ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY TEACHER GUIDE SERIES

Changing Climate
A Guide for Teaching Climate Change in Grades 3 to 8
 Modeling the Impacts
5 of Climate Change
by Tara G. Treiber

M
odels help us understand model, the more accurate its predictions struggling to make sense of, such as
the universe. They help us of the future will be. cloud and hurricane formation. Because
imagine things that are too Scientists often use computer-based of their complexity, many climate
big, too small, too fast, or too slow for us models to help them understand what models are actually simulations in which
to see directly. Models are representations is happening right now, as well as what multiple changing factors demonstrate,
of phenomena and other concepts. might happen in the future. When all or “model,” how climate has changed and
Most students are familiar with simple the pieces of a model are put together, continues to change over time.
models, such as one they might make the model can run forward in time to Students may wonder how scientists
of our solar system with coat hangers see what the future might look like or make predictions about rising
and Styrofoam balls. Such a model helps backward in time to understand the past. temperatures or sea levels, so talking
people envision events that happen on a Computer models of Earth’s global about climate models is necessary for
size or time scale that they cannot easily climate system are complex. They their understanding. Most climate
see. When the planets and sun of such include many data points that represent models today are created and run on
a model are all properly arranged as parameters that intersect and interact high-performance computers capable
they are in space, students can view how with one another. They include events of processing the millions of equations
they move; they can also view how they that take place on different scales of that represent factors that affect global
might be aligned in the future. The more time and space. They also include many climate. One major climate-change
accurate the initial data that goes into a phenomena that scientists are still model built by Oxford University was set

70 Modeling the Impacts of Climate Change

 GRADE STANDARD EEI UNIT up to run using the personal computers of
volunteers—more than 90,000 computers
Grade 3 3.1.2 The Geography of Where We Live in total! This number demonstrates how
3.5.1-3 California’s Economy—Natural Choices much computational work is involved in
3.3.a-b Structures of Survival in a Healthy Ecosystem
running climate models.
3.3.c-e Living Things in Changing Environments
A model is only as good as the data
Grade 4 4.1.3 Reflections of Where We Live used in its construction. Students
4.3.b know that it is important to take
4.6 careful and accurate measurements
Grade 5 5.3.d-e Our Water: Sources and Uses in lab experiments. Think about how
5.6 important this accuracy is for using data
in climate models.
Grade 6 6.2.2 Agricultural Advances in Ancient Civilizations Scientists often check to make sure that
6.2.c
our knowledge of climate is accurate by
6.5.e
6.7 looking into the past. They create models
using data that represent conditions for
Grade 7 7.3.a Shaping Natural Systems Through Evolution a particular time range and then run
7.3.e Responding to Environmental Change the model to see if it can recreate the
7.7
conditions known to have occurred in the
Grade 8 8.12.1 Agricultural and Industrial Development in U.S. past. If it does, the model is considered
8.12.5 Industrialization, Urbanization, & Conservation valid, and the scientists have confidence
8.9 that they can use that model to predict
what might happen in the future.

CHAPTER OVERVIEW

Climate science can be difficult to understand because scientists are Case Study: The Ocean in
studying and trying to make sense of large-scale, complex systems across a Changing Climate 73
long periods. Scientists use models to help them better understand these Student Thinking:
systems. Climate models that account for many variables and are based Climate and the Ocean 77
on data obtained through careful and accurate measurement are more Case Study:
likely to produce accurate models of what is currently happening, as well as Melting Ice on Earth 78
predictions of future impacts.
Student Thinking:
The climate models today tell us that our Earth systems are going to Ice and Climate Change 80
experience notable impacts from climate change. The ocean is warming Pictures of Practice:
and changing in chemistry, which alters the habitats for many marine Melting Ice 81
organisms. Ice in our polar regions and high alpine glaciers are melting fast, Case Study:
reducing habitats for polar and alpine organisms and contributing to sea What About Freshwater? 82
level rise. Less freshwater is available during spring melts, and precipitation
Pictures of Practice:
patterns are changing around the world. Not only will humans need to Surviving Climate Change 83
adapt to these changing conditions, but also all living things must find a
Case Study:
way to survive or they may perish.
Species Coping With Change 84
In this chapter we explore how scientists use climate models and then take
a closer look at what these models tell us about impacts on our Earth’s
systems.

