The 14th Summer Environmental Health Sciences Institute took place in Houston, TX the week of 7/14/2014. This workshop on climate change, comes from educational designers from the National Center for Atmospheric Research. While you may not have been able to join us, you can still review content and download all the activities at our website: https://scied.ucar.edu/events/clone-climate-change-connections-2014

1. Teri Eastburn,
eastburn@ucar.edu
Lisa Gardiner,
lisagard@ucar.edu
Climate Change:
Causes,
Consequences,
and Solutions

2. scied.ucar.edu/events/
clone-climate-change-
connections-2014
Workshop
Website

3. What do you know, want to
know, and want to learn
about climate change?
A review of our KWL Chart
KWL

4. What are UCAR and NCAR?
National Center for Atmospheric Research
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
Boulder, Colorado

5. • To address your needs
• To foster confidence
• To present meaningful classroom-ready
activities
• To foster helpful discussions
• To have fun and learn from one another
Goals for Today

6. 9:00: Introduction
9:30: Earth as a System; Energy
10:30: Weather & Climate Connections, Urban Heat
1:00: Climate Now: Biogeochemical Cycles & Human
Influence
2:30: Visible Impacts
3:20: Climate Future: Solutions & Connections
4:05: Workshop Evaluations
Today’s Agenda

7. .
• Belief in climate change up 13%,
from 57% to 70%;
• Climate change denialists have declined
from 20% to 12%;
• 54% of Americans believe climate change
is human caused – up 8%;
• Three our of four (76%) say they trust climate scientists for
their information on climate change (teachers, too, are
highly trusted sources in US);
• 44% of Americans believe scientists agree that climate change
is real and human caused – up 9%.
Source: Climate Change in the American Mind, 9/2012
Since 2010
Great Strides

8. What led to Affirmations?
• Hurricane Sandy
• Increasing media coverage affirming climate change
• Midwest drought, summer 2012
• Texas drought 2011; Fires across Southwest & West
• All around increase in severe weather events
• Arctic sea ice retreat
• 2012 hottest year on record in continental US

9. A Conversation: Climate Communication

10. A: The Earth System; Energy
Atmosphere
Lithosphere
Cryosphere
Biosphere
Hydrosphere

11. Source:
Living with a Star, NASA

12. Meet the Photon Folks
Absorption, Reflection ,Transmission
Energy

13. Our Atmospheric Filter

14. Wave Demo Activity

16. Source: Jet Propulsion Laboratory &
the University of California

17. & Weather B.

18. B. Weather & Climate Graphing

19. Get the Picture? - Activity

21. Feeling the Heat Activity
Students learn about the
urban heat island effect by
investigating which areas of
their schoolyard have higher
temperatures. Then they
analyze data about how the
number of heat waves in an
urban area has increased
over time with population.
NYC, 8/14/02: Temp and vegetationPg. 19
Pg. 9

22. Reasons for patterns
The highest temperatures are found in the most dense part
of a city. That’s the urban heat island effect.
The next 3 slides show how LA has changed over time. How do
you think the heat island effect has changed as the city
changed?

24. Feeling the Heat, Part 1
Students investigate how trees, grass,
asphalt, etc. affect temperature
Coolest
Warm

25. Feeling the Heat, Part 2:
Investigating the history of heat waves and temperature in Los
Angeles, CAStand in a group of 10 along the rope. Each person takes one
LA Data Card.
The Objective: Order yourselves by the data on the card
keeping at least one foot on the rope at all times as you
move past each other to get in order.
1. Order yourselves by average temperature.
2. Order yourselves by the number of heat waves.**
3. Order yourselves by population.
(**Note: there are two decades that have the same number
of heat waves. The people with those cards can stand next
to each other in any order.)

