CA Chem Inv 12
Page 1: Instructional Segment Overview
Title: The Chemistry of Climate Change
Key Questions:
Why are we seeing more extreme weather?
Define the context of the instructional content.
Page 2: Inquiry Launch
Observation: Image of a pedestrian in a blizzard.
Future Expectations:
Discuss how extreme weather events may differ in frequency and severity in the future.
Misconceptions: There's a common belief that cold weather events will reduce, but they're likely to increase.
Importance of understanding the factors leading to more extreme weather.
Page 3: Investigation Interaction
Online Engagement: Suggested activities to explore real-world phenomena.
Focus Topic: Investigate causes of drought in California through video content and worksheets.
Page 4: Investigative Phenomenon in California
Context: Regular drought occurrences in California are increasing in frequency and severity.
Reflection Questions:
Factors that may increase drought likelihood.
Causal connections between climate stability, feedback processes, and extreme event occurrences.
Page 5: Earth's Systems and Energy Flow
Key Concepts:
Interaction of various components such as solar radiation, evaporation, and geological processes.
Energy Sources:
Solar energy drives water cycles and weather.
Internal heat generation from radioactive decay drives geologic activity.
Page 6: Water in the Hydrosphere
Reservoirs of Water:
Different reservoirs with respective volumes and residence times.
Importance of freshwater in the context of human life and natural systems.
Overview of biogeochemical cycles, highlighting residence times and pathways for elements vital to life.
Page 7: The Water Cycle
Processes Involved:
Evaporation, condensation, precipitation, infiltration, and transpiration.
Driving Forces: Discuss sun’s energy and gravity in the water cycle.
Cycle Interactions: How human activity and environmental factors impact the cycle.
Page 8: Carbon Cycle Overview
Significance of Carbon: Central to life and Earth's ecosystems.
Photosynthesis Role: Approximately 550 billion tons of carbon stored in the biosphere.
Fossil fuels as historical carbon stores.
Carbon Reservoirs: Highlighting various forms (marine, atmosphere, vegetation, etc.) and their residence times.
Page 9: Carbon Cycle Dynamics
Comparative Analysis:
Different carbon reservoirs and their unique characteristics.
Processes affecting speed and storage in the carbon cycle.
Page 10: The Rock Cycle
Geologic Processes: Interaction between internal forces (tectonic movements) and external processes (erosion).
Rock Formation and Transformation: Defining igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic processes within the cycle.
Page 11: Cycling of Material in the Rock Cycle
Processes Explained: Melting, cooling, weathering, erosion, transportation, and lithification discussed.
Transformation Mechanism: Insight into how one rock type can become another through various geological processes.
Page 12: Feedback Mechanisms in Earth Systems
Positive vs. Negative Feedbacks: Explanation of reinforcing vs counterbalancing feedbacks.
Example: Meandering rivers illustrated as a dynamic feedback example.
Page 13: Tipping Points
Definition of Tipping Points: When usual feedback mechanisms fail, causing significant and rapid changes in Earth systems.
Example: Disintegration of West Antarctic ice sheet.
Page 14: Land Use in the U.S.
Statistics on Land Use: Breakdown into pasture, forests, cropland, urban, and miscellaneous uses.
Human Impact: Significance of land use on ecological health, species diversity, and resource distribution.
Page 15: Human Impacts on Atmosphere
Pollutants: Sources of atmospheric pollution and their environmental impacts.
Mitigation Efforts: Discussing successful policies reducing air pollution levels.
Page 16: Energy Budget in Earth's Atmosphere
Energy Flow: Understanding energy input from sunlight and radiation balance.
Greenhouse Effect Dynamics: Explanation of how absorbed energy is re-radiated back.
Page 17: Earth's Energy Budget Components
Understanding Energy Transfer: Quantifying energy absorption and reflection by Earth’s systems.
Unbalanced Energy Budget: Effects of greenhouse gas emissions leading to warming trends.
Page 18: Atmospheric Structure
Layer Definitions: Different atmospheric layers and their properties.
Impact on Climate: Influences of atmospheric components on weather and climate.
Page 19: Evapotranspiration
Initial Process of Water Cycle: Importance of evapotranspiration in regional climates.
Feedback Mechanism: Interaction with atmospheric humidity and climate cycles.
Page 20: Atmospheric Convection
Mechanism Explained: How warm air rises and cools, contributing to global weather patterns.
Pressure Dynamics: Role of atmospheric differences in influencing wind patterns.
Page 21: Atmospheric Pressure & Wind Patterns
Pressure Systems: How air flows from high to low-pressure areas, defining weather events.
Impact of Pressure Changes: Detail effects on weather patterns and precipitation.
Page 22: Global Atmospheric Circulation
Circulation Cells: Breakdown of major air circulation cells influencing climate zones.
Implications for Weather Patterns: Explanation of trade winds and their importance.
Page 23: Relative Humidity and Temperature Interactions
Concept Productions: Explore how warm air's capacity for moisture affects humidity levels.
Condensation Dynamics: Relationship between temperature drops and condensation phenomena.
Page 24: Types of Precipitation
Formation Mechanisms: How different temperature layers affect precipitation types.