Modeling the Impacts of Climate Change 71

 Where do data from the past come
from? The answer depends upon the
period being explored. If we look at
the last 200 years or so, we have very
accurate written records of weather
parameters such as temperature,
precipitation amounts, and number of
cloudy or sunny days recorded for a
good percentage of Earth’s surface.
If the period of interest is over the
past 4,000 years or so, scientists can look
at anthropological data—everything
from birth and death lists, farming
records, and the writing of a time, to the
evidence of diet, food sources, and tools
used during a specific era. These things
all can tell us a great deal about what Scientists collect coral cores from a coral skeleton. The coral skeleton shows
occurred in past civilizations. different densities based on seasonal and environmental changes over time,
When looking even further into the so scientists can study how the environment around the coral has changed in
the past.
past for evidence of climatological
trends, scientists primarily look at they can add more CO2 to the model carbon-dioxide concentrations. As they
natural records including ice cores, tree atmosphere or diminish its ozone layer. photosynthesize and grow, they remove
cores, and coral bands for information They can alter any number of variables carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and
about weather events and climate, as that may affect how Earth’s climate will use it to build their carbon-based tissues.
discussed in Chapter 4. As trees and function in the future. Then they can As their growth lowers the concentration
coral grow, they incorporate gases run their model to see the results. of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere,
from the atmosphere or the ocean, One phenomenon climate modelers they can’t grow as efficiently as they did
respectively. Some trees and corals have need to take into account when building at higher CO₂ levels, so the effect of high
been around for thousands of years, so a model is the processes of feedback CO₂ concentration is reduced.
their annual rings or bands can give us loops. Feedback loops can be positive, Clouds and aerosols represent
an accurate picture of the atmosphere or thereby magnifying or accelerating an challenges in global climate-change
ocean for that time frame. When taken effect, or negative, which reduce an modeling, because they can have a
all together, these data can be used to effect. For example, the albedo effect positive feedback effect on heating by
create a picture of the climate conditions of ice leads to a positive feedback loop. trapping radiation between them and the
at a time and place in the past. The more As ice melts on our planet, there is less surface of Earth, but they can also have
bits of data that can be compiled, the sunlight being reflected and more of the a negative feedback effect on heating
more accurate the models of our past sun’s energy is being absorbed. As the by reflecting the sun’s radiation back
can be. energy is absorbed, the surface warms to space before it ever reaches Earth’s
Once scientists have a good faster, leading to more ice melt. As more surface. As the effects of some climate
understanding of the past and the ice melts, even more energy is absorbed. parameters are not known precisely and
present climate, as well as all the factors While feedback loops are complex, so much new information is learned
that influence climate conditions, students can understand the key ideas each year, it is easy to see why results
they can generate computer code to about feedback loops and simple from climate modeling seem to change
represent the processes as mathematical examples. frequently. However, scientists know
equations. To examine how a change in An example of a negative feedback global climate change is happening,
current conditions would play out in loop that has been explored by scientists and they are using their best models
the future, they can change the variables is that of plant growth. Some plants to predict how Earth might look in
and run the model to see the results. and algae, including phytoplankton, the future. Let’s explore some of these
By adjusting the model’s input values, grow faster in conditions of higher predictions.

72 Modeling the Impacts of Climate Change

 The Ocean in a
Changing Climate

T
he majority of Earth’s surface is covered by The conversion of carbon dioxide into oxygen
water, specifically ocean water. Because human by photosynthetic organisms such as algae and
activities began increasing the concentration phytoplankton is part of the reason our atmosphere is
of atmospheric carbon dioxide at the beginning of the able to support life. Some scientists estimate that as
Industrial Revolution, the ocean has been absorbing much as 70 percent of the oxygen in our atmosphere
it. Scientists estimate that the ocean has absorbed was released to the atmosphere through photosynthesis
about 30 percent of the human-emitted CO2 released in as algae and phytoplankton incorporated carbon
modern times. While the ocean is able to absorb a great dioxide into their structures. Therefore, carbon dioxide’s
deal of CO2 as well as excess heat, it too has its limits. presence in the ocean is not only natural, but also
The ocean is, by and large, a relatively cool part of our important to all life on Earth. However, the recent
planet. Additionally, because water has high specific increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has
heat (which means it takes a lot of energy to raise the changed the amount of carbon dioxide in the ocean,
temperature of water even a slight amount), the ocean increasing the acidity of the ocean as the CO2 reacts
is slow to warm. with other components of the water.
Overall, scientists have detected an increase of 1.3°F In addition to photosynthesis,
(0.74°C) in global average temperature over the past marine organisms use carbon
century. However, during this time, the ocean has only dioxide to form their skeletons
warmed an average of 0.5°F (0.28°C), with greater and shells. The mineral name
warming at the Poles than at the Equator. Changing for their shell material is
ocean temperatures may result in an array of changes carbonate. Marine life—from
to our planet, including modifications of global ocean corals to scallops and snails to
currents. As currents and temperature patterns of the shrimp—all build carbonate
ocean change, so do the migration routes of animals structures from materials
and the range and distribution patterns of plant and within ocean water. As the
animal species. ocean becomes more acidic,
these shell-building organisms
Ocean Acidification are less able to accumulate
Though we can see carbon dioxide as bubbles in a soda, carbonate for their structures. Limacina helicina
this gas is invisible in the air around us. The ocean, which This environmental change can (sea butterflies)
is in constant contact with the atmosphere and physically ultimately threaten their survival.
mixes with it, especially where waves break, absorbs a Ocean acidification and its
great deal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. impacts are not something that scientists are predicting
will occur in the future: ocean acidification is occurring
now. In some areas, the ocean’s pH (measure of acidity)
has increased by about 30 percent or more since the
onset of the Industrial Revolution. Indeed, some species
are already being affected by this increased acidity. For
example, oyster farms in Oregon have been experiencing
larval die-offs, and all evidence points toward ocean
acidification as one of the culprits.

