Transcript Teaching Climate Change Using Geospatial

Teaching Climate Change Using
Geospatial Technologies
October 12, 2012
What are Geospatial Technologies?
•
Geospatial technologies or Geospatial
Information Systems (GIS) provide the ability
to manipulate geographic/spatial data using
desktop and web-based intelligent mapping
tools. They provide a visual interface where
the user can interact with the map to
determine attributes, or select a database
record and view it on a map. GIS includes
many spatial analysis tools such as:
•
Global Positioning System (GPS) - locating
device based on orbiting satellites and
triangulation
Spatial Database Technologies - ability to
store spatial/coordinate information natively
in the database
Automatic Vehicle Locator - tracking of GPSenabled vehicles on a map in real-time (e.g.
State Police vehicles)
•
•
Why Use GIS Tools?
• Rising carbon and greenhouse gas (GHG) levels
are causing global environmental changes, such
as rising sea levels and temperatures, changing
precipitation patterns, and extreme weather.
• These changes have a variety of impacts, from
flooding to drought to disease outbreaks and
chronic food and water shortages. In turn, these
impacts have many possible geopolitical
implications, including political instability, rises in
extremism, epidemics, and humanitarian crises.
How are GIS Tools Used?
• Geospatial technologies provide spatial analysis that
helps inform decision-making and policy-making by
helping people understand the potential impacts.
• Geospatial tools help us measure, monitor, and
hopefully adapt to the effects of climate change.
• Geospatial technologies can enhance the analysis and
scenario planning exercises that will ultimately help us
to design and prioritize both mitigation and adaptation
efforts.
Why Use Geospatial Technologies to
Teach Climate Change?
• People may be reluctant to act on climate change because the effects of
climate change are long-term, dispersed, and cross many kinds of
boundaries. Everyone isn’t able to see the melting ice caps in person, but
imagery available to them via geospatial technologies provides the next
best thing!
• Geospatial technologies not only help people adapt to climate change in the
physical or policy sense, but to the idea that climate change is actually
happening. It helps present evidence to aid in understanding the big issues,
like the growing desertification and shifting agricultural areas in many areas
around the world, and how those issues affect them personally.
http://www.boozallen.com/insights/ideas/geospatial/episode4/details/49289514
Climate Change & Human Health
• This project uses an
interactive geospatial
globe called CHANGE
Viewer, to view and
access climate and
human related datasets.
• This tool is a customized
and enhanced NASA
World Wind portal that
can be launched from
any computer with an
internet connection and
Adobe Flash.
Climate Change & Human Health
• Click the link above and
launch the Change
Viewer
• Food Security, Water
Resources and Natural
Disasters: Cyclones are
already available
• Try comparing access to
water to the corruption
measure. Click Data
Library, SEDAC
Climate Change & Human Health
• Spend 15 minutes
exploring the variables.
• Share with the group
two variables you
explored and a
correlation you may
have observed.
• How can you use this
to discuss Climate
Change in your class?
The Cryosphere, GIS & Climate
• Since 1978, satellites have
monitored sea ice growth and
retreat, and they have detected
an overall decline in Arctic sea
ice. The rate of decline steepened
after the turn of the twenty-first
century.
• In September 2002, the summer
minimum ice extent was the
lowest it had been since 1979.
Although the September 2002
low was only slightly below
previous lows (from the 1990s), it
was the beginning of a series of
record or near-record lows in the
Arctic.
The Cryosphere, GIS & Climate
Ocean Currents Causing
Antarctic Ice Loss
This animation shows the
circulation of ocean currents
around the western
Antarctic ice shelves. The
shelves are indicated by the
rainbow color; red is thicker
(>550m), while blue is
thinner (<200m). These
shelves are being melted
from the underside by warm
ocean currents.
Article Literacy Lab Template
GIS, Migration & Climate
• GIS Activities:
Determining initial and
ending coordinates for
each animal.
Comparing preferred
tracklines with surface
ocean currents using the
ESRT
• Gray Whale Migration
• Additional Reading from
the Climate Institute:
Whales: Even Giants
Aren’t Safe
• Article Review Guidelines
• Article Review Rubric
Hydroelectric Power
• How Hydroelectric Dams Work
• Articles about Hydroelectric Power
• Hydroelectric Power Persuasive Essay
• ELI Hydroelectric Power Google Lab
• ELI Hydroelectric Power Field Guide
Resources for Using Geospatial
Technologies to Teach Climate Change
NASA TV http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html
ELI @ Lehigh University: Instructional http://www.ei.lehigh.edu/eli/energy/overview.html
ELI Resources http://www.ei.lehigh.edu/eli/energy/resources.html#gis
NASA Earth Observatory: World of Change
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/WorldOfChange/
Climate Change and Human Health: Change Viewer
http://www.climatechangehumanhealth.org
SERC: teaching About Climate Change
http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/climatechange/index.html
Maryland’s Chesapeake and Coastal Service
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/map_template/coastalmaps/coastal_atlas_shorelines.html
Geospatial Revolution Project: Episode 4
http://www.boozallen.com/insights/ideas/geospatial/episode4/details/49289514