Week 13 Blog Post

 

1. What did you do in lab?

In lab this week we talked about SWH within different circumstances based off the ITBS Science Standard for each grade. Some of the circumstances we talked about was SWH vs no SWH, SWH with an IEP vs no SWH with an IEP, as well as SWH - low SES vs no SWH - low SES. The graphs we looked at helped us understand that under these different circumstances and how the SWH helps supports student engagement, comprehension, and critical thinking in science, but can change based on the student's life. 

Next in lab, we talked about our big and driving questions. Within this we started our group discussions and were assigned to find as much data as we could to answer these big questions. After reading the articles, my group and I discussed how without local action, the climate will continue to increase and therefore continue to harm livelihoods through sickness and weather due to the climate. Within the articles we found the main ideas of urging local action such as solar panels, renewable energy sources and changes in infrastructure. More ideas that went with this were how the heat will rise and cause major weather problems (tornadoes, rain storms, flooding, drought), there will be an increase in illnesses and death in certain populations, as well as how heat waves will hurt farming land and kill off livestock. Lastly, we found from these articles that the high heat days will increase by at least triple in the mid-century. We were also able to confirm this through several graphs that were provided to us. These graphs were the "Hot Days in Des Moines", "Less Furnace, More AC", as well as the majority of the precipitation graphs. These graphs continued to show the danger in the increase in heat and climate change if we don't make changes. 

2. What was the big question?

In lab we talked about a the big question of: How do we know the Goldfinch is in danger in Iowa? Other big questions we talked about were: What type of data do we have that supports that climate change is happening? What questions did you derive from the data shared? What answers did you find? Use SPECIFIC data, make a climate statement based on this data?

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

In lab we talked about how not everything on the internet is true and that a lot of people are trying to prove that climate change is not real. This idea was talked about to remind us that we need to have students be conscious about what sources our students are using and to teach them how to find respectable sites to use. We found out that Ted is not a liar and climate change is real. After this idea we mainly talked about the acronym LOWER. This acronym stands for Latitude, Ocean currents, Wind and air masses, Elevation, and lastly Relief. Latitude being distance from the equator to help determine if climate is hot or cold. Ocean currents being the temperature of ocean currents will affect the temp of air that passes. Wind and air masses is the volume of air that takes on climate conditions. Elevation talks about the high elevation has colder temperature and the lower elevation has warmer temperature. Relief is the precipitation when air mass rises to go over mountain barriers. 

4. Read the Pressbook. What did you learn? What was most helpful? What do you need more information on? 

I learned about the critical role Earth’s atmosphere plays in regulating temperature and climate. The information clarified how greenhouse gases function by trapping heat, creating the natural greenhouse effect, and how human activities, such as burning fossil fuels, intensify this process. I also learned about the albedo effect, which highlights how changes in surface properties, like melting ice, contribute to a feedback loop that accelerates warming. The explanation of ice cores provided valuable insight into how scientists use historical CO2 data to understand and predict climate trends.

The detailed breakdown of greenhouse gases and their sources was especially helpful in understanding the human impact on climate change. The concept of albedo, with its connection to ice melt and temperature feedback loops, made the implications of warming more tangible. Additionally, the explanation of how ice cores are used to track CO2 levels over time gave a clear view of how scientific data supports the conclusion that current levels are unprecedented.

I would like more information on how scientists use climate models based on ice core data and other evidence to predict future climate scenarios. Additionally, further exploration of specific strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the impact of albedo changes would be valuable.