Download A Changing Climate: Cold adventures

Earth and Space Sciences
A Changing Climate:
Cold adventures
This lesson takes a cold hard look at how we can use scientific
measurements taken from Antarctic ice and from Earth’s glaciers to learn
about climate change.
In this lesson you will investigate the following:
• What is climate change?
• How can we discover how Earth’s temperature has changed over
thousands of years?
• What are greenhouse gases?
• What is the greenhouse effect?
• What is the enhanced greenhouse effect?
Put your scarf and beanie on and make tracks through this lesson!
This is a print version of an interactive online lesson.
To sign up for the real thing or for curriculum details
about the lesson go to www.cosmosforschools.com
Introduction: Changing climate (P1)
One hundred years ago, geologist Douglas Mawson led an expedition to Antarctica. It was a difficult trip. Two of his team died
and Mawson only escaped death after falling into a crevasse because his sledge became jammed in the ice, leaving him dangling
from a rope.
It was a terrible ordeal. The explorers were so exhausted and hungry that they had to eat their dogs to survive. One man, Belgrave
Ninnis, fell down a snow-covered crevasse and was never seen again. Another, Xavier Mertz, went mad before he died. Doctors now
think he was poisoned by the toxic levels of Vitamin A in the huskies' livers he was forced to eat.
Trapped in a remote frozen bay, Mawson's exploration party, which was only meant to stay for a year, ended up living on the ice
and snow for three years. Mawson later said he nearly gave up.
But being the good scientist that he was, no matter how hard things became he kept taking notes and making observations. His
careful records of weather data for that time were about the only ones available until 1979 when scientists started using satellites.
Now, Chris Turney, a climate scientist at the University of New South Wales is going to Antarctica to follow in Mawson's footsteps. He
will take his own measurements and compare them to Mawson's figures. That way he can see how climate change has affected the
continent.
Read the full Cosmos Magazine article h
​ ere
Mertz and Ninnis approaching Aladdin's cave
Question 1
Imagine: You are about to embark on Chris Turney's expedition to Antarctica. In the table below, list five things that you would want
to take with you.
Thing you would take
Why?
1
2
3
4
5
Question 2
Think: What would you look forward to most about the trip? What would you look forward to least​?
Gather: Changing climate (P1)
A map of Mawson's journey with date markings and the sites of the tragic deaths of Ninnis and Mertz
Question 1
Calculate: Using a ruler, the date markings and the distance key complete the table below. Estimate the distance traveled for each
portion of the journey (blue, red, green). Count the number of days taken for each portion of the journey (note: Mawson departed
the main base on the 10th of November 1912 and arrived back on the 8th of February 1913) . Calculate Mawson's average speed
(as the number of kilometers per day) for each leg of the journey.
Distance (km)
Blue
Red
Green
Time (days)
Average speed (km/day)
Question 2
Define: Perform a simple internet search to define the term climate​ below.
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Question 3
Recall: Having watched the above video, what did you learn about how scientists use ice and rock samples from Antarctica to better
understand the history of the Earth's climate?
Question 4
Recall: How many years worth of climate history can be discerned from Antarctic ice?
1,000 years
10,000 years
100,000 years
1,000,000 years
10,000,000 years
Left: The Stein Glacier, Switzerland. Right: James Balog setting up one of his cameras. Sources: James Balog & Almanac
Weekly
Antarctic ice core samples provide one piece of evidence that Earth's climate is currently warming. Another piece of evidence is that
Earth's glaciers are in retreat.
Glaciers are rivers of ice that flow very slowly over time. As the Earth cools the glaciers grow, and as the Earth warms the glaciers
retreat. Most of Earth's glaciers are currently in retreat and photographer James Balog has taken it upon himself to create timelapse footage of some of Earth's glaciers retreating. Watch the following video made by James Balog, taken over a 10-year span.
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Question 5
Reflect: What was the most memorable aspect of James Balog's video for you?
Process: Changing climate (P1)
Question 1
Identify: Below is a graph that illustrates the changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide and global temperature over the last 420,000
years. The data was obtained from the Russian-operated Antarctic Vostok ice core. Periods of extended cold are known as glacial
periods and periods of extended warmth are known as interglacial periods​.
Using the sketchpad below, draw green arrows to indicate two glacial periods and purple arrows to indicate two interglacial periods
in the last 420,000 years.
Question 2
Interpret: What does the Vostok ice core record tell you about the connection between atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2)
concentration and global temperature?
Question 3
Research: Carbon dioxide is known as a greenhouse gas. What is a greenhouse gas?