26. Los Angeles, CA in 1877. East LA is on the left and West LA is
on the right. (Courtesy of the Library of Congress))

27. Los Angeles, CA in 1909. (Courtesy of the Library of Congress)

28. Los Angeles, CA in 2002. This 3-D perspective view was generated
using topographic data and an enhanced color Landsat 5 satellite
image mosaic. Topography is exaggerated one and one-half times.
(Courtesy of NASA/JPL)

29. This graph shows
the number of
heat waves in
Los Angeles, CA
over the past
century. Do you
see a pattern?
How have heat
waves changed
through time?
(From Tamrazian
et al., 2008)
Looking for patterns

30. How has the temperature in Los Angeles changed over time? This
graph shows the average temperature for each year. See a pattern?
CourtesyofNOAA/NWS

31. Warmer city temperatures are partially due to global warming.
This graph shows how Earth’s average temperature has changed.

35. C. Biogeochemical Cycles & Human Footprints
Climate Resources
Human Footprints

36. Resources
www.epa.gov/climate/climatechange/science/indicators
www.ipcc.ch
www.cdc.gov/climateandhealth/publications.htm
IPCC5th Assessment Reports 2014 EPA Climate Indicators CDC Publications
C. Resources

37. National Climate Assessment
http://nca2014.globalchange.gov

38. Activity: The Nitrogen Cycle Game

40. Activity: The Carbon Journey
Source: NOAA

42. The “Other” CO2 Problem

43. Activity: CO2 How Much Do You Spew?

44. CO2: How Much Do You Spew? Directions:
• Each group has a card profiling a hypothetical family or individual.
• Families/individuals live in different situations & use energy in different ways.
• Students use the worksheet to calculate a household’s CO2 emissions.
Sample card
CO2: How Much Do You Spew?

45. Answer Key for CO2: How Much Do You Spew
1. What activities emitted the most CO2 for the family you examined?
2. Could those activities be changed to emit less CO2? How?
3. How would you change your scenario to reduce CO2?

47. 150 0.0450.012
100 0.0740.018
50 0.1280.026
25 0.1770.052
Period Rate
Years /decade
Trenberth
Global mean temperatures are
rising faster with time
Warmest 12 years:
2010,2005,1998,2013,2003,2002,
2006,2009,2007,2004,2001,2011

48. Activity: Shopping Heats Up
Photo by WaterPartners International
What are basic human needs?
Select items to purchase with your
global dollars using the
Choices and impacts
worksheet

49. D. Visible Impacts
ACTIVITY: CLIMATE IMPACTS GRAPH MATCHING
• On your table:
– Graphs of data about climate and global change
– Statements that are supported by the graphed data
– Statements that are not supported by graphed data
• Directions:
– Match statements with a graph of data that supports them.
– Identify statements that are not supported with these data.

50. Climate Impacts Graph Matching
is in the Climate & Water Teaching Box

51. 1906
2004
Photos courtesy of USGSCarroll Glacier
Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska
Activity: Glaciers Then and Now

52. Muir Glacier (Pg. 85)
Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska
1941
2004
Photos courtesy of NSIDC

54. 1979 – 2000 average
Minimum sea ice extent
+/- 2 standard diviiations
1981 – 2010 average
Minimum sea ice extent
+/- 2 standard diviations
2007
2012
2013
2014

55. Model Projections of Future Arctic
Summer Sea Ice Minimums Under
Business as Usual Future

56. CLIMATE AND DROUGHT

57. • http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/climate-
change-jan-june12-texaswater_03-22/
A Texas Town Struggles with Water

59. WHICH AREAS ARE PROJECTED TO GET DRIER?

61. From Istockphoto.com
C
O
N
N
E
C
T
I
O
N
S

62. Raise the Roof on Urban Heat

63. Walk Thru: Stabilization Wedges Game
2 2 = 4 billion tons go out
Ocean Land Biosphere (net)
Fossil Fuel
Burning
+
8
800
billion tons carbon
4
billion
tons go in
ATMOSPHERE
billion tons added
every year

64. Billions of Tons
Carbon Emitted per
Year
Historical
emissions
0
8
16
1950 2000 2050 2100
Historical Emissions

65. 1.6
Interim Goal
Billions of Tons
Carbon Emitted per
Year
Historical
emissions Flat path
Stabilization
Triangle
0
8
16
1950 2000 2050 2100
The Stabilization Triangle

