Kathy Gorski's List: Modeling and Data

Educational Global Climate Modeling. This was developed from an older ‘real’ modeling program, so the difference between this and current programs is the grainy-ness of the data. (It will run on today’s laptops – yesterday’s supercomputers – current programs need the power of modern supercomputers.) Good for high school student direct use, middle schoolers would probably be more comfortable with demos. Learning curve isn’t too bad!

A mapping of Anarctica. This comes recommended by teachers who have used them in secondary and above classes.

Arctic Research Mapping Program. This comes recommended by teachers who have used them in secondary and above classes.

Barrow Area Information Database - mapping tools that come recommended by teachers who have used them in secondary and above classes.

Look here to find ‘real’ data that can be incorporated into lessons. There are also links to lesson plans from other teachers, and well as tutorials on ways to use data with GIS, TI-84 calculators, and spreadsheets.

"Earth's climate is stable within limits. After small changes in temperature, the climate will remain stable, but larger changes can be dangerous....... Your task is to explore different scenarios with our Carbon/Temperature Model do draw some conclusions about what events are causing the greatest shifts."

CarbonTracker, a project of the U.S. government’s National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration’s Earth System Research Laboratory, has produced a telling time-lapse video chart of CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) concentrations starting in January of 1979 and ending in January of 2011. Measurements were taken in dozens of locations around the world (the red ball measures CO2 in Hawaii and the blue dot measures CO2 at the South Pole)