Unit 8 - Climate Change
Big Idea: Predicting and mitigating the potential impact of global climate change requires an understanding of the mechanisms of Earth's climate, involving studies of past climates, measurements of current interactions of Earth's systems and the construction of climate change models.
Learning Targets:
- I can explain why the Earth is essentially a closed system in terms of matter
- I can analyze the interactions between the major systems (geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere) that make up the Earth
- I can explain, using specific examples, how a change in one system affects other Earth systems
- I can explain how energy changes form through Earth systems
- I can explain how elements exist in different compounds and states as they move from one reservoir to another
- I can explain how carbon exists in different forms such as limestone (rock), carbon dioxide (gas), carbonic acid (water), and animals (life) within Earth systems and how those forms can be beneficial or harmful to humans
- I can explain how carbon moves through the Earth system (including the geosphere) and how it may benefit (e.g., improve soils for agriculture) or harm (e.g., act as a pollutant) society
- I can explain the natural mechanism of the greenhouse effect including comparisons of the major greenhouse gases (water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone)
- I can describe natural mechanisms that could result in significant changes in climate (e.g., major volcanic eruptions, changes in sunlight received by the Earth, and meteorite impacts)
- I can analyze the empirical relationship between the emissions of carbon dioxide, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, and the average global temperature over the past 150 years
- I can, based on evidence of observable changes in recent history and climate change models, explain the consequences of warmer oceans (including results of increased evaporation, shoreline and estuarine impacts, oceanic algae growth, and coral bleaching) and changing climatic zones (including the adaptive capacity of the biosphere)
- I can, based on evidence from historical climate research (e.g., fossils, varies, ice core data) and climate change models, explain how the current melting of polar ice caps can impact the climate system
- I can describe geologic evidence that implies climates were significantly colder at times in the geologic record (e.g., geomorphology, striations, and fossils)
- I can compare and contrast the heat trapping mechanisms of the major greenhouse gases resulting from emissions (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, fluorocarbons) as well as their abundance and heat trapping capacity
