are fundamental to our understanding of Earth's carbon cycle history. The module guides students through hands-on, descriptive, and numerical analysis of data sets. The module structure requires students to work independently and collaboratively, and provides opportunities for self-assessment, peer check-in, and instructor evaluation.

Module Handout (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 5.5MB Nov28 23)

Module Key -- educator-only file

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