Modeling the Impacts of Climate Change 73

 Scientists are using models to estimate possible long-
term impacts of ocean acidification. Model projections
estimate that ocean acidification will directly impact More than a third of the world’s population lives within 60
the availability of commercially produced shellfish in the miles of the ocean.
next several decades. This means fewer shrimp, lobster, More than one-third of the world’s population lives within
clams, and other shellfish will be available to people for 60 miles of the ocean (NASA 2010), so rising sea level could
food. In turn, the demise of commercial fisheries could have a huge impact on human settlements and has already
have a negative economic impact in coastal communities affected some Arctic and island communities. Models of
worldwide. Studies suggest that it is not unreasonable to sea-level rise are based on estimates of how much the
expect an annual loss of $10 billion per year due to loss ocean is expected to warm at different depths and how
of shoreline protection and reef-supported fisheries as a quickly existing glaciers and ice sheets might melt. However,
result of ocean acidification. Also, as a large percentage this area of climate science and modeling is not yet very
of the world’s population depends upon the ocean for its mature, and estimates for sea-level rise range widely. We do
source of protein, the lack of shellfish could result in greater know that higher waters will increase the amount of coastal
levels of malnutrition or starvation in many parts of the erosion that occurs over time, which contributes to the loss
world. These are only the direct impacts. The indirect of land due to wind and waves. In California, the coastline
impact to the ocean food chain could be more insidious is one of the state’s most valuable resources, and coastal
and far-reaching. Models show that planktonic species erosion could result in a loss of as much as $1.4 billion in lost
such as coccolithophores and pteropods, organisms real-estate values each year. Take a look at Scripp’s Then
at the base of the ocean food chain, will have trouble and Now maps online at http://coastalchange.ucsd.edu/
forming their shells, without which they cannot survive or st1_thenandnow/index.html.
reproduce. If the base of the marine food chain collapses,
all species connected to it could disappear, or, at the very Teaching
least, suffer massive population reductions. Research on
some other species shows that decreased pH has little-to-
Tip
no impact on their shell formation. As a result, scientists
A simple way to demonstrate how water can absorb
are still debating and researching what ocean acidification
carbon dioxide is to have students exhale repeatedly
will mean for the future health of the ocean and humanity.
through a straw into a lidded cup of water. Have them
This important new area of research will need many new
check the pH of the water before they begin blowing
scientists to study the issues and propose solutions.
and then again after 2–3 minutes, and again after
5–6 minutes. Have them see how quickly they are able
Warming Oceans. to change the pH of their water. To demonstrate the
As Earth’s atmosphere warms, the surface temperatures
relationship between acidity and its ability to dissolve
of the ocean are warming. In turn, the warming water
chalk, you can use cups or beakers of water at varying
melts icebergs, ice shelves, and glacial ice. As ice on
acidities (this can be accomplished by blowing into the cups
land melts and runs into the sea, and water in the ocean
as previously shown or by adding vinegar), and placing a
expands as it warms, global sea-level rises. Though
small piece of chalk or a small shell into each cup. Have
different stretches of land are slowly rising or subsiding
students record how quickly or slowly the chalk dissolves at
along coastlines around the world, overall, satellites have
each pH level. (Note: To ensure proper hygiene, have each
detected that global sea level is rising.
student use a separate straw to blow into the cups).

74 Modeling the Impacts of Climate Change

 OCEAN CONVEYOR BELT

The ocean is in constant motion, driven by surface winds and controlled by water temperature and density. Great
landmasses guide the direction of water movement, creating an enormous conveyor-belt effect.

Ocean Circulation. melting ice adding low-density freshwater to the North

Along with global winds and our planet’s rotation, ocean Atlantic in the location where salty water normally sinks.
circulation is driven by differences in the density of its Scientists are watching for signs that this process might
waters. The density of any volume of ocean water depends slow the ocean conveyor belt. Because ocean currents have
upon how much salt is dissolved in it (a measure called a large influence on climate patterns around the world,
salinity) and its temperature. Freshwater, which contains a slowing of the ocean conveyor belt could have major
only a trace of dissolved minerals, is less dense than salt impacts on global weather and temperature patterns.
water. Water with a higher salinity (greater saltiness)
or colder temperature is denser than water with a lower Impacts on Ocean Biodiversity.
salinity (less saltiness) or warmer temperature. Dense Like plants and animals on land, marine organisms
water tends to sink below water that is less dense, and this all have a specific range of conditions in which they can
helps to move ocean water around our planet. live. Changes in temperature, salinity, currents, and pH
Scientists refer to the continuous stream of water (ocean acidification) are changing where species can
circulating throughout the ocean basins as the ocean thrive and survive. Some organisms, such as plankton, are
conveyor belt. In the Atlantic Basin, as water warms at the being found in new locations where they were not found
Equator, it evaporates, leaving saltier water behind. This in the past. Such changes in plankton distribution and
water moves north along the east coast of North America abundances can impact the entire food chain. Even whales
in the Gulf Stream. The cooler Arctic air in the North are not immune to the influence of global climate change.
Atlantic then chills the salty water. This water, now being Whether changes in their distribution are due to changing
colder and saltier and, therefore, denser, sinks—driving currents and ocean temperatures or changing patterns of
water back toward the Equator where the process starts food availability (or some other cause, not yet discovered)
over. Similar processes also occur in the Pacific and Indian is unknown, but migration patterns of Pacific gray whales
Oceans, moving water through all the ocean basins. and blue whales seem to be changing.
When ice on Greenland melts, freshwater runs into the Gray whales are leaving Arctic waters later than usual for
ocean. Scientists are worried about the impact of this their long haul to the warm waters off Baja California, and

Modeling the Impacts of Climate Change 75

 Bleaching is not the only risk related to climate change
for coral reefs. Rising ocean temperatures may also enable
or encourage the growth of bacteria and viruses that can
In water warmer than 86°F (30°C), corals expel their adversely affect reef health. In an increasingly acidic ocean,
algae, which causes them to look white. This is models also predict that corals will have trouble getting
known as coral bleaching. enough calcium carbonate from sea water to grow their
returning to the Arctic later as well. Scientists who study skeletons. Additionally, as Earth’s ice melts and sea levels
gray whales are accumulating evidence that seems to rise, the corals may be covered by too much water to
indicate that the whales are not able to find enough food survive. Models show that an ocean temperature increase
in the formerly food-rich, Arctic waters. Additionally, aerial of 3.6°F (2°C), is enough to wipe out the world’s coral
photography shows the whales may be thinner than usual reefs, if they cannot adapt to changing conditions. As 25
as they are returning to Baja California. Migration patterns percent of all marine species are estimated to spend some
of blue whales, the largest creatures on Earth, seem to be part of their life in a coral reef (especially while they are
changing as well: They may be increasing their range in young and vulnerable to predators), the loss of reefs could
search for food. These data are all preliminary and not well have devastating impacts to the ocean food web, fish
explored. Adding further uncertainty to the conclusions populations, and ocean-based foods caught around the
is that whales were hunted almost to extinction in the world.
last century, and they were not well studied before their Not all ocean species are being negatively affected by
huge population declines. It could be that they are re- global climate change. One marine species that seems
establishing former migration patterns or responding to to be benefitting from climate change is the Humboldt
more local environmental events. The issue of the impact squid. Once rare north of San Diego, this species is now
of global climate change on the great whales is also the sighted regularly as far north as Alaska. Preliminary
tale for many other species; we didn’t learn enough about studies indicate that the Humboldt squid may be taking
them before global climate change began to impact the advantage of warming waters associated with global
planet, so it is difficult to interpret if or how they have been climate change, as they have a relatively low tolerance for
affected by current conditions. cold waters.
One type of organism that could be viewed as a “canary The range of the Humboldt squid may be changing as
in the coal mine” for global change is reef-building coral. our ocean warms, thus benefiting from changing climate
Scientists have been documenting the decline of coral reefs conditions. To learn more about the Humboldt squid, See
lesson 1 in http://www.calepa.ca.gov/Education/EEI/
worldwide for several decades. While corals are stressed
Curriculum/Grade04/42b/42bSW.pdf.
by a number of factors, including pollution, overfishing,
and unsustainable fishing methods, the warming ocean
is now the biggest survival challenge they face. Many
corals contain microscopic algae that give the coral their
color and provide food (sugars) for the coral through
photosynthesis. When ocean water becomes too warm,
however, corals sometimes expel their algae. Loss of the
algae leaves the coral looking white, hence the term coral
bleaching. Without the sugars from the algae, corals don’t
receive as much food, and they can die.