Question 4
Research: ​List two other greenhouse gases.
Question 5
Predict: What do you think would happen to the daily low and high temperatures on Earth if its atmosphere, including all
greenhouse gases, were removed?
Animation showing the effect of human activity on Earth's atmosphere
Question 6
Research: Greenhouse gases naturally occur in the Earth's atmosphere. They play a vital role in keeping the Earth warm and ideal
for life. This phenomenon is known as the greenhouse effect. The enhanced greenhouse effect describes how human activity has
added to the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere making the Earth's climate even warmer. Describe three human
activities that contribute to the enhanced greenhouse effect.
Question 7
Group: From what you have learnt in this lesson and from what you already knew, create a mind map about climate change.
Include the following terms plus two of your own:
Antarctica
Greenhouse gases
Ice cores
Carbon dioxide
Retreating glaciers
Greenhouse effect
Human activity
Douglas Mawson
The atmosphere
Retreating glaciers
Enhanced greenhouse effect
Methane
Global warming
Evidence
?
?
Climate Change
Apply: Changing climate (P2)
Experiment: Melting icebergs
Aim
To discover what happens when an iceberg melts
Materials
Ice cube tray
1 L to 2 L measuring cup
Water
Salt
Freezer
Heater (optional)
Camera (optional)
Method
Part 1 - Making your iceberg
Making your mini icebergs is simple! Simply fill your ice cube tray with water and place it in the freezer for at least 4 hours.
Part 2 - Making your seawater
Icebergs float in seawater! To mimic this, add 35 grams of salt into every litre of liquid water you use.
Part 3 - Floating your iceberg
Once your ice cubes are ready, place about 5-6 ice cubes into your measuring container and fill the container with salty water so
that the water level lines up with one of the markings on the side of your measuring cup. Take note of the initial water level in the
table in question 1. As best you can, measure how much of the iceberg sits above the water and how much sits below. What
percentage of the iceberg sits above the water?
Part 4 - Melting your iceberg
Now it's time to melt your iceberg. You can make your iceberg melt faster by placing the container in a warm spot such as next to a
heater or in the sun. You may optionally make a time-lapse movie of the mini icebergs melting using a camera and tripod. Once
your icebergs have melted, note the new water level of your container and record it in the table in question 1. Has the water level
gone up or down?
Question 1
Fill your results in the table below
Initial water level
Final water level
Water level gone
up or down?
How much ice sits
above the water?
(mm)
How much ice sits
below the water?
(mm)
Question 2
If you made a time-lapse video, upload it here
Drag and drop file here
Discussion
Question 3
If global warming is causing Earth's icebergs to melt, what implications does this have for global sea levels?
Question 4
Can you think of any other ways in which global warming might cause sea levels to rise? If so, list them below.
Percentage of ice
sitting above the
water
Question 5
Name three cities or countries that would be particularly affected by a significant rise in sea levels. Justify each response.
City or country
Justification
Career: Changing climate (P2)
With all of the conflicting data on how the world’s climate will change, it can be hard to figure out exactly what’s going to
happen. Sarah Perkins, a graduate of the University of New South Wales (UNSW) is now working with the CSIRO to try and
determine which climate models are accurate.
Sarah Perkins is particularly interested in studying and
understanding the extremes in Australian climate, from
sweltering summers to unexpected frosts. She is currently
working on a project called the Pacific Climate Change Science
Program, a collaboration with the CSIRO and the bureau of
meteorology. Her work involves looking at global climate models
and evaluating them to make predictions for the future of our
planet’s weather.
Sarah lives in the hustle-bustle city of Sydney where she enjoys
the tranquility of a morning jog before getting ready for work.
For Sarah work is an office in the world-renowned Climate
Change Research Centre, or CCRC, at the University of New
South Wales. Once settled into her comfy computer chair she
begins to work her magic: writing computer scripts, running
computer scripts, testing data and reading research papers.
Sarah’s work isn’t confined to Sydney, however. In fact, in 2013
she spent more than four months outside of Australia where
she worked in Zurich, Switzerland and Exeter, England.
When she’s not modeling the world’s future climate, Sarah
enjoys running (including having completed Sydney’s famous
City to Surf race twice), spending time with her friends, cooking
and baking delicious cakes.
Question 1
Think: If you could ask Sarah Perkins one question about her job what would you ask her and why?
Cosmos Lessons team
Education Editor: Bill Condie
Art director: Robyn Adderly
Lesson authors: Daniel Pikler and Sally Parker