Climate Change Expedition

What To Do

Activity Prep

• Print Climate or Weather? worksheet (1 per student), Ice Core worksheet (1 per student) and Risk Assessment worksheet (1 per student). 
• Draw a blank graph on the classroom board for Activity 1A- Climate or Weather, with the date on the x-axis and average annual temperature on the y-axis. 

Introduction

• Introduce the three main factors that contribute to weather: sun, air and water.
• Ask students how the sun affects the weather.
  • The sun provides heat and light. 
  • The sun provides energy.
  • The sun powers the water cycle.
• Either show the PowerPoint slide of the water cycle or draw it on the board as you talk about the different steps.
• Explain the water cycle in terms of evaporation, condensation and precipitation. Ask the class to identify the three spheres involved in the water cycle.
  • Atmosphere (air surrounding the planet)
  • Lithosphere (the ground)
  • Hydrosphere (all water on/under the surface of the Earth)
• Define climate and weather.
  • Discuss the climate in their community and compare it to other regions in Canada such as the Arctic or the equator. 
• Discuss the different types of data scientists use to study climate. 
• Explain how the cryosphere (includes many components that make up the Arctic environment) is very sensitive to the effects of climate change. Today they will be looking at data collected from Arctic research stations to observe if the data supports a changing climate. 

Activity 1: Research Centre

• Separate students into groups of 3 to 4. Each group should have a calculator, a laminated Arctic map grid and a washable marker.
• Explain the scenario: they are scientists that will be undergoing an important expedition in the Arctic to find a safe place to build a long-term research centre. 
• Show a map of Canada (on PowerPoint) highlighting Cambridge Bay. 
• The coloured squares on the Arctic maps represent:
  • Light blue: water that may or may not be frozen
  • Dark blue: open water
  • Brown: land mass 
  • White: Frozen ice patches
• Have students predict a location on the map to build their research facility before receiving any scientific data or evidence of climate change. Students will mark this location on their map.

Activity 1A: Climate or Weather?

• Give each group a bag containing 12 weather data chips, Climate or Weather? task card and Climate or Weather? worksheet. 
  • Each bag represents the weather for one year ranging between 1954-2013 (indicated by the colour of the chips).
• Students will remove the weather chips out of the bag and record the temperature from each chip on their worksheet. 
• As the students work through the data, draw a blank graph on the classroom board.
• Students will decide what the average weather event was and calculate the average temperature for that time.
• Ask students if this activity is an example of weather or climate. Is any one bag enough data to determine a climate?
• Have one person from each group record their calculated average temperature for their year on the graph drawn on the classroom board.
  • The end result should be a graph containing the average annual temperature over 70 years. 
• Display the weather graphics alongside the laminated map of the Arctic. Ask the following questions:
  • Is this enough data to determine the area for the new Arctic research site?
  • Does this graph contain enough data to identify a climate?
  • What is the overall trend on the graph? Is it changing? Do you see any outliers?

Activity 1B: Sea Ice Extent

• Begin by showing Ice Thickness vs Date plot on PowerPoint slide.
• Point to where the ice breaks and ice forms on the plot. 
• Have students analyze the data for a few minutes- is there a trend?
  • If they say that the data trends downwards- discuss the amount of data present and if it is enough to be confident in that trend.
  • If they say that they notice that each year is different but similar- discuss the variability in weather when it comes to climate. 
• Ask “what do the smaller and narrower peaks represent?”.
  • Small peaks represent thinner ice.
  • Narrow peaks represent a short freeze and thaw season.
  • It’s rare to see tall, short peaks because that would represent very thick ice being formed in a short amount of time- it takes time for ice to form.
• Draw a bell curve on the classroom board and use two different coloured markers to show the difference in freezing (slow and gradual) and thawing (quick and steep). 
• Discuss temperature and its role in the freeze/thaw cycle (feedback loop).
• Refer back to the student’s map. Let them know that the map represents a winter month. 
• Based on that knowledge, students will begin to cross off squares on their map that it would be unsafe or not ideal to put the new research center. 
  • Students should mark off the light blue squares (seasonal ice), dark blue squares (open water) and brown squares (land, because it would make travelling tricky).
• Tell students that an elder from a nearby Indigenous community is able to provide local knowledge of the arctic. Ask “Why is it important to connect with local people and Indigenous communities? What kind of knowledge can they provide?”.
• Hand each group a large map and ice extent pieces from 1970 and 2018. 
  • The red dots are a point of reference to connect the pieces together. They do not specify the ideal location of the research centre.
• Have students compare the sea ice extent pieces from 1970 to 2018. 
• Students will predict what the ice extent will look like in 2030 by drawing the shape of the ice on the 2018 ice piece. 
• Hand out the 2030 ice piece to each group. Allow students to compare the scientist’s predictions to their own predictions. 
• Repeat this for the years 2050 and 2100.
• Have students place the circle representing sea ice in 2100 over the map again and cross off any corresponding sections that fall outside of the circle on their Arctic map.