76 Modeling the Impacts of Climate Change

 Climate and the Ocean

S
tudents’ understanding of global climate change as it relates to the ocean is tightly coupled with their
understanding of the ocean itself. While students are often excited and engaged when learning about the
ocean, they can still harbor misconceptions and misunderstandings about the ocean that can hinder their
ability to grasp what the ocean has to do with global climate change.

Common Student Ideas Scientific Concept

Temperature The ocean is already a warm When students go swimming at the ocean, they usually
place so global climate change stay in warm near-shore areas, but the majority of
is going to lead to it becoming the ocean is relatively cold. If global climate change
really hot, maybe even boiling. warms the ocean by just a few degrees, marine life will
experience major disruptions.

Biodiversity If global climate change Studies are already showing that some species will
happens, all the animals in thrive under the new conditions, especially gelatinous
the ocean will die. animals.

Currents Currents will be the same; Many currents are driven by temperature, salinity, and
they’ll just be warmer. density differences. A changing climate can alter all of
these, thereby altering the currents.

Migration Animals can just move Some ocean animals are capable of migrating to new
someplace new if the ocean ranges but not all of them. Some animals are sedentary
gets too hot or there isn’t (don’t move) as adults. It might take those species a
enough food. while to adjust, as their larva are the ones helping to
expand their range.

Adaptation Animals can just get used to Adaptation and evolution do not happen in a single
changing conditions, or they will generation, neither are they guaranteed to occur
evolve to be able to survive. just because the environmental conditions change.
Organisms need to have the genes for advantageous
characteristics in order to survive changing conditions.

Ask Your Students

What could happen to marine life if the ocean environment changes? Why do you think this may happen?

If cold, dense freshwater enters the ocean from melting polar ice, how could this change our ocean currents?

How long does it take for an organism to adapt to changes in the ocean environment?

Please see “One Ocean: A Guide to Teaching the Ocean in Grades 3 to 8” for more information about student
understanding of the ocean.

Modeling the Impacts of Climate Change 77

 Melting Ice on Earth

W
arming oceans and air temperatures are in the Arctic and at lower latitudes, including glaciers
causing ice on Earth to melt. The impact throughout Alaska, Colorado, Montana, and other U.S.
is being felt at the Poles more than in any states. Some scientists estimate that the glaciers of
other location. When one looks at a globe, the Poles are Glacier National Park, a place so unique and precious it
easily distinguished by the white color that represents was given protection by the National Park Service, could
the ice and snow found in these locations. However, the mostly be gone as early as 2020.
average amount of ice and snow has been reduced over Many species depend on Arctic sea ice for their
the past few decades. Most of the ice in the Arctic is survival. One species whose reliance upon sea ice has
present as sea ice, ice shelves (ice attached to the land made them important symbols of global climate
and jutting out to sea), glaciers, and in Greenland’s ice change is the polar bear. The polar bear uses sea ice
sheet. The continent of Antarctica has even more ice: as a platform for hunting and migration, and the
it is covered by a thick ice sheet and has several large ice snowpack on land for building dens and raising their
shelves. young. A lack of sea ice may lead to polar bears
having difficulty locating food, underfed mothers
Northern Ice giving birth to lower weight babies, and an inability to
In winter, ever since humans began monitoring it, the reach birthing dens. These factors put the continued
surface of the Arctic sea has developed a covering of ice survival of polar bears at risk: Some scientists estimate
from the north edge of North America to the north edge that two-thirds of all polar bears could be gone by 2050
of Europe and Asia. This ice is very similar to the ice that if current trends continue. On the other hand, there
forms on freshwater lakes and ponds during cold winters are several different populations of polar bears, and
in other parts of the world. Every summer, this ice melts some are less susceptible to global climate-change
back a bit. The area teams with life at this time, with impacts than others. Walrus and narwhals are two
animals swimming through and using remaining chunks other species whose reliance upon sea ice also puts
of floating ice as platforms for resting or hunting. During them at risk for extreme population losses as Arctic sea
this time, ships also move through the region to avoid ice decreases.
taking a longer trip around continents.
Arctic sea ice reaches its maximum area, or extent, at Greenland Ice
the end of winter, generally during March of each year. Greenland is covered by an ice sheet that is thousands
After melting through the summer months, it reaches of feet thick. Radar measurements that can “look”
its minimum extent in September. Since 1979, when through the ice show that the land below the ice is a high
satellite coverage first allowed scientists to measure plain, ringed by coastal mountains. Over the past 15
the area covered by ice, the September minimum has years, the average winter temperature of Greenland has
been reduced by at least 10 percent per decade. Year-to- increased by 11°F (6° C). As the surface of the ice sheet
year fluctuations in sea ice extent depend on weather begins to melt at these warmer temperatures, water
systems over the Arctic. However, the long-term trend of flows across the surface and into the sea or melts its way
decreasing ice may indicate that global climate is warming. down to bedrock and acts as a lubricant, enabling ice to
Models predict that the Arctic could become essentially slide downhill toward the sea. All the water and ice that
ice-free during the summer within a few decades. flows off of Greenland contribute to global sea-level
Ice on land has also been disappearing from the Arctic. rise. Should the entire Greenland Ice Sheet melt, models
Warming temperatures are causing the melt of glaciers predict that global sea level will rise 23 feet (7 meters).

