SIMULATION (ABOVE): NASA Atmospheric Aerosols (Note desert sands from the Sahara.)
MIDDLE SCHOOLS / EARTHS SYSTEMS SCIENCE
Middle school teachers and students in the Carbon Research Collaborative will utilize DVG hardware and software technologies to view prepared animations and simulations, such as the NASA Sea Currents (above), to explore the complex drivers governing the dynamics of subsystems within the Earth's Biosphere.
Students will learn about the role of the NASA satellite fleet, including the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO-2) and the A-Train, in collecting data that is the scientific basis for understanding changes in the dynamics of Natural Systems. They will learn about global sources of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, examine the scientific evidence of global warming, and explore the potentially catastrophic impacts of anthropogenic CO2 emissions on ecosystems services and human populations.
They will also use the Climate & Health ANalysis for Global Education (CHANGE Viewer), an online software tool developed by the Institute for the Application of Geospatial Technology (IAGT) and the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) at Columbia University with a grant from NASA’s Innovations in Climate Education Initiative.
CHANGE Viewer is an interactive tool displaying socio-economic and environmental data using NASA World Wind (similar to Google® Earth). It allows students to investigate climate-related data at the global scale, and assess the impacts that climate change will have on the Earth’s Biosphere and human populations.
MIDDLE SCHOOLS / EARTHS SYSTEMS SCIENCE
Middle school teachers and students in the Carbon Research Collaborative will utilize DVG hardware and software technologies to view prepared animations and simulations, such as the NASA Sea Currents (above), to explore the complex drivers governing the dynamics of subsystems within the Earth's Biosphere.
Students will learn about the role of the NASA satellite fleet, including the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO-2) and the A-Train, in collecting data that is the scientific basis for understanding changes in the dynamics of Natural Systems. They will learn about global sources of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, examine the scientific evidence of global warming, and explore the potentially catastrophic impacts of anthropogenic CO2 emissions on ecosystems services and human populations.
They will also use the Climate & Health ANalysis for Global Education (CHANGE Viewer), an online software tool developed by the Institute for the Application of Geospatial Technology (IAGT) and the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) at Columbia University with a grant from NASA’s Innovations in Climate Education Initiative.
CHANGE Viewer is an interactive tool displaying socio-economic and environmental data using NASA World Wind (similar to Google® Earth). It allows students to investigate climate-related data at the global scale, and assess the impacts that climate change will have on the Earth’s Biosphere and human populations.
Sea level rise, melting of the polar ice caps, droughts and flooding, server weather events and other observable changes in the Biosphere will be discussed in the context of impacts on human populations in their communities and across the globe.
Students will be introduced to the concept of Coupled Natural and Human Systems (CNHS). They will explore the processes through which natural systems affect human systems; and the processes through which human systems affect natural systems. Emphasis will be placed upon global thermodynamics across subsystems in the Earth's Biosphere, and how greenhouse gases (GHG) alter climate and weather.
Using CHANGE Viewer, students will be able to generate on-demand various scenarios of Coupled Natural and Human Systems.
EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS
DVG software operates on Apple OS-X 8 or better with an iPad controller. Follow the link below for more information on Elementary and Middle School hardware and software requirements. NOTE: Schools will be able schedule the use of a 30" portable Digital Video Globe (DVG).