Apps That Challenge Kids to Solve Environmental Issues By Tanner Higgin, Graphite Environmental education for most adults used to mean learning a little bit about recycling and planting some trees on Arbor Day. We didn’t delve into ecology as much as we skimmed the surface. But things have gotten more complex since then, and the topic of climate change has brought environmental education to the forefront. At its best, environmental education gets students grappling with big, cross-disciplinary issues like sustainable design and renewable energy. 1. This app provides an overview of environmental issues, particularly pollution, for younger students. 2. Enercities is a little more sophisticated than Little Green Island. 3. It’s important to learn not just about sustainability and being environmentally conscious, but also about what’s at stake in these efforts. 4. Related
WWF: Climate change Carbon dioxide, or CO2, is the most significant of the gases in our atmosphere which keep the Earth warm. 4 billion years ago its concentration in the atmosphere was much higher than today - 80% compared to today's 0.03%. But most of it was removed through photosynthesis over time. All this carbon dioxide became locked in organisms and then minerals such as oil, coal and petroleum inside the Earth's crust. A natural carbon dioxide cycle keeps the amount of CO2 in our atmosphere in balance. The amount of naturally produced CO2 is almost perfectly balanced by the amount naturally removed.
Sea Level Rise Explorer - Global Warming Art From Global Warming Art Elevation Relative to Sea Level (m) Description The map shown above allows you to explore the regions of the Earth that are most vulnerable to sea level rise. As with other Google Maps, you can click-and-drag the window to scroll or double click to zoom. Potential for Sea Level Rise As global warming progresses, sea level is expected to rise primarily due to the melting of continental ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica. During the twentieth century, sea level rose 20 cm. However, even if global temperatures stabilize in 2100, the full magnitude of sea level rise is expected to take far longer to develop. Accuracy of Maps The sea level data appearing in my maps is based primarily on version 2 of NASA's Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), with post-processing by CGIAR to fill-in voids using data from other sources. The SRTM data are limited to a region of 60 S to 60 N latitude. Related Materials References ^ [abstract] [DOI] Knutti, Reto and Thomas F.
WWF: Climate Change | Threats Shop to Support WWF Shop at AmazonSmile to support our global conservation efforts every time you buy. It’s the same Amazon.com you know—same products, same prices—and 0.5% of each purchase price is donated back to WWF. Climate Change, Deforestation, Biomes and Ocean Currents, Plankton, Endangered Species - Earth Web Site Click for more detail Thermohaline Change Evidence is growing that the thermohaline current may be slowed or stopped by cold fresh water inputs to the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans. This could occur if global warming is sufficient to cause large scale melting of arctic sea ice and the Greenland ice sheet. "Diatoms (a kind of phytoplankton) are estimated to "scrub" roughly as much CO2 from the atmosphere each year as all the world's rainforests. "Net primary productivity is the mass of plant material produced each year on land and in the oceans by photosynthesis using energy from sunlight. Population and consumption growth Infrastructure development (dams, urban growth, highways) Land conversion (deforestation, agriculture, urban growth) Overharvesting / overexploitation (overfishing, wasteful irrigation) Release of pollutants (human waste, agricultural / industrial chemicals, radioactivity) Introduction of exotic species (replacing and overwhelming indigenous species). 5
What is climate change? Media playback is unsupported on your device BBC News looks at what we know and don't know about the Earth's changing climate. What is climate change? The planet's climate has constantly been changing over geological time. The global average temperature today is about 15C, though geological evidence suggests it has been much higher and lower in the past. However, the current period of warming is occurring more rapidly than many past events. What is the "greenhouse effect"? The greenhouse effect refers to the way the Earth's atmosphere traps some of the energy from the Sun. The energy that radiates back down to the planet heats both the lower atmosphere and the surface. Scientists believe we are adding to the natural greenhouse effect with gases released from industry and agriculture (known as emissions), trapping more energy and increasing the temperature. Most man-made emissions of CO2 are through the burning of fossil fuels, as well as through cutting down carbon-absorbing forests.
Global Warming and Climate Change skepticism examined Clean Air Kids: Greenhouse Effect & Global Warming The Earth is wrapped in a blanket of air called the 'atmosphere', which is made up of several layers of gases. The sun is much hotter than the Earth and it gives off rays of heat (radiation) that travel through the atmosphere and reach the Earth. The rays of the sun warm the Earth, and heat from the Earth then travels back into the atmosphere. The gases in the atmosphere stop some of the heat from escaping into space. These gases are called greenhouse gases and the natural process between the sun, the atmosphere and the Earth is called the 'Greenhouse Effect', because it works the same way as a greenhouse. The atmosphere has a number of gases, often in tiny amounts, which trap the heat given out by the Earth. To make sure that the Earth's temperature remains constant, the balance of these gases in the atmosphere must not be upset. Some of the activities of man also produce greenhouse gases. Burning fossil fuels - coal, oil and natural gas - releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
WWF Footprint Calculator Is Global Warming Unstoppable? - University of Utah News Release: November 22nd, 2009 Is Global Warming Unstoppable? Theory Also Says Energy Conservation Doesn't Help Nov. 22, 2009 - In a provocative new study, a University of Utah scientist argues that rising carbon dioxide emissions - the major cause of global warming - cannot be stabilized unless the world's economy collapses or society builds the equivalent of one new nuclear power plant each day. "It looks unlikely that there will be any substantial near-term departure from recently observed acceleration in carbon dioxide emission rates," says the new paper by Tim Garrett, an associate professor of atmospheric sciences. Garrett's study was panned by some economists and rejected by several journals before acceptance by Climatic Change, a journal edited by renowned Stanford University climate scientist Stephen Schneider. The study will be published online this week. The study - which is based on the concept that physics can be used to characterize the evolution of civilization - indicates: "No," he says.
Teacher Resources: Water Science School (USGS) USGS Home Contact USGS Search USGS The USGS Water Science School Teacher Resources for Water Science, USGS The Water Cycle We have a water-cycle for schools section with a diagram and an online, interactive version aimed at three age-levels of students. Files for printing: PDF (2 Mb poster) | Image (11x17 inch) | Image (poster) Water Properties Learn about what makes water unique and vital to all life on Earth. The Story of Dryville! Story of YOU going into the desert to start a new town...and how water plays a part every step of the way. Activity Center These surveys show cumulative responses after you take the survey. Opinion Surveys Challenge Questions Accessibility FOIA Privacy Policies and Notices U.S.