78 Modeling the Impacts of Climate Change

These NASA Landsat images show the break up of the Larsen B ice shelf. Images were taken from January 2000 to
February 2002 (chronologically left to right).

Antarctic Ice Melting Permafrost

The majority of the southern polar region, the Antarctic, A unique ecosystem is found in the Arctic, known as the
is frozen. Unlike the Arctic, however, the Antarctic has a Arctic tundra. Low-growing mosses, lichens, and shrubs, as
base of land—the continent of Antarctica. Antarctica is well as frozen layers of soil called permafrost, characterize
covered with ice, divided by a mountain range into two this ecosystem. Permafrost is just like it sounds—
separate ice sheets—the East Antarctica Ice Sheet and the permanent frost or a permanent frozen condition of the
West Antarctica Ice Sheet. The continent is surrounded ground or at least frozen solid for two years at a time. In
by sea ice that expands dramatically during the Southern the summer, the surface soil often thaws, but the deeper
Hemisphere’s winter, then melts back again when spring layers of soil remain frozen year-round.
arrives. The ice on Antarctica holds 70 percent of the The roads and buildings erected on the tundra of
planet’s freshwater. The East Antarctica Ice Sheet covers Canada, Russia, and Alaska were engineered to sit
the continent with ice that is up to 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) upon this permafrost. As the planet warms, however,
thick. In the unlikely event that the East Antarctica Ice the permafrost is thawing. As the permafrost melts,
Sheet would melt, it would raise sea level by more than 160 the structural integrity of buildings and roads are at
feet (50 meters)! The West Antarctica Ice Sheet is actually risk. Scientists, engineers, and government officials are
resting upon the rocky bottom of what was once a shallow concerned that the melting permafrost could lead to
sea basin. Scientists predict that if it should melt, it would the collapse of buildings and breakdown of roads and
raise sea level approximately 20 feet (6 meters). highways, as well as damage runways and sewer and
Ice shelves and sea ice surround the continent. The ice water pipes. Additionally, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline that
shelves are often so thick it is difficult to differentiate them carries petroleum drilled from the North Slope of Alaska is
from ice that is on the land. Satellite images of one ice at risk because its base sits upon permafrost. Another risk
shelf, known as Larsen B, showed that the ice was breaking with loss of permafrost is erosion. Frozen soils are resistant
apart into icebergs. Scientists thought the complete to coastal erosion, but when they thaw and become softer,
breakdown of the shelf would take years, so they were more of the Arctic coast may be washed away.
shocked to see that it broke up over a matter of weeks The Arctic tundra is home to a variety of plants and
beginning in February of 2002. Scientists determined that animals specifically adapted to this habitat. As the tundra
Larsen B had been riddled with cracks and crevasses, as warms, the forests of the Northern Hemisphere are able to
well as melting from below. As Larsen B broke up, scientists grow north of their former range. As the tundra disappears,
also became aware of the important role this ice shelf was so does the habitat of many animals such as the caribou.
serving: It was acting as a dam, holding back neighboring Birds also visit this area during the spring and summer to
glaciers and keeping them from creeping ever closer to the nest and eat in the insect-rich region. Melting permafrost
ocean. Without the ice shelf, glacial ice was measured to be and disappearing tundra could have major implications for
moving toward the sea eight times faster than before! hundreds of species and their food webs.

Modeling the Impacts of Climate Change 79

 Ice and Climate Change

U
nderstanding life at the Poles can be challenging for
students. Few will ever see the Arctic or Antarctica,
and popular media is often full of confusing imagery
about these far away places. Additionally, when it comes to
understanding global climate change and its effect on these
habitats, students can become easily overwhelmed by the
thought of losing something they have never seen. When
teaching about the polar regions, you can help students by
focusing on prior knowledge using a KWL (Know, Want to
Know, Learned) Chart or a Venn Diagram to compare the
polar regions.

Common Student Ideas Scientific Concept

Life at Polar bears are dying because Polar bears are found only in the Northern Hemisphere;
the Poles they can’t find enough food to penguins are found in the Southern Hemisphere (note
eat, like penguins. Both polar that one species of penguin is found in the Northern
bears and penguins live in the Hemisphere on the Galapagos Islands, which is near
same area. the equator). Both penguin and polar-bear populations
will be affected by global climate change, but the two
animals are not directly linked.

North Pole The North Pole will disappear if There is no land at the North Pole, only ocean that
the sea ice all melts. is currently covered by floating ice. The North Pole
is defined by the movement of Earth and its axis of
rotation and will still be the North Pole even if the ice
melts.

Global Ice When the water warms up the As the ocean’s temperature warms, some of the ice will
ice all melts. melt, but not evenly.

Melting Ice When ice melts, sea level in the Sea ice melting in the Arctic Ocean Basin will have
ocean will rise. minimal effect on sea level rise compared to melting ice
sheets on Greenland and Antarctica, which will have
significant influence on sea level rise.