66. 1.6
Interim Goal
Billions of Tons
Carbon Emitted per
Year
Historical
emissions Flat path
Stabilization
Triangle
0
8
16
1950 2000 2050 2100
The Stabilization Triangle
~850 ppm
Easier CO2 target

67. 1.6
Billions of Tons
Carbon Emitted per
Year
Historical
emissions Flat path
0
8
16
1950 2000 2050 2100
Stabilization Wedges
16 GtC/y
Eight “wedges”
Goal: In 50 years, same
global emissions as today

68. What is a “Wedge”?
A “wedge” is a strategy to reduce carbon emissions that grows
in 50 years from zero to 1.0 GtC/yr. The strategy has already
been commercialized at scale somewhere.
1 GtC/yr
50 years
Total = 25 Gigatons carbon
Cumulatively, a wedge redirects the flow of 25 GtC in its first 50 years.
This is 2.5 trillion dollars at $100/tC.
A “solution” to the CO2 problem should provide at least one wedge.

69. Energy Efficiency &
Conservation (4)
CO2 Capture
& Storage (3)
Stabilization
Triangle
Renewable Fuels
& Electricity (4)
Forest and Soil Storage
(2)
Fuel Switching
(1)
15 Wedge Strategies in 4 Categories
Nuclear Fission (1)
2007 2057
8 GtC/y
16 GtC/y
Triangle
Stabilization

70. Take Home Messages
• In order to avoid a doubling of atmospheric CO2, we need to
rapidly deploy low-carbon energy technologies and/or
enhance natural sinks
• We already have an adequate portfolio of technologies to
make large cuts in emissions
• No one technology can do the whole job – a variety of
strategies will need to be used to stay on a path that avoids a
CO2 doubling
• Every “wedge” has associated impacts and costs

71. Activity walk thru: Ruler of the World
http://scied.ucar.edu/ruler-world

72. Activity:
Climate
Connections

73. Climate Change 101
TEACH THESE 5 KEY POINTS
It is real NOW
It is bad for us
It is human-caused
We can solve it if we choose to
Climate scientists agree that it’s happening
Because this is
what scientific
evidence supports

74. scied.ucar.edu/events/
clone-climate-change-
connections-2014
Workshop
Website

75. Thank you for joining us today.
Help us continually improve this workshop by
completing your survey before you leave.
Teri Eastburn, eastburn@ucar.edu
303.497.1152
Lisa Gardiner, lisagard@ucar.edu
303.497.2584
scied.ucar.edu/events/
clone-climate-change-connections-2014

76. Extra – not needed

77. Activity Review: Model a Moving Glacier
The objective of this lesson is to teach middle and high school students about
variables that affect glacier flow over time:
- valley slope
- ice temperature
- basal conditions (ground surface)
- strain
Pg. 91

78. Variables to Study
PVC pipe lined with
aluminum foil and
lubricated with oil
Lubricated Bed
PVC pipeNormal Bed
PVC pipe lined with
sandpaper
Rough Bed
Basal Conditions
65°Steep
45°Medium
25°Shallow
Valley Slope
Flubber microwaved
until hot to touch
Warm Ice
(pink flubber)
Flubber at room
temperature
Normal Ice
(white flubber)
Flubber placed in the
freezer prior to class
Cold Ice
(blue flubber)
Ice Temperature
PVC pipe
flubber
vertical
toothpicks
Time 1:
Time 2:
Strain
Grid

79. Lab Setup
basic setup
advanced setup

80. “Flubber” Recipe
1. Decide on one of the variables to study.
2. Make a hypothesis (e.g. the steeper the slope, the faster the flow rate of a
glacier.)
3. Test your hypothesis and record and graph your results.
4. Discuss results and how flubber is like and unlike a glacier.
food coloring
(optional)
½ cup warm water1 cup white glue
(ex. Elmer’s)
2 tsp. of Borax¾ cup warm water
Mix #2Mix #1