Conditions of Precipitation: Factors that influence whether precipitation falls as rain, sleet, or snow.
Page 25: Severe Weather Dynamics
Impact of Extreme Weather: How severe weather forms from interacting air masses.
Monitoring Systems: Current technology for predicting severe weather and protecting at-risk populations.
Page 26: Air Mass Interactions
Cold and Warm Fronts: How they create severe weather conditions.
Expectations Based on Maps: Task of predicting weather changes using prior data.
Page 27: Tropical Deforestation Effects
Climate Forcings & Feedbacks: Dual impact of deforestation on climate warming and cooling.
Sunlight Factors: Importance of solar energy variations in influencing climatic changes.
Page 28: Albedo and Climate Dynamics
Surface Albedo: Understanding various surface types and their reflectivity influences on climate.
Critical Role of Vegetation: How land use changes impact solar energy absorption and climate.
Page 29: Cloud Dynamics
Cloud-Aerosol Interactions: Exploring the dual effect of clouds on Earth's energy balance, providing both cooling and warming feedback.
Page 30: Ocean Currents Influence on Climate
Density Differences: Understanding how temperature and salinity differences affect global circulation.
Impact of Glacial Melting: How additional freshwater affects deep current systems and carbon dynamics.
Page 31: Biospheric Contributions to CO2 Levels
Carbon Cycling Dynamics: How biomass impacts carbon storage and sequestration through photosynthesis.
Page 32: Methane Hydrate Feedbacks
Reinforcing Climate Feedbacks: Role of methane in global warming and its interactions with atmospheric conditions.
Page 33: Planetary Comparisons
Atmospheric Differences: Analyze the environmental impacts of Venus, Earth, and Mars due to differing compositions.
Page 34: Radiative Forcing Principles
Understanding Feedbacks: Exploration of surface radiation feedback and how it regulates Earth's temperature.
Page 35: Arctic Sea Ice Feedbacks
Climate Feedback Cycle: Understanding how loss of ice leads to more absorption of sunlight, accelerating temperature rise.
Page 36: Glacier Dynamics
Feedback Mechanisms Explained: Impacts of glacial melting on surrounding ecosystems and regional climates.
Page 37: Climate Zones & Their Variations
Köppen Classification: Overview of Earth's climate zones based on geographic and atmospheric conditions.
Page 38: Solar Activity and Climate History
Historical Changes: Discuss the sun’s influence over Earth's climate and geological periods.
Page 39: Proxy Data for Climate Understanding
Historical Climate Records: Utilizing proxy data to infer historical climate conditions based on geological evidence.
Page 40: Atmosphere Evolution Over Time
Evolution of Composition: Discuss the transition of Earth's atmosphere from high CO2 to current levels due to biological processes.
Page 41: CO2 and Biodiversity Relationships
Correlation Analysis: The relationship between atmospheric CO2 levels and biodiversity trends in Earth's history.
Page 42: Volcanic Activity’s Impact on Climate
Mechanisms of Earth’s History: How volcanic activity has both short-term and long-term atmospheric impacts through gas emissions.
Page 43: Chemical Weathering Effects
Erosion and CO2 Dynamics: How geological and biological weathering processes contribute to climate regulation.
Page 44: Continental Margins and Climate Effects
Impact of Geography: How the distribution of land masses affects regional climate patterns.
Page 45: Ocean Currents and Climate Interactions
Energy Movement: Understanding how ocean currents distribute solar energy, affecting global climate stability.
Page 46: Climate Cycles and Variations
Short-Term vs Long-Term: Analyze the influences of solar activity and natural climate variances.
Page 47: Milankovitch Cycles
Earth's Orbital Variations: Explore the three key cycles that influence Earth’s long-term climate changes.
Page 48: Global Climate Interactions
Threshold Effects: Observation of how climate changes correlate with solar variations through time.
Page 49: ENSO Phases and Climate Impacts
El Niño and La Niña Effects: The differing atmospheric impacts caused by changes in ocean temperatures.
Page 50: Solar Output Variability
Fluctuating Energy Input: Discuss how solar cycles influence Earth’s overall climate.
Page 51: Climate and Human Interaction
Impact of Solar Activity on Human History: Evidence of how past climate changes influenced societal developments.
Page 52: Volcanic Cooling Effects
Significance of Eruptions: Understand the cooling impacts of volcanic eruptions on short-term climate.
Page 53: Historical Climate Events
Impact of Major Eruptions: Link volcanic activities to significant climatic changes through history.
Page 54: Effects of Sea Level Changes
Historical Impact on Human Settlements: How changing coastlines have influenced early human cultures.
Page 55: Extreme Weather of the Past
Historical Climate Changes: Explore how climate events affected civilizations like Rome.
Page 56: Short-Term Climate Forcing Factors
Human Contributions: Discuss anthropogenic impacts on climate systems comparing natural and human-induced changes.
Page 57: Reassessing Climate Drought Causes
California Drought Analysis: Suggested activities to evaluate arguments about climatic impacts on droughts in California.
Page 58: Assessment and Investigation Closure
Reflection on Feedback Mechanisms: Review how interaction among Earth systems leads to extreme weather observations.