Ask Your Students

Can you find polar bears and penguins in the same habitat?

If all the ice melts in the North Pole, will the North Pole be gone? Why or why not?

Will melting ice from Antarctica affect the ocean the same as melting ice from the Arctic?

80 Modeling the Impacts of Climate Change

 Melting Ice

S
tudents have likely heard about melting polar ice and threats to
polar wildlife caused by climate change. In the last decade, we have
witnessed unprecedented melting of our polar ice. Data from NASA
scientists show that Arctic sea ice has decreased substantially from the
long-term average, and Antarctica is also losing ice mass in certain regions,
although there is more uncertainty about Antarctic melting compared to
Arctic melting (for more information visit http://climate.nasa.gov/). Students
may have questions about what will happen as this ice melts and enters other
systems on Earth.

Students: Grade 8
Classroom Context
Location: San Marcos, California
Ms. Brice taught an extensive unit on climate change to her eighth-grade
(a coastal community)
students; content especially focused on current research on changes in the
Goal of Video: The purpose of
ocean system. This lesson was the first in the unit on melting polar ice. The
watching this video is to listen to
interviews occurred only two days after the lesson. student ideas about melting ice in
different polar regions and outcomes
Video Analysis of melting ice on the ocean and
climate.
In this video students are wrestling with possible outcomes of melting polar
ice. As polar ice caps melt, scientists are concerned with outcomes of cold,
freshwater entering our ocean and how this will impact sea level and ocean currents. Ice in the arctic is mostly sea
ice (save the massive ice sheet covering Greenland). The ice in Antarctica is mostly covering land. The melting of
ice on land will influence sea level far more than melting sea ice, which will have little to no impact on sea level..
But the melting of sea ice in the Arctic has another disturbing consequence—the potential to change, or halt,
our ocean currents as dense, cold, freshwater enters our northern ocean (read more at http://science.nasa.gov/
science-news/science-at-nasa/2004/05mar_arctic/). Changing water temperature, chemistry, and density from
melting polar ice may impact our ocean currents, which could also affect the movement of air masses, especially
in the northern Atlantic. In this video, Ms. Brice teaches about the difference between melting sea ice in the Arctic
compared to melting ice sheets on Greenland and Antarctica. The class talks about the percentage of an iceberg
that is visible above sea level. After some discussion, the class agrees that the answer is approximately 10 percent.
Once the class has understood the concept of sea ice versus ice on land melting, students explain the possible
consequences of melting ice in their interviews. The class then discusses what will happen if cold, dense water
enters the ocean. Listen as students describe the possibility of another ice age. What did they understand and not
understand from the classroom discussions?

Reflect
What would be your next step to teach about melting ice and the ocean system?
What did students seem to understand and not understand during their interviews? What were the most
important misconceptions? Given that these students have had some, but limited, discussion on the topic, what
additional activities and discussions could you do with students?

Modeling the Impacts of Climate Change 81

 What About Freshwater?
snowpack melts, the water runs downhill
over time, moving through the watershed
where it can be utilized for agriculture,
business, and household needs. In many
areas, the winter months already see
plentiful precipitation, while the spring and
summer can be drier. The melting snowpack
is an important water source during those
times. If precipitation falls as rain instead
of snow in these mountain regions, it will
flow downstream, and won’t be available
in later times of need. This problem could
be devastating to many states, especially
California, where the primary source of
water in the state is the snowpack of the
Northern Sierras. Southern California
already faces water shortage issues—should

S
ome basic physical principles that are the snowpack disappear, this situation could worsen.
incorporated into global climate models are Additionally, the lack of water, combined with warming
relatively easy to understand. One of these is trends and possible droughts, may also increase the
that warm air can hold more water vapor than cool air. likelihood of a greater number of wildfires.
Because warm air can hold more moisture than cool Agriculture is also at risk from global climate change.
air, the climate along the Equator, where the sun’s rays Many crops are grown in a particular location due
are most direct, tends to be warm and wet. Conversely, to their need for a particular temperature or rainfall
climate at the Poles tends to be cold and dry. Following amount. Farmers have determined over time where and
that warm air can hold more moisture than cool air, when to plant particular species. As rainfall patterns and
models predict that increases in air temperature will temperatures change, some crops may not be able to
bring more frequent episodes of heavy precipitation. grow in areas where they have been raised in the past.
However, rainfall amounts aren’t expected to increase Warming temperatures also favor an increase in insects
evenly across the planet; instead, models project that that can damage crops; these can be difficult to manage
most of the areas with traditionally arid climates will without the use of toxic pesticides. Increased carbon
become even drier, and areas with wet climates will dioxide in the atmosphere also seems to encourage the
become wetter. Overall, regions are expected to see growth of certain classes of plants, most commonly
increases in extreme weather events such as droughts known as weeds. In California, agriculture is a $30 billion
and floods. industry that directly employs more than one million
In a warming climate, more and more of the people and grows more than half of the nation’s fruits
precipitation that falls will arrive as rain instead of snow, and vegetables. The agricultural industry will need to be
especially in the mountain regions. When snow falls ready to adapt to the consequences of global climate
in the mountains, it creates a free and easy method change, or it could experience huge economic impacts
of storing water. In the spring and summer, as the that could ripple through the entire U.S. economy.

82 Modeling the Impacts of Climate Change

 Surviving Climate Change

W
hen students are asked about who will be affected by climate
change, most will mention the polar bear. The polar bear has
become the iconic species impacted by climate change. Videos
show polar bears swimming for miles between sea ice in order to find food for
survival, and students have likely heard stories about declines in polar bear
populations. Students are less aware of threats to other species. In fact, they
likely know very little about how their own local plant and animal species
populations are changing.