Activity 1C: Ice Thickness

• Hand out the Ice Thickness task card and activity bag (including a ruler and the Ice Thickness worksheet) to each group. The 3D model should be set-up.
• Students will predict which core sample is the thickest and which is the thinnest without taking the pegs out of the 3D model.
• Afterwards, each group will measure each peg using a ruler. 
• They will record predictions and actual measurements on a piece of scrap paper. 
• Display the Ice Thickness graph (PowerPoint). 
• Allow groups to choose an area to build the research station. Did the location change from their original prediction?
• Once each group has chosen a location, let them know whether or not they have chosen the right location. 
  • Refer to the Ice Thickness Peg Sample Map, the area where peg samples 3-5 (or squares 7E, 8E and 8F) represents the ideal location to build a new research station.

Activity 2: Ice Cores

• Discuss some of the ways that climatologists (climate scientists) study climate change.
• Explain why scientists use ice to study the climate record.
  • Have students provide examples of different types of ice. Point out that ice can form differently so they contribute a different type of evidence for climate change.
• Show pictures of ice cores (PowerPoint) and point out where the oldest ice is located.
• Explain what scientists look for in the layers of ice.
  • Briefly mention greenhouse gases. Ask “what happens when the concentration of greenhouse gases increases?”.
• Show students a sample resin ice core. Each core is made up of 10 connected tubes. Demonstrate how to detach a tube from the core.
• Each tube represents a different layer of ice in the core over 1,000 years. The vials inside the tube represent what the ice layer looks like when it has been melted for analysis.
• Show students a sample vial.
• Hand out an Ice Core task card and a bag of 10 melted sample vials to each group, along with an Ice Core worksheet for each student.
• Instruct students to carefully observe the melted samples, looking for as many different materials and changes between the vials. 
• Students will answer the questions on the worksheet using the Ice Core task card and Ice Core information sheet.
• When the students are finished, have them put the ice core back together in the original order and place the melted sample vials back into the bag.
• Wrap up by discussing the impacts of global warming, the impact of melting sea ice, the importance of understanding the Earth’s climate history and ways to reduce your carbon footprint.

Activity 3: Climate Change Discussion

• Begin by asking students to share a way climate change has impacted their life.
• Show an image depicting the negative climate change impacts in Canada.
• Split the class into groups. Give each group a set of Risk Assessment task cards and each student a Risk Assessment worksheet. 
• Tell the class that they are going to analyze, assess and plan for the associated climate-related risks of one scenario.
•  After students have discussed these topics in their groups, briefly go through each scenario with the class and have the groups share their answers. 

Wrap-Up

• Show the time lapse video depicting the loss of Arctic Sea ice. 
• Review the impacts of climate change in terms of Arctic Sea ice by asking questions such as:
  • How does rising temperatures impact the ice cores/our ability to study the climate record?
  • How will it impact the Arctic and the weather where we live?
  • What will happen as sea levels rise?
• Ask students to share any other evidence that they have experienced due to climate change.
• Discuss possible careers related to the topics covered and what students would need to do (schooling, experience, etc...) to get into those careers.