Glaciers & Climate Change: What Is the Connection?

Glaciers & Climate Change: What is the connection?

You will be working in groups of three to complete this task. This task consists of 3 steps:

Step 1: Glacier and climate change research gallery walk.

Step 2: Develop a claim with evidence and reasoning.

Step 3: Write an argumentation essay using your claim, evidence, and reasoning.

Step 1: As a group, divide up the following 9 websites to research. Spend the time Mrs. Ko gives you in class to research the connections between climate change and shrinking ice levels. Take notes in your notebook to share with your group.

http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/models/loops.html

1  Summarize the differences between positive and negative feedback loops.

http://www.carbonbrief.org/blog/2013/03/climate-impacts-of-nearly-ice-free-arctic-summers/

1  Summarize the five points of this article in your own words.

http://www.epa.gov/climate/climatechange/science/indicators/snow-ice/index.html

1  Explore this website for a few minutes, especially the greenhouse gases and snow and ice sections you find in the green tabs across the top of the page.

2  Click on the “Indicators” on the right side to see actual climate data then read the key points about that data.

3  Summarize two of these data sets (there are dozens to choose from) that relate to increased temperatures due to decreased albedo.

4  Be ready to cite this data for your task at the end of class.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/the-himalayas/the-disappearing-glacier-climate-change-and-himalayan-ecology/6343/

1  How do glaciers in the Himalayan Mountains affect streams and fresh water supplies?

2  What else is contributing to the Himalayan glacier melt besides warmer temperatures?

3  Where do you predict this soot comes from? How does this relate to the carbon cycle?

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/PaintedGlaciers/page3.php

1  What is albedo?

2  What percentage of light does snow reflect?

3  What percentage of light does sand reflect?

4  Where is the soot coming from?

5  How does the soot affect the glaciers?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dwjKxTmogU

1  Define albedo.

2  How does climate change affect glaciers?

3  How does melting glaciers affect climate change?

4  Is this a positive or negative feedback loop?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCxIqgZA7ag

1  What does daisy world look like?

2  How does black daisy’s affect temperature on daisy world? What does this do to the population of black daisies?

3  How does white daisy’s affect temperature on daisy world? What does this do to the population of white daisies?

4  What do the white daisies represent?

5  What is a feedback loop?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcgRtw4Kou8

Watch this short clip several times.

1  What do you notice about the amount of ice at the beginning of the clip? At the end?

2  Why does the amount of ice change?

3  What does the ice do to incoming rays from the sun? How can that affect the earth’s temperature?

4  When the ice is gone, what happens to the incoming rays from the sun? How can that affect the earth’s temperature?

Google “Sea Ice Melting Before and After”

1  Pick a few images that impress or interest you.

2  Write down what you notice about the picture. Examples of what you write down include…

1. What years do the pictures show?
2. How are the pictures different?
3. Can you predict what will happen to the ice in the future?
4. What will happen to the earth’s climate as a result?

Step 2: In a group of three students, please complete the Glaciers and Climate Change in-class assignment to make a claim about the information you have gathered today in the gallery walk. Your claim should:

1  Relate green house gases and climate change to the amount of sea ice and glaciers,

2  Explain how this is an example of a positive feedback loop,

3  Be in a full and complete sentence.

Finally, collaborate and share data that will support your claim from your research. Each student should have some evidence to contribute.

Your exit ticket from class today is to show Mrs. Ko your completed Claim- Evidence- Reasoning assignment. You will use this assignment to complete Step 3.

Step 3: Use the in-class Claim- Evidence- Reasoning assignment to complete your argumentation essay that will be typed in MLA format and turned in on November 21. The following rubric will be used to grade your essay.

4 / 3 / 2 / 1
Claim (Argument) / Provides a clear, strong claim. / Provides a clear, reasonable claim. / Claim is present but not clear. / There is no claim or claim is not relevant to the topic.
Evidence (Support) / Evidence is sufficient and strategically selected to support the claim. / Evidence is sufficient and supports the claim. / Evidence insufficient, or misaligned to the claim. / No evidence or little evidence provided to support the claim.
Analysis/ Link/ Reasoning / Explanation of evidence provided is clear, accurate, and convincing / Explanation of evidence provided is clear and accurate / Explanation of evidence is inadequate or inconsistent / Explanation of evidence is missing or inaccurate