Classroom Context Students: Grade 8

Ms. Brice’s students are finishing their unit on climate change and reviewing
Location: San Marcos, California
key concepts during small-group discussions. Each small group will then
(a coastal community)
present a question and their ideas to the whole group for discussion.
Goal of Video: The purpose of
watching this video is to see students
Video Analysis discuss how organisms will survive or
This video examines student ideas about adaptation and survival in changing perish in climate change.
climates. Although students know that plants and animals are adapted to
particular environments, they likely know less about how those species came to be so well-suited to their habitat.
The process of evolution describes how a population changes over time through natural selection. A species today
is adapted to its environment because the species successfully survived and reproduced over thousands to millions
of years. Time span is an important element of plant and animal survival, yet many students (as you see in the
video) believe that organisms can choose to change or that changes come naturally within an organism’s lifetime.
While humans have the ability to survive in many diverse habitats, many plants and animal species are adapted
to a specific habitat, and even the smallest of changes influences their ability to reproduce. When the change is
slow, a subset of the population can continue to reproduce because they have favorable traits. When the change
is abrupt, plants and animals cannot simply adapt because they have the will to do so. Extinction is the result of
a species’ inability to cope with a changing environment. In the first part of the video, students are interviewed
about how climate change will affect life on Earth, and you will hear students mention that animals may struggle
to survive. Hailey first asserts that climate change will affect living organisms but is not sure why. During the
small-group discussion, students talk about how plants and animals are just born with their adaptations but
eventually come to the conclusion that adaptation came through their “ancestors.” The discussion ends with the
idea that plants and animals will have to adapt quickly to climate change or they will go extinct. Marc proposes
that polar bears will need to lose fur to live in warmer climates.

Reflect
How would you respond to student misconceptions about adaptation?
These eighth-grade students seem confused about the time it takes for a population to change with a changing
climate. While they seem to understand that organisms today inherit adaptations from ancestors, they also
believe that individual organisms can choose to adapt to climate change within short periods. What are the
concepts that students do not seem to understand, and what concepts do they mention that would be helpful for
them to know? How would you teach these concepts?

Modeling the Impacts of Climate Change 83

 Species Coping With Change

I
n each of the previous case studies, we touched and returning north at earlier dates. Due to their early
upon some species currently being affected by return, they are also nesting and laying eggs earlier in
climate change, but there are many others. Animals the springtime. Scientists are concerned about these
that are experiencing the most negative effects of earlier migrations and chick-hatching dates; this can
climate change are birds, butterflies, and amphibians, put birds out of synch with populations of insects (food
especially frogs. Plants are also showing changes that for the birds) that take their timing cues for hatching
result from increasing global temperatures. or metamorphosing from the length of day or night.
Many species of trees and flowers are coming out While global climate change is altering a number of
of their winter dormant period earlier than in the past, systems on our planet, it will not alter the length of our
due to warm temperatures arriving earlier in the year. days and nights. The mismatch in timing may reduce
Populations of organisms in food webs that feed on these the availability of food for birds, ultimately having a
plants could be affected by this change. Additionally, negative impact on bird populations.
many species are budding and blooming several days Butterflies are often sensitive to temperature change.
earlier than in the past. While this might not seem like Most cannot handle temperature extremes: many of
much, their flowers only last for a finite period. In the case them hibernate, lay eggs, or pupate during the coldest
of many plants, they may be blooming out of synch with or warmest months. As temperatures have increased,
the arrival or maturation of their pollinators, which could some species of butterfly have moved farther north to
have a negative effect on their continued survival. continue to live in their traditional temperature range.
Additionally, some populations of migratory birds are Other butterflies have moved higher in elevation to
threatened by the loss of permafrost and Arctic tundra reach cooler climates, as shown in a recent study that
habitat for nesting. Often birds take their migration documented the change in range of a North American
cues from temperature. As the planet has warmed, butterfly species known as Edith’s Checkerspot
warm temperatures come earlier than in the past, and (Euphydryas editha). In some locations for some species,
some birds are leaving their winter feeding grounds however, there is no higher elevation to climb. Butterflies
are not the only species to shift their range to inhabit
cooler climates. A 2003 study showed that some species
of plants and animals have shifted toward the Poles
at an average speed of four miles (six kilometers) per
decade since 1950.
Temperature-sensitive mountain species of mammals
from marmot to pika are also seeing the impact of a
warming planet. In the case of the pika, a species of
alpine rodents whose closest relatives are rabbits and
hares, 7 out of 25 populations known from the 1930s
had gone extinct when their ranges were resurveyed
in 2003. Experiments have shown this animal to be
so sensitive to warming that after a mere half-hour
Warming temperatures disrupt bird migration,
nesting, and hatching, potentially putting birds out exposure to temperatures of 88°F (31°C), an adult pika
of synch with the populations of their food sources. could die from heat.

84 Modeling the Impacts of Climate Change

 El Niño, which is a shorter term change in the environment,
think about how other organisms could be affected by long-
term climate change.
During the first global survey of amphibians in 2004, more
than 6,000 species were described—a third of them were
threatened with extinction. Many amphibians are suffering
from the effects of habitat degradation and pollution,
and global climate change exacerbates these problems. In
The Monteverde golden toad was a species once found
in the cloud forests of Costa Rica but perished due to a some species, such as the Monteverde golden toad, a slight
changing environment. change in the environment is enough to dry up their habitats
for mating, egg laying, and tadpole ponds or generally alter
One of the first confirmed species to disappear due their habitat beyond conditions that they can survive.
to changing environments is known as the Monteverde Some species may be able to survive and thrive in a
golden toad. First described and discovered by scientists changing climate, while others will not be able to adapt as
in 1966, this toad was found in the Monteverde Cloud quickly. Humans have the advantage of being capable of
Forest of Costa Rica. The well-studied species disappeared moving away from unfavorable conditions and insulating
as a warming climate caused the mists of the cloud forest ourselves from many of them. Many other species
to move above the tree line. Without the moisture of the on Earth will be left to face the new conditions. Models
mists, the frog could not survive, and the last of its kind, a on how changing populations and food webs will
lone male, was seen in 1989. impact entire ecosystems in the future are just being
More recent studies theorize that this species was developed. For many species, it will be a matter of wait-
actually a victim of El Niño, which alters local weather for and-see to distinguish which species will survive on our
months to years (Curry 2010). If this species perished due to changing planet.

