Global Warming Effects Map - Effects of Global Warming The Marine Climate Change - Impacts and Adaptaton Report Card for 2012 WelcomeThis 2012 Report Card demonstrates that climate change is having significant impacts on Australia’s oceans and marine ecosystems. Many new changes have been documented since the 2009 Report Card. There is now striking evidence of extensive southward movements of tropical fish and plankton species in southeast Australia, declines in abundance of temperate species, and the first signs of the effect of ocean acidification on marine species with shells. The report card highlights that the Australian science community is widely engaged in research, monitoring and observing programs to increase our understanding of climate change impacts and inform management. 98 of Australia’s leading marine scientists from 37 universities and research organisations contributed to the 2012 Report Card. New for 2012: Marine Mammals, Marine Microbes, Extreme Events, Enabling Policy, Marine Observation Programmes More details inside…
Sustainable Table | Genetic Engineering Genetic engineering (GE) is the modification of an organism’s genetic composition by artificial means, often involving the transfer of specific traits, or genes, from one organism into a plant or animal of an entirely different species. When gene transfer occurs, the resulting organism is called transgenic or a GMO (genetically modified organism). Genetic engineering is different from traditional cross breeding, where genes can only be exchanged between closely related species. With genetic engineering, genes from completely different species can be inserted into one another. For example, scientists in Taiwan have successfully inserted jellyfish genes into pigs in order to make them glow in the dark. What are genes? All life is made up of one or more cells. During genetic engineering processes, specific genes are removed from one organism and inserted into another plant or animal, thus transferring specific traits. GE Crops Some GE crops are actually classified as pesticides. GE Animals
Climate Change and Game-Based Learning Teaching about complex interconnected systems like global climate change can be difficult. There are many unseen pieces affecting the greater whole that young people (and many adults) might not understand. One approach to lifting this conceptual curtain for students is assigning the BrainPOP video on the topic prior to class, flipping the instruction. Try BrainPOP's Make-a-Map tool, which is an open-ended concept map, a playful assessment, to have students demonstrate interconnections. Making Climate Change Games At a recent conference, I learned about EcoChains: Arctic Crisis. When students make their own climate-themed games, they will gain a deeper understanding of the topic. This spring I took part in Climate Game Jam: Water, organized by NOAA. Changing precipitation patterns Freshwater supply and sources Ocean acidification Polar issues Human use of water Marine/freshwater ecosystems There were also different game categories: Game Jamming to Learn About Complex Systems
Ocean pollution: Addressing root causes of nutrient over-enrichment Low oxygen (hypoxic) areas known as dead zones, where most marine life cannot survive, can result in the collapse of some ecosystems. There are now close to 500 dead zones with a total global surface area of over 245,000 km², roughly equivalent to that of the United Kingdom. The overall effect is to undermine the resilience of marine and coastal ecosystems, affecting in turn their ability to support coastal livelihoods such as fishing and tourism and their potential role in climate change adaptation and mitigation. The cost to countries of nutrient over-enrichment from the degradation of their marine and coastal natural resource base, and the services and livelihoods it provides, will increase without improved policy responses. Related links: <- Back to:
3B: CO2 - My Life's Story Part B: CO2—My Life's Story Atmospheric CO2 and temperature data taken from Vostok Ice Cores. Image source: Bowman Global Change and The Birch Aquarium, Scripps Institute of Oceangography, UCSD The carbon cycle has changed over Earth's history Imagine if fossils didn't exist. Take several minutes to examine the graph pictured above and then answer the Checking In questions below. Discuss The ice core CO2 and temperature data you just explored raises some interesting, more complex questions. To help you answer these important questions, focus on the following topics as you watch the video: Ice cores come from every place in the world where ice accumulates over time. Stop and Think 1: Describe the relationship between carbon dioxide, temperature and ice ages. A slow acting geologic carbon cycle is key to reducing the concentration of atm CO2 over very long time scales (hundred thousands of years to millions of years). The Long Term Geological Carbon Cycle Provenance: Dr. Checking In
Read the Science | Beat the spin; Read the Science Greenhouse Emissions Reduction Role-Play Exercise This activity was selected for the On the Cutting Edge Reviewed Teaching Collection This activity has received positive reviews in a peer review process involving five review categories. The five categories included in the process are Scientific Accuracy Alignment of Learning Goals, Activities, and Assessments Pedagogic Effectiveness Robustness (usability and dependability of all components) Completeness of the ActivitySheet web page For more information about the peer review process itself, please see This page first made public: Apr 8, 2010 Summary When the science is so clear, why is it so difficult to make agreements that will reduce our impact on climate change? Learning Goals Content: Climate change science and climate change policy-making Goals: For students to explore the complexity and subtle aspects of the issue of climate change and eliminate black-and-white thinking about this issue. Context for Use Teaching Materials Teaching tips
U.S. Climate Change Science Program: Library Synthesis and Assessment Products Final Report of Synthesis and Assessment Product 5.2 ( Best practice approaches for characterizing, communicating, and incorporating scientific uncertainty in decisionmaking ) is posted. See also press release from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). (posted 16 Jan 2009) Final Report of Synthesis and Assessment Product 4.2 ( Thresholds of Climate Change in Ecosystems ) is posted. Final Report of Synthesis and Assessment Product 4.1 ( Coastal Sensitivity to Sea-Level Rise: A Focus on the Mid-Atlantic Region ) is posted online. Final Report of Synthesis and Assessment Product 2.3 ( Aerosol properties and their impacts on climate ) posted online. Final Report of Synthesis and Assessment Product 1.2 ( Past Climate Variability and Change in the Arctic and at High Latitudes ) posted online. Second Public review draft of the Unified Synthesis Product: Global Climate Change in the United States is posted. Strategic Plan U.S. Go back >>
The World's First Solar Road Is Producing More Energy Than Expected by Katie Valentine Posted on Share this: "The World’s First Solar Road Is Producing More Energy Than Expected" Share: CREDIT: SolaRoad In its first six months of existence, the world’s first solar road is performing even better than developers thought. The road, which opened in the Netherlands in November of last year, has produced more than 3,000 kilowatt-hours of energy — enough to power a single household for one year, according to Al-Jazeera America. “If we translate this to an annual yield, we expect more than the 70kwh per square meter per year,” Sten de Wit, a spokesman for the project — dubbed SolaRoad — told Al Jazeera America. De Wit said in a statement that he didn’t “expect a yield as high as this so quickly.” The 230-foot stretch of road, which is embedded with solar cells that are protected by two layers of safety glass, is built for bike traffic, a use that reflects the road’s environmentally-friendly message and the cycling-heavy culture of the Netherlands.
About CORDEX | CORDEX Africa The Coordinated Regional Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX) program was recently established by the World Climate Research Program (WCRP). The aim of CORDEX is to develop an international coordinated framework for generating improved regional climate change projections worldwide. Results from the CORDEX analysis will be used as input to the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report as well as to meet the growing demand for high-resolution downscaled projections to inform climate change impact and adaptation studies. For Africa, CORDEX presents an unprecedented opportunity to advance knowledge of regional climate responses to global climate change, and for these insights to feed into on-going climate adaptation and risk assessment research and policy planning in the region. The training programme, which will be convened in early 2011, will focus on skill development in working with climate model results, analysis of CORDEX datasets, and compilation and writing of analytical results.