Science Methods II - Week 13

 

1.       What did you do in lab today?

a.       In lab today we began by discussing what we wrote about “Before the Flood”. We talked about our big takeaways and what we thought. We then talked about our reading on coupled inquiry and discussed what we thought about it. We then continued talking about climate change and analyzed graphs to look at our understanding.

2.       What was the big question?

a.       Our big question for this week is: “How do we navigate teaching climate change in a world where science is a topic of debate?”

3.       What did you learn in Thursday’s discussion?

a.       In Thursday’s discussion I learned all about the acronym L.O.W.E.R Near Water, and what it means with respect to climate. I learned about how ocean currents and wind patterns help to circulate temperatures. I also learned that climate is effected by landforms (relief) and is why mountains are so snowy on top. I think the most important thing that I learned, though, is that it is not the North Pole melting that causes rising sea levels, but the snow/ice on the South Pole and Greenland in particular. I see so much about the North Pole shrinking and the Polar Bears dying that I always thought the North Pole melting caused rising sea levels. I was wrong, though. The ice at the North Pole is already in water, since it is already displacing the water as it melts the water will not rise, it will stay the same height thanks to Archimedes’ principle. Instead it is the melting of the glaciers on the land at the South Pole and Greenland that causes sea levels to rise, because that meltwater falls off of land and into the water, raising sea levels.

4.       Read the textbook, chapter 23

a.       From the textbook, I learned that global temperatures continue to set record heat levels because of climate change. I also learned that the argument that humans are causing climate change has been around since 1861, which is something that surprised me. I also learned that the polar vortex was also caused by climate change, and that we will continue to have more frequent extreme weather. I also learned that Iowa has suffered billions in damage from droughts and floods since 1980. I also learned that a quarter of all Coral Reefs have died as a result of climate change, which was really shocking. Everything I learned from this article was really shocking, and I am still wondering if we will make it out of this crisis or not.

5.       What do you still have questions about?

a.       Will we make it out of climate change alive? Will the world end up like WallE? What else will happen as a result of climate change?