Teaching
Tip
Students don’t need to wait to graduate from college or even high school to help scientists track trends in animal
sightings across the nation. Several citizen or community science projects enable even the novice to collect data.
The Great Backyard Bird Count is a great way to get students involved. Sponsored by the Audubon Society and the
Cornell Lab of Ornithology in the United States and by Canadian Partner Bird Studies in Canada, the count is held in
February of each year, with people all over North America counting the birds they see in their backyard, schoolyard,
or local park. At the end of the count, each participant enters the data online to help create one of the largest
birdcount databases in world. The compiled data helps scientists gain a better grasp of how global climate change
is impacting birds and their migration patterns. Often times, local Audubon Society Chapters, Wild Birds Unlimited
stores, or ornithology clubs will come to classrooms to help students learn the basics of birding before the big count.
For more information, check out: http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/ or http://conservation.audubon.org/programs/
great-backyard-bird-count.

Modeling the Impacts of Climate Change 85

 The Human Impact The possible increase in spreading of are changing, and projections from
Humans will probably see a variety of mosquito-transmitted illnesses is one models indicate that conditions will
impacts from global climate change­­— example of a public health risk related to continue to change. Even though
from changing weather and food global climate change impacts. current models will change or different
supplies to changing land use and models will produce slightly different
changes in water supply. Scientists Models Are Science results, it does not mean we should
and government officials both predict in Action dismiss all projections from models. An
that those people who are at a socio- One of the most important things anecdote that illustrates this relates to
economic disadvantage will experience to know about models is that they our understanding of the solar system:
more negative impacts than those who represent science in action. They When Copernicus first proposed that
are insulated by wealth. For example, embody the best information available Earth and the other planets revolved
fresh, clean drinking water is more at the time they are created. As new around the sun—as opposed to the
readily available to people who can information comes to light over time prevailing theory of the time that Earth
afford clean or bottled water. As dry and new data and technology become was the center of the galaxy— he listed
areas become drier as a result of climate available, models can, and probably only six planets in the solar system.
change, access to water will be more will, change. This does not mean that Most students understand that, although
limited in those places. results from earlier versions of the we have discovered more planets since
In contrast, diseases such as malaria model should be considered wrong; it that time, our new knowledge does not
and West Nile virus that are spread by just means they were based on the best mean that Copernicus was wrong. This
infected mosquitoes do not discriminate science possible at the time. story can help students understand
based on wealth. Some models predict What is certain is that things will how science advances and how models
that more mosquitoes will thrive in the continue to change. Observational can build our understanding of global
warmer, wetter climates of our future. data confirm that climate conditions climate change.

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Modeling the Impacts of Climate Change 87

 Credits
Editing Credits
Instructional Editor Lindsey Mohan, Ph.D. / National Geographic Society
Kristin M. Dell, B.A. / National Geographic Society
Copy Editor Kate Matracia / NounSense

Design Credits
Art Direction and Design Cindy Olson

Content and Educational Writers

EEI Introduction Kristin M. Dell, B.A.
Climate Introduction Marcia S. Matz, M.A.
Chapter 1 Lindsey Mohan, Ph.D.
Jenny D. Ingber, Ph.D.
Chapter 2 Lindsey Mohan, Ph.D.
Jenny D. Ingber, Ph.D.
Chapter 3 Nicole D. LaDue, M.A.T
Lindsey Mohan, Ph.D.
Chapter 4 Nicole D. LaDue, M.A.T
Lindsey Mohan, Ph.D.
Chapter 5 Tara G. Treiber, B.A.
Chapter 6 Jose Marcos-Iga, Ph.D.
Tania T. Hinojosa, M.E.T.

Content and Educational Reviewers

Reviewers Jenny D. Ingber, Ph.D.
LuAnn Dahlman, B.S.
Tara G. Treiber, B.A. / Heal the Bay
Catie Boarts, M.A. / Heal the Bay
Kristin M. Dell, B.A. / National Geographic Society

Video Production Credits

Director and Producer Lindsey Mohan / National Geographic Society
Associate Producer Alison Michel / National Geographic Society
Videographers Laleh Soomekh
Kathy Huang / Kathy Huang Films
Production Sound Mixer Don Hale / Don Hale Production Sound
Editor Rachel Dwiggins / National Geographic Society
Natalie Hays Stewart / National Geographic Society
Production Consulting Nicholas Blewitt / National Geographic Society
Field Assistance Emily M. Schell / National Geographic Society
Stock Footage Kuna Malik Hamad

Credits
Illustration Credits
Page 75 by Gary Hincks and reprinted with permission from the book
Ocean: An Illustrated Atlas. Copyright ©2009 National Geographic Society.

Photo, Graphic, and Map Credits

Chapter 5
Page 70 Guy Dupuis
Page 72 NOAA / National Climatic Data Center (NCDC)
Page 73 Russ Hopcroft, UAF / NOAA
Page 73 Serge Freeman
Page 74 Michael Melford / National Geographic Stock
Page 76 Andy Bruckner / NOAA / National Marine Fisheries Service
Page 76 Brian J. Skerry / National Geographic Stock
Page 79 NASA / National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC)
Page 80 Rosemary Rust
Page 81 National Geographic Education Programs (NGEP)
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Page 84 Iryna Lannom
Page 85 Michael and Patricia Fogden / Minden Pictures / National Geographic Stock

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